News

Meeke Challenge at an end.

Dungannon rally driver Kris Meeke will not be able to defend his Intercontinental challenge title after finishing a disappointing fourth in the Barum Rally Zlin.

Struggling to match his Goodrich tyres to the constantly changing conditions, Meeke was way off his usual pace and even the drama of the two leaders, Jan Kopecky and Bryan Bouffier, retiring in the closing moments wasn't enough to get him on the podium.

In the end Meeke was almost two minutes adrift of Belgian Freddy Liox who won his third IRC round in a row and headed a Skoda 1-2-3 on their home event.

Meeke wasn't even the leading Peugeot driver for 99 percent of the rally. That role had gone to Bouffier, the Frenchman who had starred on the Ulster Rally a week ago in the debut appearance of the new Citroen DS3.

He was consistently faster than Meeke and battling with Loix for second when Kopecky, the long time leader and last year's winner, crashed out on the first of the final loop of four stages yesterday.

It was Bouffier who took over in front, only to bounce his Peugeot off a bank and damage the rear suspension, dropping to second before a water hose came loose on the final stage, costing him over five minutes and nine places.

His exit should have seen Meeke inherit third, but having survived a scare when his throttle jammed open, he could only limp through the last stage when the rear differential failed, allowing Czech driver Pavel Valousek to move ahead.

Source: Tyrone Courier
Date: September 1st 2010