Kris Meeke andPaul Nagle hoping to shine at Rally de Portugal

Combining their development of Citroen’s 2017 WR Car with competitive outings in the World Rally Championship the Irish crew of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle tackle Rally de Portugal this weekend as part of a triple assault by the Abu Dhabi Total World Rally Team.

It’s their first gravel round of the season. Meeke and his teammates will have the benefit of a good starting position today and tomorrow. Fourth in last year’s event in Portugal Meeke should be in competitive mode. He said: “I’m pleased to be back in a competitive environment. I was starting to miss it. I like Rally de Portugal. Last year, we all had to get to grips with the new course, with some enjoyable roads. I was challenging for the lead for a good part before finishing fourth.”

The remaining cars will be driven by Stephane Lefebvre and Khalid Al Qassimi, who has Antrim’s Chris Patterson calling the notes. In their most recent test of Citroen’s 2017 World Rally Car, Meeke and Lefebvre racked up the miles during four days in Portugal and the Algarve where the conditions - rain, hail, fog and occasional sunshine – allowed them test different set-ups and scenarios.