Photo Credit: Citroen Racing After growing speculation that Kris Meeke had a choice between Citroen Racing and Tommi Makinen's Toyota operation to pursue his dream of becoming World Rally Champion, the Ulsterman has plumped for the team he knows best, Citroen. He today signed a 3 year deal stretching his time with the French marque until the end of 2018. Kris has consistently been one of the only men over the past 2 years who has been able to match the dominant Volkswagens for outright pace, and in Argentina 2015 he took his maiden WRC victory. There is still room for improvement, but Citroen are well aware Meeke is one of the hottest prospects in the WRC. “In terms of our new programme, above all else we wanted an experienced, top-level driver, with sound technical knowledge,” said Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal. “Kris was undoubtedly the best choice and we are delighted that he has decided to stay with us." For 2016, Kris and co-driver Paul Nagle have the task of developing the all new Citroen WRC challenger for 2017, but will also compete on a handful of WRC events too in the outgoing DS3, the details of which will be revealed in due course. Meeke is understandably delighted to, for the first time in his WRC career, be heading into a season with a secured future for the following one. “Various options were available to me to pursue my career, but I chose to stay with Citroën Racing to reap the rewards of the work done over the last two years or more,” commented Kris Meeke. “It’s also a way of thanking the team for the faith they have shown in me." "Obviously, all of this work is geared towards me being able to fight for more wins and for the world title. Citroën Racing is team with a winning mentality, with fifteen world titles, eight of which were won in the WRC. I am extremely pleased to be part of this new chapter in the history of such a prestigious Brand." From a patriotic point of view this was fantastic news to wake up to this morning, and above all else Kris really does deserve this as his talent is incredible. Best of luck to him and Citroen.
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WRCArticles covering the World Rally Championship Archives
January 2018
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