Peugeot UK’s Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle were amongst the IRC champions who received their awards in the lavish surroundings of the Pavillon Dauphine in Paris, at the IRC prize-giving ceremony last Monday night. The event, which also featured spectacular TV highlights from the year, was attended by drivers, teams, event organisers and media from all over the world.
Receiving his prize after a season of unprecedented success with the Kronos-run Peugeot UK 207 S2000, Meeke commented: "It was almost exactly a year ago when Peugeot UK agreed to fund my IRC campaign for this year. When I look back at how far we’ve come in one year, it’s simply incredible. There are many people who I would like to thank for what has been not only a very successful but also extremely enjoyable year. The competition has been incredibly close, and that’s what matters most in any form of sport."
Peugeot also collected the prize for winning the manufacturers’ championship for the third year running. Olivier Quesnel, the director of Peugeot Sport, was present to pick up his team’s prize. Peugeot also claimed the honours for the two-wheel drive manufacturers’ title.
Denis Millet and his co-driver Julien Vial collected the IRC 2WD Cup trophy after an excellent season aboard their Peugeot 207 RC Rallye. Each of the 11 event organisers were also called to the stage to receive an award in recognition of their efforts.
Marcello Lotti, the IRC’s General Manager, concluded: "Once more, it is people who have formed the key strength of our series in 2009. I’d like to thank them all individually for their valuable contributions to this memorable season. We’re now looking forward to an even more successful year in 2010."