Matton backs Meeke to bounce back

Kris Meeke’s stand-in team boss Yves Matton has backed the Peugeot UK driver to recover from the disappointment of retiring on Rali Vinho Madeira’s 17th stage earlier today.

The 31-year-old from Northern Ireland was in second overall when an engine failure 2.8 kilometres into the 22.01-kilometre test forced him out of an Intercontinental Rally Challenge event for the fifth time this season.

“It’s a big disappointment for Kris,” said Matton. “He had been fighting from the start of the rally and driving very well. For the championship it is now very, very difficult but for sure he will stay positive and come back from this.”

Matton said Meeke’s engine was the same newly-homologated unit he first used on the Geko Ypres Rally in June but insisted the problem was not related to the alternator issue Meeke encountered on the rally’s 15th stage.

“For the moment we still don’t know exactly what has happened other than he lost oil pressure but it is no relation to the other problem,” said Matton.