The former WRC star has been competing in Portugal over recent years with support from Hyundai. Heading into the Rallye Vidreiro, the season finale, Meeke has an 18-point lead over local rally star Armindo Araujo.
In practice, Meeke only needs a solid performance in the final event to secure the top spot for the season. However, there’s a twist: Meeke cannot be crowned as the Portuguese champion, not even as the champion of the Portuguese Rally Championship.
Araujo highlighted this in his own pre-event statement.
“Armindo Araujo is the only driver who can be crowned national champion, as according to the Legal Framework for Sports Federations, if a Portuguese driver does not finish in first place in the standings, there will be no 2024 CPR (Campeonato Portugal de Ralis) champion,” the statement read.
The unusual situation stems from Portuguese legislation. This issue first came up last year when Craig Breen competed in the Portuguese Rally Championship. At that time, The Portuguese Automobile and Karting Federation (FPAK) examined the matter closely and found that foreign athletes cannot win an individual title, like a motorsport championship, in Portugal.
The investigation also revealed that the current rule conflicts with the country’s constitution, as it goes against EU agreements on sports and free movement of individuals. However, changing the law is not a quick process, as it would need to go through the Portuguese parliament and constitutional court.
A championship will be awarded this weekend only if Araujo manages to overtake Meeke in the standings.
“Throughout the championship, we were the strongest national duo, and no one can take that away from us,” Araujo stated.
“This will be another event where we will go all out from the first to the last stage, fighting for another victory, even if it’s not enough to secure the championship. We’ll focus on what we can achieve, and that’s the most important thing.”
The Rallye Vidreiro will feature a total of nine special stages on Friday and Saturday.
