Kris Meeke scored his maiden WRC win during the FIA WRC Rally Argentina 2015, concluding what was an emotional victory in his career. He became the first British rally driver to win a World Rally since 2002. His mentor Colin McRae was the last British driver to win a World Rally during the 2002 Kenya Safari Rally. The Citroen driver admitted that McRae contributed the most to his career both mentally and financially.
Commemorating the late McRae, Meeke said, “The one guy who did most for me isn’t here to see this. This is for Colin. He helped my career out at the very beginning. He supported me financially through to the world championship. Without his support I wouldn’t be here.”
Completing a great round for Citroen was Meeke’s teammate Mads Østberg who crossed the line 18.1 seconds behind him to give Citroen a 1-2 finish, a result they haven’t tasted in nearly three years. M-Sport driver Elfyn Evans finished third in a Ford Fiesta RS adding more colour to the history of British rally drivers who have won a World Rally podium.
It was a dull round for Volkswagen drivers as some retired while others crashed out of stages into retirement. World Champion Sebastien Ogier finished in 17th place after his VW Polo R WRC encountered fuel injection problems. Jari-Matti Latvala retired with fuel supply problems in his Polo R WRC while teammate Andreas Mikkelsen crashed out after hitting a rock on the repeat stage. Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville crashed in that same location too.
Elsewhere, Czech driver Martin Prokop finished in fourth in a Ford Fiesta RS while Dani Sordo rounded off the top five in a Hyundai i20 WRC. Khalid Al Qassimi finished sixth in a Citroen DS3 leading Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari who won the WRC 2 category. The next WRC round will head to Portugal on May 21st where drivers will encounter some of the long forgotten routes of the North.
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