What's the news?
Kris Meeke has been through a lot to get where he is in rallying today. Sidelined after MINI's withdrawal from the World Championship in 2011, it's amazing to watch how things have panned out. Last weekend's Jyvaskyla-based Rally Finland was his third victory in the WRC, in an ''obsolete'' DS3 run by PH Sport in a part-campaign for 2016. How the tables have turned...
This win was no walk in the park either. Very few non-Scandinavian drivers have ever emerged victorious on the famous event (previously known as the 1000 Lakes), and among those are the true greats like Sainz, Auriol and Loeb. For the Dungannon man and his Killarney co-driver Paul Nagle, this is a very big deal. To beat local ace Jari-Matti Latvala and his all-conquering Polo R WRC by 13 seconds on the fearsome Ouninpohja stage is unheard of, but that's exactly what they did. The DS3's average speed over the event was 126.6km/h. Average speed. Nuts.
There was further joy for Irish rally fans as Waterford's Craig Breen secured third overall in only his fourth outing in a World Rally Car, a great achievement, especially considering the calibre of the cars and drivers behind him. An extremely calculated and assured drive, which included his first WRC stage win, means that the young hotshoe is firmly on the radar for a works-supported drive for 2017.
Anything else?
Citroen's next appearance is in China in September, with one car for Meeke. On his current form, you'd be brave to bet against him, as out of the four events he's done this year he has either been in contention or won... This is a great portent for next year, when the French team return for a full season with the new C3 WRC. New regulations mean even more power and aero, and initial videos and reports suggest that the car is bang on the pace. Remember, Citroen Racing built the Xsara and C4 WRC cars too, so they know a thing or ten about winning... Watch this space!