Meeke happy after Rally Islas Canarias test

Kris Meeke says he was very happy with the set-up of his Peugeot UK-backed 207 Super 2000 following a test on Gran Canaria yesterday.

The reigning Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion was one of several championship regulars to take part in a pre-event test as part of ongoing preparations for Rally Islas Canarias, which gets underway with a ceremonial start on Thursday evening.

Meeke completed 10 runs over the 2.75 Tarmac course alongside co-driver Paul Nagle and spent much of the day making minor adjustments to his Kronos Racing-run machine.

Thierry Neuville, who will partner Meeke in the Kronos line-up on six rounds of this year’s IRC starting from Rally Islas Canarias, also took part in the test.

In contrast, it was a frustrating day for Meeke’s fellow Briton Guy Wilks, currently second to Juho Hänninen in the IRC drivers’ standings. The Škoda UK Motorsport pilot was unable to test his Fabia S2000 after his team encountered delays retrieving key components from the port in Las Palmas. However, Wilks did complete a successful test in northern Italy before heading to Gran Canaria.

Although it was cold and cloudy at the start of the day, it quickly became warm and sunny with a maximum reported temperature of 25 degrees Centigrade. A large number of spectators were in attendance.