Meeke to tackle Mont Blanc in DS3 R3

31st August 2010

By Anthony Peacock

As expected, reigning Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Kris Meeke will tackle the asphalt-based Rallye Mont-Blanc, round five of the French Rally Championship, from September 2-4 at the wheel of Citroen’s new DS3 R3.

The new car made its competition debut on International Rally Northern Ireland earlier this month, where Frenchman Bryan Bouffier took fifth overall despite never having competed on the Antrim event before.

Now it is Meeke’s turn to have a shot in the new 210bhp car, which is powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine. Meeke has been an integral part of the testing programme for the DS3 R3, which he has conducted in parallel with his IRC commitments.

The Northern Irishman, 31, previously contested Rallye Mont-Blanc, based in Morzine, last year in a Peugeot 207 S2000. He was lying in the top three overall, having set a fastest stage time, until his car’s water pump failed on stage seven.

“It was a fantastic experience to compete there last year and some of the roads that we have tested the DS3 on are actually quite similar to what we will encounter near Morzine,” said Meeke. “It’s quite a specialised rally where you’re at the mercy of the changeable weather for a lot of the time, which can really shake things up.”

Rallye Mont-Blanc gets underway on Friday morning with the first of 14 special stages.