Kris Meeke claims IRC Title 2009
Peugeot UK’s Kris Meeke has claimed the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge crown. He scooped the Drivers’ championship title after a stunning performance on the twisty, mountain routes above the glittering resort of San Remo.
His drive to victory in the penultimate round of the IRC means a
double celebration for the Peugeot team, who had already bagged the
2009 IRC Manufacturers’ title before heading to the Italian
Riviera.
Kris’s win also means that it is the first time that a British
driver has claimed international rally honours since the late
Richard Burns in the WRC.
Kris and co-driver Paul Nagle were in shock after crossing the
finishing line. "It’s unbelievable! It hasn’t sunk in!” Kris told
us on Saturday night. “To be honest I never expected to come here
and fight for any decent points. But this morning I got up, I felt
good, and for some strange reason I was out running at five o’clock
this morning – I just felt fit and ready for it. The pacenotes were
inch-perfect today and Paul did a fantastic job. I’d like to thank
Peugeot UK, Kronos Racing, my mechanics… everyone has been fully
behind me and given me every opportunity. It wouldn’t have been
possible without them all.”
Paul Nagle was equally jubilant. “I’m absolutely stuck for words.
We just set the place alight today; Kris took the whole thing by
storm. We didn’t to expect to win here but something clicked this
morning.
“We left Monte Carlo at the start of the season with zero points
when we could have won the most famous rally in the world, but
sometimes you need that sort of disappointment to go forward.
"To win here on a rally that's so prestigious and take the title is
something special.”
The bid for the Drivers’ title was at fever pitch when Day 1 of the
intense Sanremo Rally dawned.
Kris was just one point in front of Czech ace Jan Kopecky. Who
would steal the crown? Unfortunately for Skoda, Jan Kopecky crashed
out on Day 1 giving the Peugeot UK ace a chance of securing the
championship title before the final round in Scotland.
Day 2 began like any other ordinary rally day. But what was about
to transpire was anything but ordinary.
Kris and Paul started the second day in fourth position overall,
22.5 seconds off the lead, which was held by Paolo Andreucci.
The rollercoaster ride then started. The Peugeot UK team flew
through the fifth and punishing, 28-km Tris stage. In the sixth
stage they overhauled both Andreucci and Rossetti to take the rally
lead. Then in stage seven, during the 3km Poker sprint, a spanner
was thrown in the works.
Kris admitted after the run: “We stopped to bleed the brakes
between stages and I made a mistake bleeding the brakes. I had
completely no brakes on this stage. I think we’ve just lost 10
seconds.”
Kris now risked championship victory.
Happily, Kris put his brake problems behind him. In the afternoon
he extended his lead. All hinged on the final stage and tensions
were running high.
It was the moment of truth. Had they done enough? Paul’s shout of
“Yee ha!” said it all as their Peugeot 207 S2000 crossed the
finishing line. The Peugeot UK team had achieved their ultimate
goal of winning the IRC championship title for 2009.
Champion Kris Meeke and the rest of the Peugeot battalion – Freddy
Loix and Nicolas Vouilloz – can next be seen on British soil at the
Rally of Scotland, 19-21 November.
In the meantime, CONGRATULATIONS BOYS!
DRIVERS’ STANDINGS