Meeke to focus on strong GB result

Kris Meeke is determined not to let nostalgia get in the way of a strong result when the World Rally Championship concludes on Wales Rally GB next week.

Meeke will form part of the two-strong MINI WRC Team entry on the event and is expected to attract a huge following, particularly from British fans for who MINI remains an iconic brand.

“It’s going to be very special doing my home rally and, added to that, doing it with Prodrive and MINI,” the Northern Irishman told Wrc.com. “But ultimately we have to keep the main goal in mind, getting to the finish in a good position.”

Meeke last took part on his home round of the world championship in 2006 when he contested the Junior world championship in a Citroen C2 Super 1600.

“It’s a rally I’ve always enjoyed but I haven’t done it for a while now,” said Meeke. “The only one good thing is that the new stages at the beginning of the event are new for everybody so it should make it a level playing field. Also, it’s always nice to go to a new territory rather than the same stages over and over and the roads in the north of Wales are some of the best in the world.”

Meeke said he expected the weather to pose a significant challenge during the four-day event, which starts in Llandudno on Thursday 10 November and finishes in Cardiff three days later (13 November).

“The weather conditions can play havoc and we just hope the weather stays sensible,” said Meeke. “The weather is always a challenge and a sting in the tail at the end of the year.”