Kris Meeke
Kris Meeke | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 2, 1979 Dungannon, Northern Ireland |
| Occupation | Rally driver |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Known for | FIA World Rally Championship competitor, 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion |
Kris Meeke (born 2 July 1979) is a Northern Irish rally driver competing professionally, known for his involvement in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). He claimed the Intercontinental Rally Challenge championship in 2009. His current co-driver is Sebastian Marshall. Meeke initially worked as a computer-aided design technician at M-Sport within the Ford World Rally Team base before entering the Peugeot Super 106 Cup in 2001.
In 2011, Meeke made his WRC debut behind the wheel of a MINI for Prodrive, starting at the Rally d'Italia Sardegna. He scored his first WRC points and won the Power Stage during the 2011 Rally Catalunya. His maiden WRC win was achieved at the 2015 Rally Argentina.
Career
Born in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, Kris Meeke is the son of rally engineer Sydney Meeke and attended the Royal School Dungannon. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Queen's University, Belfast. Beginning his professional journey as a CAD designer at M-Sport, he transitioned into rallying after triumphing in a Peugeot competition for emerging drivers in 2000.
Meeke’s first rally was the Bulldog Rally in North Wales, where he led briefly. His initial victory came at the third round of the 2001 Peugeot Super 106 Cup during the Swansea Bay Festival National Rally. In 2002, with support from the late Colin McRae, he competed in the British Junior Championship piloting a Ford Puma. That year, he won his class at the Scottish Rally and finished second at the Jim Clark Rally, his inaugural full tarmac event. These performances earned him both the British Junior Rally Championship crown and third place in the British S1600 series in just his second season.
Junior World Rally Championship
The following year, Meeke progressed to the Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC), driving an Opel Corsa for Team Palmer. He impressed by recording fastest times on two stages of the final leg but was hampered by minor setbacks and a retirement in a subsequent rally. A crash prevented him from securing second place in Italy; however, he soon after clinched the British S1600 title. During the last JWRC round of 2003 in Britain, Meeke was positioned second in JWRC and seventeenth overall before retiring due to a collision with a rock that caused his car to roll.
Starting 2004 strongly, Meeke finished third in class at the Rally of Monte Carlo. He then won the British S1600 event in Wales as preparation for competing in Greece’s JWRC round. Mechanical issues affected his results in Greece and Turkey, but he bounced back with a class victory at the Pirelli Rally in Tampere ahead of Finland’s JWRC event. Leading that rally before crashing out and retiring, he nonetheless posted seven fastest stage times and ended on the podium in second place.
Intercontinental Rally Challenge
In 2009, Meeke partnered with co-driver Paul Nagle to contest the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) under Peugeot UK’s banner, driving a Peugeot 207 S2000 entered by Belgian team Kronos Racing. After retiring from the Monte Carlo Rally due to an accident, Meeke went on to win three successive rounds held in Brazil, Portugal, and Belgium. He clinched the championship title at Italy’s Rally Sanremo when main rival Jan Kopecky crashed early on.
Meeke concluded that season with a commanding triumph at the first-ever Rally Scotland, winning seven out of thirteen stages. He became a central figure in Peugeot 207 promotional campaigns featuring the slogan "He's Meeke, but he's not mild". Continuing his collaboration with Nagle and Peugeot into 2010, he contested ten IRC events.
Mini (2011)
On 2 September 2010, Meeke secured a contract with Prodrive to compete in MINI's comeback to the WRC in 2011. During that season, he earned his initial WRC points and triumphed in the Power Stage at the 2011 Rally Catalunya. At the final event of the year, the 2011 Rally GB, he came close to achieving his first podium finish but a spin during the Power Stage prevented him from claiming third place.
Meeke also appeared on BBC's Top Gear, where he took part in a competition driving a Mini John Cooper Works WRC against Olympic skeleton champion Amy Williams on a snowy circuit, recording a winning time of 59.73 seconds.
However, on 22 December 2011, Meeke was released from the Mini WRC Team before the 2012 Monte Carlo Rally due to Prodrive facing financial constraints for that season.
Citroën (2013–2018)
Meeke made his WRC comeback at the 2013 Rally Finland with the Abu Dhabi Citroën Total World Rally Team, stepping in for Khalid Al Qassimi. While positioned fifth, he rolled his car in the penultimate stage. Later that year, he substituted for Dani Sordo at Rally Australia.
In his debut full campaign with Citroën in 2014, Meeke secured seventh place overall and achieved four podium finishes. He continued racing for Citroën in 2015 alongside Mads Østberg and Sébastien Loeb at Monte Carlo. That year marked his first rally victory in Argentina, ending a 13-year gap since a British driver last won a WRC event; he dedicated this win to the late World Champion Colin McRae. Meeke finished fifth in the championship standings that year with 112 points and earned a contract extension lasting until 2018.
In 2016, Meeke participated in eight events to concentrate on developing the Citroën C3 WRC ahead of its 2017 launch. He claimed victories in Portugal and Finland—the latter setting a record for the highest average speed and making him the first British driver to win Rally Finland. These successes established him as a strong contender for the title in 2017.
The opening of the 2017 season proved difficult: crashes at Monte Carlo and a twelfth-place finish in Sweden. Despite a late error reducing his lead, Meeke won Rally Mexico. He led at Tour de Corse but withdrew due to engine issues and experienced several retirements afterward, including a major crash in Argentina where his car flipped 14 times. Citroën replaced him with Andreas Mikkelsen for Rally Poland citing team priorities. Meeke returned for Finland finishing eighth but retired early at Germany because of mechanical problems. He bounced back by winning Rally Catalunya, marking his second victory that season.
Although retained by Citroën for all of 2018, Meeke was dismissed after six rounds due to an excessive number of crashes. Team principal Pierre Budar criticized his "unjustified risks" leading to an "excessively high" accident rate that negatively affected team results.
Toyota (2018–2019)
On 17 October 2018, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT announced Meeke as a driver for their Toyota Yaris World Rally Car.
Meeke confirmed his exit from Toyota on 27 November 2019.
WRC victories
JWRC triumphs
IRC triumphs
WRC performance
| Year | Driver | Vehicle | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 | R14 | R15 | R16 | Championship Position | Points Scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Kris Meeke | Ford Puma S1600 | MON | SWE | FRA | ESP | CYP | ARG | GRE | KEN | FIN | GER | ITA | NZL | AUS | GBR Ret |
NC | 0 | ||
| 2003 | Kris Meeke | Opel Corsa S1600 | MON 29 |
SWE | TUR Ret |
NZL | ARG | GRE Ret |
CYP | GER | FIN Ret |
AUS | ITA Ret |
FRA | getstyle="background:#CFCFFF;"ESP 19 |
getstyle="background:#EFCFFF;"Rally GB Ret |
getNC! | get0! | ||
| Year | Driver | Vehicle(s) | Summary of Results | Championship Rank | Points Earned |
|---|
| Kris Meeke | Opel Corsa S1600 |
14th (MON), Retirements at GRE, TUR, FIN, placements of 20th (GBR), 16th (ITA), and 25th (ESP) |
NC |
0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
25th (ESP) |
NC |
0 |
| Kris Meeke | Citroën C2 S1600 |
11th (MON), 20th (ITA), 26th (GRE), 39th (FIN), 14th (GER), 25th (FRA), and 28th (ESP) finishes |
NC |
0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
9th place in GBR event |
NC |
0 |
| Mini WRC Team | Mini John Cooper Works WRC |
Notable results include a 4th place in GBR and a 5th in ESP, alongside multiple retirements. |
11th overall |
25 points |
|---|
| Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT | Citroën DS3 WRC |
Achieved podium positions with third place finishes in MON, ARG, FIN, and FRA, combined with steady top-10 placements and some retirements. |
7th in standings |
92 points |
|---|
| Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT | Citroën DS3 WRC |
Secured victory at ARG and maintained several top-five finishes throughout the season. |
Ranked 5th |
112 points |
|---|
| Abu Dhabi Total WRT (PH-Sport) | Citroën DS3 WRC |
Triumphed at POR and FIN events, with results varying including some retirements. |
Placed 9th |
64 points |
|---|
| Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT | Citroën C3 WRC |
Victories in MEX and ESP rallies offset by multiple retirements impacting final ranking. |
Finished 7th overall |
77 points |
|---|
| Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT | Citroën C3 WRC |
Highest placement was third in MEX, accompanied by several retirements and mid-pack finishes. |
14th position |
43 points |
|---|
| Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota Yaris WRC |
Consistent top-10 results including a podium in GER, alongside some retirements. |
Ranked 6th overall |
98 points |
|---|
| Sports & You | Hyundai i20 N Rally2 |
Varied outcomes with a retirement at POR; season ongoing. |
Not classified |
0 points |
|---|
| Sports & You | Hyundai i20 N Rally2 |
Season underway featuring retirements and mid-field finishes. |
Not classified* |
0* |
|---|
* Current season still active.
JWRC Performance
| Year | Driver | Vehicle | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Final Position | Points Scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Kris Meeke | Opel Corsa S1600 | MON 12 |
TUR Ret |
GRE Ret |
FIN Ret |
ITA Ret |
ESP 2 |
GBR Ret |
14th | 8 | ||
| 2004 | Kris Meeke | Opel Corsa S1600 | MON 3 |
GRE Ret |
TUR Ret |
FIN Ret |
GBR 2 |
ITA 7 |
7th | 19 | |||
| Citroën C2 S1600 | ESP 25 |
||||||||||||
| 2005 | Kris Meeke | Citroën C2 S1600 | MON 1 |
3rd | 32 | ||||||||
| 2006 | Kris Meeke | Citroën C2 S1600 |
style="background:#FFFFBF;" | GER |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | TUR |
7th | 20 | |||||||
IRC Achievements
| Year | Team | Vehicle Model | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final Standing | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Peugeot UK | Peugeot 207 S2000 | MON Ret |
BRA 1 |
KEN | POR 1 |
BEL 1 |
RUS | POR 5 |
CZE 2 |
ESP 2 |
ITA 1 |
SCO DSQ |
1st | 66 |
|-
(2010)
! nowrap | Peugeot UK
! nowrap | Peugeot 207 S2000
|" style="background:#EFCFFF;" | (MON)
Ret
|" style="background:#FFFFBF;" | (BRA)
1
|" style="background:#EFCFFF;" | (ARG)
Ret
|" style="background:#DFFFDF;" | (CAN)
4
|" style="background:#EFCFFF;" | (ITA)
Ret
|" style="background:#EFCFFF;" | (BEL)
Ret
|" style="background:#DFDFDF;" | (AZO)
2
|" style="background:#EFCFFF;" | (MAD)
Ret
|" style="background:#DFFFDF;" | (CZE)
4
|" style="background:#DFFFDF;" | (ITA)
4
|" style="background:#FFDF9F;" | (SCO)
3
|"(CYP)"
!" style="background:#FFDF9F;" | 3rd
!" style="background:#FFDF9F;" | 39
|}
Dakar Rally
| Year | Category | Vehicle | Final Ranking | Stages Victorious |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Light Prototype | PH Sport (FRA) | align=center style="background:#CFCFFF;" |12th place | align=center |4 |
| 2024 | Challenger | OT3 (BEL) | align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;" |Did Not Finish (DNF) | align=center |0 |