Just days before he tackles the inaugural RallyScotland, newly-crowned Intercontinental Rally Championship winner Kris Meeke crashed his Peugeot S2000 during a final private test.
The Irishman from Dungannon, bidding for his fifth win of the season in the three-day event which starts in Perth on Thursday, clipped a log during today’s test damaging his car.
“I clipped a log which was hidden in the grass about three inches off the road and that dinked a steering arm,” Meeke explained. “It’s one of the things which happens during testing; that’s why we go testing.”
After his crew made the necessary repairs to his damaged car, Meeke was quickly back on the pace as he tweaked his car ready for his assault on the 13-stage, 500-mile event which finishes in Stirling on Saturday.
“The car felt really well this afternoon and I’m confident we’ve got the pace to lead from the front when the rally starts. Conditions are very slippery and demanding, but that’s what rallying in Britain’s all about.”
Meeke will tomorrow join the rest of the 70 crews — including Lanark’s Alister McRae, who will drive his Proton S2000, and the works’ Skoda S2000 of Darlington’s Guy Wilks — for the official recce of the rally route.
JM