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Abu Dhabi confirms Portugal and Poland

Citroën's Satellite Abu Dhabi Total World Rally Team will return to WRC action on the gravel roads of Vodafone Rally de Portugal (19 - 21 may) and lotos 73rd Rally Poland (30 june - 3 july).

Kris Meeke will head a three-car DS 3 entry in Portugal alongside Stéphane Lefebvre and Khalid Al-Qassimi, while Lefebvre and Craig Breen will tackle the fast Polish stages. The team will not contest Rally Italia Sardegna (9 - 12 June) which splits the two rounds.

Meeke (above) finished fourth in Portugal last season when the rally returned to the north of the country for the first time since 2001 while Lefebvre won the FIA Junior category in Poland in 2014. Breen tackled Poland three years ago as part of the European Rally Championship.

The Abu Dhabi squad is contesting a selection of WRC rounds this season while the factory Citroën Racing team develops its new C3 World Rally Car ahead of a return to full-time action next year.

Its two previous 2016 appearances were at Rallye Monte-Carlo, which Meeke led before retiring when an impact with a rock damaged his gearbox, and Rally Sweden when a similar collision broke his suspension when in second.

Lefebvre finished fifth in Monte-Carlo while Breen (below), who won the European Championship Circuit of Ireland rally on Saturday, matched the Frenchman's result in Sweden.

Zdroj: wrc.com