Kris Meeke’s second WRC trial in a Citroen DS3 World Rally Car came to an abrupt end on Stage 13, when his car slid off the road and rolled seven times down a hillside.
Here’s what the Brit had to say about the crash, and how he thinks it will affect his chances of further drives for the French squad.
Q: Kris, what happened?
KM: “It’s quite simple. I went into a second gear corner and I arrived five or ten kph too fast. I thought I’d got away with it, but the car just slipped off the road. It nearly stopped, but unfortunately there was a very steep bank down into a field and it just kept tumbling. A very slow accident, but hey, an accident is an accident – the same result unfortunately.”
Q: Rally Australia was another big opportunity for you. You must be terribly disappointed.
KM: “I’m thankful for the opportunity, but sorry I couldn’t deliver on my instructions. Not a great feeling at the moment.”
Q: How do you think this will affect your chances of more drives with Citroen?
KM: “I don’t know, it’s up the the team. It’s always difficult, you know. Finland was a one-off opportunity and then there was another one-off opportunity here. When it’s one-off opportunities all the time it’s difficult. But okay, I was given instructions to have a clean race here and I haven’t done it. So we’ll have to see what the outcome is.”