PEUGEOT UK DRIVER KRIS MEEKE CONFIRMED FOR RALLY SHOW AT CHATSWORTH

WIWMEEKE%3b138 PEUGEOT UK DRIVER KRIS MEEKE CONFIRMED FOR RALLY SHOW AT CHATSWORTH

Photo: ©willyweyens-rallyworld

It has been confirmed by Peugeot GB that their driver and current leader of the FIA Intercontinental Rally Challenge, Kris Meeke will be coming to The Rally Show at Chatsworth to drive the Peugeot 207 S2000. Just last weekend, 7/8 May, Meeke won his second IRC victory in a row at the Sata Rallye Azores, halfway across the Atlantic, and took the lead of the championship.

Meeke's appearance at Chatsworth in June will be the only time that British rally fans will get a chance to see him in action with the Kronos Peugeot before November, when he is due to enter the Rally Scotland. All but that very last round of the IRC take place in countries scattered around the globe, from Brazil to Japan and from Kenya to China.

The appearance of a state-of-the-art Peugeot 207 Super 2000 - which heads the 2009 Manufacturer's IRC table by 29 points from Mitsubishi - is of special interest, since this formula will replace the current World Rally Car from 2010, as part of the cost-cutting initiatives taken by the FIA and the car manufacturers.

Twenty-nine year-old Meeke started his rally career as a engineer and CAD designer with M-Sport, but he needed little encouragement to get involved with rallying since his father, Sidney, had for many years prepared rally cars in Northern Ireland, in particular for Bertie Fisher. In 2000, Kris won a Peugeot competition to find new rally drivers and rapidly progressed through the Peugeot Cup. He gained the support and backing of Colin McRae, which helped him to win the British Junior Championship of 2002 in a Ford Puma. Drives in a range of S1600 cars in the Junior World Championship followed, also with help from McRae, but individual wins were not enough to capture a title. Experience in WRCars during 2007 finally led to a drive for Peugeot GB for 2009.

WIWMEEKE%3b137 PEUGEOT UK DRIVER KRIS MEEKE CONFIRMED FOR RALLY SHOW AT CHATSWORTH