Meeke fastest in Azores shakedown

Kris Meeke has set the fastest time during shakedown for Sata Rallye Açores, round seven of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Driving a Peugeot UK 207 Super 2000 Meeke and navigator Paul Nagle completed the three-kilometre Remédios-Lagoa practice stage, held in warm and sunny conditions, in a time of 1m45.8s, one tenth of a second faster than factory Škoda Motorsport driver and IRC series leader Juho Hänninen.

Jan Kopecký, in another works Fabia Super 2000 was third with Portuguese hero Bruno Magalhães fourth. Andreas Mikkelsen was the fastest of the two M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000 runners in fifth.

Top six shakedown times

1 Kris Meeke (Peugeot 207 S2000) 1m45.8s
2 Juho Hänninen (Škoda Fabia S2000) 1m45.9s
3 Jan Kopecký (Škoda Fabia S2000) 1m48.5s
4 Bruno Magalhães (Peugeot 207 S2000) 1m49.7s
5 Andreas Mikkelsen (M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000) 1m48.9s
6 Bernardo Sousa (M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000) 1m52.5s