Meeke, who has also celebrated victory in the World Rally Championship, has already won five events in the Portuguese series this season, despite there only having been seven rallies so far.
Nevertheless, Meeke does not lead the series, as the frontrunner is the local rally star Armindo Araujo. Ahead of the season’s final round, Meeke sits only in third place in the standings, since between him and Araujo is another driver well-known from the WRC, Dani Sordo, who has claimed three victories in the top category.
However, the results may still change. The outcome of the Rali de Castelo Branco held in June remains unclear due to ongoing checks related to fuel analysis.
The tight title fight will be decided in any case on 17–18 October at Rallye Vidreiro Centro de Portugal, which is run entirely on asphalt.
““I’ve got no idea on what’s going on with the fuel thing,” Meeke laughed to Dirtfish.
“For me it’s straightforward, the approach doesn’t change: if I win, I win the championship,” Meeke continued.
Meeke’s season in the Portuguese series has been full of highs. With five victories, the campaign can be considered very successful, although in Matosinhos he retired due to technical problems. That is also why the championship fight has remained so close.
“When you have dropped scores in a championship, it can be difficult,” Meeke said.
“But, like I said, the final round is clear. To win, you have to win. And when we’ve had everything working right, the pace hasn’t been an issue – I’m confident that’ll be the case again,” Meeke added.
The situation for Dani Sordo, who was still competing in the WRC last season, is more difficult than for Meeke.
“For Dani, if he wants to win this thing, he has to find a bit more,” Meeke added.
This season Meeke has been competing with Toyota’s Rally2 car. With the same machinery, he may also take part in the series next year.
“I love it out there. I love the family atmosphere, the people, the roads, the rallies, everything about it is just mega. And the car’s been fantastic. The Yaris is something else, the best chassis I’ve ever driven and I would have absolutely no qualms about coming back and doing it all again,” Meeke revealed about his future plans.
