Kris Meeke will return to the island of Sardinia, venue of round five of the IRC earlier this season, when he contests Rally Costa Smeralda this week (7-9 October).
Meeke, the 2009 IRC champion, will be taking part on the Italian championship event to support Paolo Andreucci’s domestic title bid. Andreucci won the IRC-counting Rallye Sanremo last month and leads the Italian series as a result.
By tackling the gravel event, Meeke, who will drive a Peugeot 207 S2000 similar to the one he uses in the IRC, will be able to practice driving on loose surfaces ahead of RACMSA Rally of Scotland, which takes place the following weekend.
"We’re going there to help Paolo and Peugeot, pure and simple, but it will be good to get back in the car on gravel so close to Scotland," said the 31-year-old.
Meeke’s last appearance in Sardinia for the IRC-counting Rally d’Italia-Sardegna, ended in disappointment when he suffered a dramatic crash.