Kris Meeke, the five-time World Rally Championship winner, was called upon by the Hyundai Portugal squad to replace Craig Breen, who sadly lost his life in a Rally Croatia testing incident earlier this month. Breen had been participating in the Portuguese national championship and was a teammate of Meeke’s at the WRC for Hyundai. Meeke and co-driver Ola Floene took Breen’s place in a special livery Hyundai i20 N Rally2 car, featuring the Irish flag, in honour of their absent friend and former teammate Breen.
Meeke wins emotional rally
Meeke, who had not competed in a rally since last year’s Qatar International Rally, won the rally by 15.5 seconds, beating WRC2 regular Marco Bulacia. The Northern Irishman won seven of the nine gravel stages, leading from start to finish, and took an emotional victory. “It was a nice way to finish the rally. We know the reason we are here this weekend with the livery and everything, it was nice to do the job,” said Meeke after the final stage. Spain’s Alejandro Cachon placed third, finishing five seconds behind Bulacia, driving a Citroen C3 Rally2.
Meeke continues in Portuguese national championship
Meeke is set to participate in the remaining rounds of the Portuguese national championship, including Rally Portugal, the fifth round of the 2023 WRC season, next month. Spain’s Dani Sordo is set to drive the third WRC factory Hyundai at the event, but the team has yet to confirm plans for the car beyond the gravel event.
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