Irish drivers Kris Meeke and Craig Breen eager to impress in Rally GB
For Ulsterman Meeke and his Killarney co-driver Paul Nagle, it will also be a case of ensuring that Citroen secure the runner-up position in the manufacturers’ category behind runaway winners Volkswagen.
It could well be that Citroen already know the shape of their 2016 team, but of course it will not be public knowledge, at least until Sunday evening at the very earliest. Meeke was linked to Hyundai in recent weeks but his ability as a test driver and the fact that he was the only driver to break the dominance of the VW trio of Sebastien Ogier, Jari Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen will stand him in good stead with the French outfit.
No doubt he will have plenty of home support on Rally GB. “This is more or less my home rally and there’ll be lots of supporters out for us. I took part in my very first rally in these forests, so they are very familiar to me and I have my bearings on these roads. I love the region and the course, with the surface that can be muddy and slippery. The majority of the stages are held on natural roads where the driving is smooth..”
He is also aware of his team’s requirements. “We know what we have to do, we have to finish second in the championship. So we have to try and finish in front of our rivals and if possible, on the podium.”
Citroen are four points ahead of Hyundai and Meeke’s team mate Mads Ostberg will also have to play a similar role.
European Rally Championship runner-up Craig Breen will pilot his Peugeot Academy 208 T16 as he ponders what his future holds. He is unlikely to have another season with Peugeot as an Academy driver. Citroen and Ford are seen as potential suitors.
The strong Irish contingent also features the Moffett brothers,Sam and Josh, in a pair of identical Ford Fiesta WRCs. They have attained FIA Priority 2 seeding and that should be to their advantage.
For Killarney’s Rob Duggan, the event will also be a good test. Although he has limited experience of gravel rallies, he will be expected to perform well. His presence in the Welsh forests is as a result of winning the Carryduff Forklifts “Road2Wales” competition that is estimated to be worth €30,000. Along with his co-driver Ger Conway, they will be on board the David Greer run Citroen DS3 R3T.
The other Irish drivers are Dean Raftery (Citroen DS3 R3T), Marty McCormack (Skoda Fabia S2000), Jonny Greer (Citroen DS3 R5) and Paraic Duffy (Ford Fiesta R5).
Today’s itinerary consists of a loop of three stages - Hafren (32.14km), Sweet Lamb (3.33km) and Myherin (30.23km) - with a regroup in Newtown to enable a tyre change before the repeat loop. Day one concludes with a 45-minute service in Deeside.
Meanwhile, Motorsport Ireland has confirmed that Monaghan’s Josh Moffett is the wildcard entry for this year’s Billy Coleman award. The interviews will take place in Dublin on Tuesday next with the eight nominees – that also include bi-monthly selections – Chris Armstrong (Cavan), David Moffett (Monaghan), Rob Duggan (Killarney), Gary Kiernan (Cavan) and Vincent McSweeney (Bandon), Triton Showers National Junior champion James Bradley (Wexford) and the Valvoline Junior Irish Forest Rally champion Patrick O’Brien (Down). The eight-man panel will be short-listed to three drivers with the winner being declared at the Dunlop Champions of Irish Motorsport ceremony on Wednesday December 2.
Highlights of the Westlodge Hotel Fastnet Rally, the final round of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship will be shown on TG4 this evening at 6.25pm with a repeat tomorrow morning at 10.20am.
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