Citroen sacked off Kris Meeke, rally community shocked

A rally community is shocked with Citroen Racing’s today’s announcement about a termination of the contract with Kris Meeke and his navigator Paul Nagle ahead of the next WRC round at Sardinia. The reason is their crash at Rally Portugal.

Here’s the statement from Citroen:

Due to an excessively high number of crashes, some of which were particularly heavy and could have had serious consequences with regard to the crew’s safety, and given that the risks involved were unjustified by the sporting stakes at play, Citroën Racing WRT has decided to terminate the participation of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle in the 2018 WRC.

The decision becomes effective from the 2018 Rally Italia Sardegna and we will shortly be announcing the team’s line-up of crews for the remainder of the 2018 season. The entries of C3 WRCs for Craig Breen / Scott Martin and Mads Ostberg /Torstein Eriksen still stand for Sardinia.

“This wasn’t an easy decision to make because it effects a driver and a co-driver, but it is largely founded on safety issues which come under my preoccupations as Team Principal. We have consequently chosen to make this decision as a preventive measure,” Citroen Racing’s chief Pierre Budar added.

Kris Meeke joined Citroen Racing in 2013

Meeke joined Citroen in 2013 in two WRC rounds and then became their full-time driver in 2014. At the wheel of Citroen DS3 WRC, Meeke scored his maiden WRC victory at 2015 Rally Argentina.

In 2016, he won two times in a DS3 WRC, at Rally Portugal and Rally Finland, and then gave the first win to new Citroen C3 WRC at 2017 Rally Mexico. Meek’s last win was at Rally Catalunya last year.

Photos: ewrc-results.com,