The Abu Dhabi Total WRT will be in action on next weekend's Rally de
Portugal (19-22 May), with Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle, Stéphane Lefebvre and Gabin
Moreau, and Khalid Al Qassimi and Chris Patterson once again sampling the
delights of a pretty unique WRC round. Introduced to the WRC in 1973, the rally
includes the notorious 'Fafe' stage with its huge jump which fans pack in their
thousands to watch the cars speed by.
For the Abu Dhabi Total WRT team this will be
its first gravel round of the season having missed out on Mexico and Argentina.
Although he has been away from competitive
action, no one could accuse Kris Meeke of not keeping busy. Although he has been
busy with development work on the 2017 World Rally Car he has taken part in the
recce at all previous overseas rounds this year.
Following seven days of testing in the
significantly more powerful and efficient 2017 car, Kris will have to start by
finding his bearings again. Fourth here in 2015, he will undoubtedly be
one of the contenders for a podium spot, as he was in Monte-Carlo and Sweden.
Commenting, Kris
Meeke said: “I’m pleased to be
back in a competitive environment. I was starting to miss it! I really like
Rally de Portugal. Last year, we all had to get to grips with the new course,
with some very enjoyable roads. I was challenging for the lead for a good part
of the race, before finishing fourth overall. I also remember the enthusiasm
and passion of the fans. The people of Northern Portugal love motorsport and
especially rallying. You very quickly understand that this place is part of WRC
folklore. The organisers did an incredible job in keeping the passion of the
fans in check and the safety conditions were excellent."
"This year, the first challenge for me
will be to get back into the swing of things with the car. The test session
planned for Sunday should help me in that respect. As regards the rally itself,
obviously I hope to be fighting at the front, but you have to be realistic. We
still have a good car, but there are no more upgrades, whereas our rivals are
still working hard to improve. I’ll be aiming to have an error-free rally and
we’ll see where that puts us in the final standings. I know my starting
position should help me. That’s just the way the regulations work, but it
shouldn’t really bother anyone given that I’m not fighting for the championship
this year.”