RallyCiaran
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I would say its at a different level than what Ford or Citroen would be after. More a top up of the budget with Hyundai picking up the big bills rather than Shell being expected to pay the big bills at Ford and Citroen.
WRC 2014 : All Chat Here
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I would say its at a different level than what Ford or Citroen would be after. More a top up of the budget with Hyundai picking up the big bills rather than Shell being expected to pay the big bills at Ford and Citroen.
Graham
RMS Photographer
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More grip than on some gravel surfaces. Still good driving though 
Graham
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and 2007 was awesome too
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Graham
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And another epic clip
Graham
RMS Photographer
more footage of meeke testing
Graham
RMS Photographer
as expected with one twist Elfyn Evans steps up to WRC
WRC - Hirvonen with M-Sport, Evans and Kubica in 2014 - http://translate.google.com/transla...m-sport-avec-hirvonen-evans-et-kubica-en-2014
this means with meeke & evans the UK mainstream TV coverage should improve
WRC - Hirvonen with M-Sport, Evans and Kubica in 2014 - http://translate.google.com/transla...m-sport-avec-hirvonen-evans-et-kubica-en-2014
this means with meeke & evans the UK mainstream TV coverage should improve
Graham
RMS Photographer
Why Kris Meeke just made the WRC more relevant in Britain
The Northern Irish ace will lead Citroen's WRC team in 2014, and that's great news for UK fans
Why Kris Meeke just made the WRC more relevant in Britain
Meeke impressed Citroen with his pure speed in Australia this year
James Attwood
by James Attwood
11 December 2013 5:23pm
The news that Northern Irishman Kris Meeke will lead Citroen’s World Rally Championship attack next year is a long overdue reward for a hugely talented driver – and a potential game-changer for rallying in Britain.
Meeke has secured one of the top seats in world rallying. The 34-year-old will drive a Citroen DS3 WRC on every event in 2014, and will be run by the engineers that looked after nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb. It’s an amazing turnaround, and true reward for years of promise, potential, hard work and agonising setbacks.
Throughout his rallying career Meeke has displayed blinding speed and, being totally honest, a propensity for massive crashes. He’s also often managed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time: he was signed up to front Mini’s World Rally Championship back in 2010, but got sidelined when the project hit funding issues.
The problem for Meeke, and numerous other promising drivers, has been the limited number of seats in the WRC. With just a handful of works teams for the last few years, it was hard for a new driver without huge financial backing to secure a seat and gain experience. And without experience, the works teams were reluctant to gamble.
Citroen’s decision to sign Meeke and Norwegian Mads Ostberg for 2013 is a gamble. A team built around Sebastien Loeb – only the greatest rally driver in history – will now be led by a man who has started ten WRC events in a top-flight car. Meeke's team-mate Ostberg has one (inherited) WRC win, but had a tough 2013 season, in part due to an astigmatism in his eye.
Citroen clearly feels it’s a gamble worth taking. This year, the firm’s full-time line-up was a ‘safe’ combination of proven event winner Mikko Hirvonen and Tarmac specialist Dani Sordo. Spaniard Sordo won once, while Hirvonen didn’t take a single victory. Safe just didn’t work for Citroen.
Key to the deal is that Meeke is a known quantity to Citroen. He’s been a long-time rally car tester for the PSA Group, and his feedback and development skills are highly regarded. Citroen gave him a chance in a third Citroen DS3 WRC on Rally Finland this year. On tough, demanding gravel stages he set some hugely promising times, before rolling out near the end.
He had impressed enough to be given another DS3 WRC outing in Australia. This time he showed even more speed – before crashing again. Even Meeke admitted he might have blown his chances for 2014, although he did note that being given one-off outings with a possible job on the line was a tough situation. As Meeke says, the one time he was given a full season deal was with Peugeot UK in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 2009. He won the title.
To Citroen’s credit, the firm has decided to focus on Meeke’s speed and potential, rather than the potential for accidents. Meeke has the pace to win WRC events, and by all accounts the mechanics love him. He can surely refine his driving and reduce the errors given the security of a full season – just like he did in 2009. There’s a certain parallel to when Subaru took a chance on a fiercely fast but crash-prone Scot called Colin McRae. That was a big gamble, and it paid off rather well…
The United Kingdom hasn’t had a WRC event winner since McRae won the Safari Rally in 2002. And without a Brit at the front, the WRC has struggled to attract a decent British television deal or any coverage in the daily papers. While the specialist press has continued to cover the sport, the wider media has lost interest. A UK driver pushing for wins could change that. If Meeke can win events next year, it could help to reinvigorate rallying at every level in this country.
But we can contemplate the wider issues later. For now, let’s just celebrate that a UK driver – and a thoroughly nice one, at that – has shown that perseverance and dedication does get rewarded.
The Northern Irish ace will lead Citroen's WRC team in 2014, and that's great news for UK fans
Why Kris Meeke just made the WRC more relevant in Britain
Meeke impressed Citroen with his pure speed in Australia this year
James Attwood
by James Attwood
11 December 2013 5:23pm
The news that Northern Irishman Kris Meeke will lead Citroen’s World Rally Championship attack next year is a long overdue reward for a hugely talented driver – and a potential game-changer for rallying in Britain.
Meeke has secured one of the top seats in world rallying. The 34-year-old will drive a Citroen DS3 WRC on every event in 2014, and will be run by the engineers that looked after nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb. It’s an amazing turnaround, and true reward for years of promise, potential, hard work and agonising setbacks.
Throughout his rallying career Meeke has displayed blinding speed and, being totally honest, a propensity for massive crashes. He’s also often managed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time: he was signed up to front Mini’s World Rally Championship back in 2010, but got sidelined when the project hit funding issues.
The problem for Meeke, and numerous other promising drivers, has been the limited number of seats in the WRC. With just a handful of works teams for the last few years, it was hard for a new driver without huge financial backing to secure a seat and gain experience. And without experience, the works teams were reluctant to gamble.
Citroen’s decision to sign Meeke and Norwegian Mads Ostberg for 2013 is a gamble. A team built around Sebastien Loeb – only the greatest rally driver in history – will now be led by a man who has started ten WRC events in a top-flight car. Meeke's team-mate Ostberg has one (inherited) WRC win, but had a tough 2013 season, in part due to an astigmatism in his eye.
Citroen clearly feels it’s a gamble worth taking. This year, the firm’s full-time line-up was a ‘safe’ combination of proven event winner Mikko Hirvonen and Tarmac specialist Dani Sordo. Spaniard Sordo won once, while Hirvonen didn’t take a single victory. Safe just didn’t work for Citroen.
Key to the deal is that Meeke is a known quantity to Citroen. He’s been a long-time rally car tester for the PSA Group, and his feedback and development skills are highly regarded. Citroen gave him a chance in a third Citroen DS3 WRC on Rally Finland this year. On tough, demanding gravel stages he set some hugely promising times, before rolling out near the end.
He had impressed enough to be given another DS3 WRC outing in Australia. This time he showed even more speed – before crashing again. Even Meeke admitted he might have blown his chances for 2014, although he did note that being given one-off outings with a possible job on the line was a tough situation. As Meeke says, the one time he was given a full season deal was with Peugeot UK in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 2009. He won the title.
To Citroen’s credit, the firm has decided to focus on Meeke’s speed and potential, rather than the potential for accidents. Meeke has the pace to win WRC events, and by all accounts the mechanics love him. He can surely refine his driving and reduce the errors given the security of a full season – just like he did in 2009. There’s a certain parallel to when Subaru took a chance on a fiercely fast but crash-prone Scot called Colin McRae. That was a big gamble, and it paid off rather well…
The United Kingdom hasn’t had a WRC event winner since McRae won the Safari Rally in 2002. And without a Brit at the front, the WRC has struggled to attract a decent British television deal or any coverage in the daily papers. While the specialist press has continued to cover the sport, the wider media has lost interest. A UK driver pushing for wins could change that. If Meeke can win events next year, it could help to reinvigorate rallying at every level in this country.
But we can contemplate the wider issues later. For now, let’s just celebrate that a UK driver – and a thoroughly nice one, at that – has shown that perseverance and dedication does get rewarded.
Graham
RMS Photographer
just found this on the press system
RALLY BOSS WELCOMES ANOTHER MAJOR BOOST FOR BRITISH RALLYING
Kris Meeke joins title-winning Citroen Racing for 2014 WRC
Wales Rally GB welcomes ‘incredible opportunity’ for British star
British rallying has received another major boost with Citroen Racing announcing that experienced Northern Ireland driver Kris Meeke will be joining its title-winning Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team for the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship.
Meeke and co-driver Paul Nagle will become the first British crew to compete in a full WRC season with a front-running factory team since rallying legend Colin McRae’s swansong in 2003.
The news is a further fillip for the sport in the UK coming just a few weeks after the revitalised Wales Rally GB – Britain’s concluding round of the FIA World Rally Championship – attracted huge crowds not seen in recent years.
"What an amazing turn around!” enthused Andrew Coe, Chief Executive of Wales Rally GB organiser International Motor Sports. “Only a few months ago there were those fearing for the sport’s future in this country – now we not only have one of the finest rounds on the WRC calendar but also a British driver back in a front-running factory outfit. Ever since the glorious days of Colin McRae and Richard Burns, we’ve been desperate to see one of our drivers back in a top team – now that day has come. Like all British rally fans, we wish Kris and Paul the very best of luck for 2014 and look forward to welcoming them to Wales Rally GB next November.”
Meeke – a former protégé of the late Colin McRae – has been on the fringes of the big time for several years having won the Intercontinental Rally Challenge feeder series in 2009. The 34-year-old briefly became a member of the short-lived Mini WRC programme during 2011 and more recently, after 18 months out, made a surprise return to the WRC earlier this season with a couple of guest appearances for Citroen in Finland and Australia. On both occasions he showed some impressive speed at the wheel of the DS3 WRC and clearly did enough to secure a full-time drive in 2014.
“It’s an incredible opportunity,” admitted a delighted Meeke. “I’m really lucky to be able to work with a team that has so much experience and so many titles. I think I’ve got some potential, but I still need to get some experience under my belt. The Citroën DS3 WRC is a terrific car and I’m going to be able to use the team’s knowledge to help me improve. I know that I’ll have to be patient in the first half of the season and learn all about the rallies that I haven’t done before.”
RALLY BOSS WELCOMES ANOTHER MAJOR BOOST FOR BRITISH RALLYING
Kris Meeke joins title-winning Citroen Racing for 2014 WRC
Wales Rally GB welcomes ‘incredible opportunity’ for British star
British rallying has received another major boost with Citroen Racing announcing that experienced Northern Ireland driver Kris Meeke will be joining its title-winning Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team for the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship.
Meeke and co-driver Paul Nagle will become the first British crew to compete in a full WRC season with a front-running factory team since rallying legend Colin McRae’s swansong in 2003.
The news is a further fillip for the sport in the UK coming just a few weeks after the revitalised Wales Rally GB – Britain’s concluding round of the FIA World Rally Championship – attracted huge crowds not seen in recent years.
"What an amazing turn around!” enthused Andrew Coe, Chief Executive of Wales Rally GB organiser International Motor Sports. “Only a few months ago there were those fearing for the sport’s future in this country – now we not only have one of the finest rounds on the WRC calendar but also a British driver back in a front-running factory outfit. Ever since the glorious days of Colin McRae and Richard Burns, we’ve been desperate to see one of our drivers back in a top team – now that day has come. Like all British rally fans, we wish Kris and Paul the very best of luck for 2014 and look forward to welcoming them to Wales Rally GB next November.”
Meeke – a former protégé of the late Colin McRae – has been on the fringes of the big time for several years having won the Intercontinental Rally Challenge feeder series in 2009. The 34-year-old briefly became a member of the short-lived Mini WRC programme during 2011 and more recently, after 18 months out, made a surprise return to the WRC earlier this season with a couple of guest appearances for Citroen in Finland and Australia. On both occasions he showed some impressive speed at the wheel of the DS3 WRC and clearly did enough to secure a full-time drive in 2014.
“It’s an incredible opportunity,” admitted a delighted Meeke. “I’m really lucky to be able to work with a team that has so much experience and so many titles. I think I’ve got some potential, but I still need to get some experience under my belt. The Citroën DS3 WRC is a terrific car and I’m going to be able to use the team’s knowledge to help me improve. I know that I’ll have to be patient in the first half of the season and learn all about the rallies that I haven’t done before.”
you don't know what the craic is with TV coverage next year? Is it on a subscription channel only?
Graham
RMS Photographer
I can see ITV4 doing all rounds now but i wouldn't know that from an insiders point of view. they showed a few of last years events.
Kris Meeke on Twitter:
Catch @bbcnewsline on BBC1 NI tonight between 6.30 and 7pm. Live studio interview on my @CitroenRacing @AbuDhabiRacing1 deal. #WRC
Some nice footage from this weeks Monte Carlo test also on. Viewers outside NI can view later on BBC iPlayer..
Cess
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The ITV4 highlights package came together after the Mexico round and was decent enough, considering. Being picky, one whole event packed into one hour isn't really sufficent. Plus the Paul King "as live" commentary is still as dull as ditch water. It's not live, you know what happened, i know what happened, so stop commentating like its happening right now.
I think the FIA and WRC are moving towards more live footage on a day by day basis, possibly via streaming. The French broadcasters do this for WRC France-Alsace and it's brilliant. Eurosport-style coverage for the Monte is desperately needed - every stage live!
I think the FIA and WRC are moving towards more live footage on a day by day basis, possibly via streaming. The French broadcasters do this for WRC France-Alsace and it's brilliant. Eurosport-style coverage for the Monte is desperately needed - every stage live!
Graham
RMS Photographer
interview with meeke https://soundcloud.com/traxx-wif/interview-kris-meeke-new
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The ITV4 roundup has always worked for me, just right
Happy to see it back in the latter part of the season, hope they continue next year now.
Happy to see it back in the latter part of the season, hope they continue next year now.
Graham
RMS Photographer
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03ktdmf/BBC_Newsline_12_12_2013/
22min into the program...
very mature and sensible attitude
22min into the program...
very mature and sensible attitude
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He began with "for sure" - red card!
Cess
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Hirvonen, Evans and Kubica to M-Sport - now confirmed.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/111843
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/111843
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