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Meeke: "Argentina was no fluke"

Kris Meeke believes victory at Vodafone Rally de Portugal last weekend has taken him to another level as a driver and answered any doubts about his ability to become a multiple winner.

The Brit took his maiden WRC rally win in Argentina last year but wasn't able to repeat the feat before he signed a new deal with Citroën that included only a partial programme of championship events this year.

Meeke told wrc.com that Sunday's victory in Matosinhos, after an absence of two rallies, proved his earlier triumph was no one-off.

"It's been really important for me to drive a rally like this. It's another step forward," he said.

"Everyone says the first win is a monkey off your back but I think the second one is. I think there were six drivers in the championship before this rally with one win. It is quite easy to call one victory a fluke, but to back it up with number two for me really is the monkey off my back."

"To do it like we did, to control from start to finish, shows I can do it. Like anything in life, the more you do it, the easier it gets.

"At the same time we have to stay realistic. Yes we had a good road position, but we used it well, we've shown that DS 3 is still a competitive car and I never put a foot wrong so I'm really happy," he added

And despite concerns that the 14 week break since his last WRC outing might leave him rally rusty, Meeke believes the gap gave him extra motivation.

"We haven't been lacking in kilometres since Sweden, we did a lot of testing, but you do miss the spirit of the competition. Maybe that absence made me a little more hungry," he said.

Meeke's focus now returns to testing Citroën's all-new 2017 car, but he is anticipating another gravel outing in the summer. "I hope to be back in Finland maybe, but it is still to be decided," he said.

Zdroj: wrc.com