Q&A with Kris Meeke (MINI WRC Team)
“We aim to prove how competitive we are.”
Kris Meeke celebrated his biggest success in rallying in 2009 when he and co-driver Paul Nagle won the Intercontinental Rally Challenge outright. In 2011, he enters the FIA World Rally Championship with the MINI WRC Team.
In an interview Meeke speaks about this season‟s programme and the high expectations facing the MINI WRC Team.
Kris, for 2011 only a selection of WRC events are on your schedule. Will it be a quiet season for you?
Kris Meeke: “No, to go into a season without aiming to win is a waste. Then we may as well not even enter and save an awful lot of effort. In our instance we need to find the right balance. We can‟t win the title; however, we still aim to prove how competitive we are.”
What does the MINI WRC Team hope to gain from entering selected events?
Meeke: “Experience under competitive conditions. We believe we are currently up to speed. However, that can only be confirmed in direct competition. Therefore we need to use the events to ensure we are competitive as soon as possible. 2012 will be a very important year for us because then we will judged over an entire season. Already we are feeling the weight of expectations – and gladly accept the challenge.”
Do you feel under pressure to perform against your team-mate Dani Sordo?
Meeke: “Well, we are not competing wheel-to-wheel as you do in Formula One, where team-mates often push and shove. In rallying it is totally different because there is a lot of respect among the teams. We drive solely against the stopwatch, not against other teams or even our team-mates.”
Which event are you most looking forward to?
Meeke: “I have no favourites. At the moment all I am hoping is that it gets under way as soon as possible so we can develop the car.”