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Meeke jump is Colin's Crest winner

Kris Meeke won this year's Colin's Crest award at Rally Sweden, jumping his Toyota Yaris a stomach churning 41 metres.

Since 2009, Sweden organisers have presented the award, named in honour of 1995 World Champion Colin McRae, to the driver who flies furthest from the huge crest close to the end of the Vargåsen stage. 

High-flying Meeke's winning effort came on the second pass on Saturday afternoon. Johan Kristofferson (VW Polo R5), Jari Huttunen (Skoda Fabia R5) and Mads Østberg (Citroen C3 R5) were joint runners-up with jumps of 40 metres. 

Meeke, who finished the rally sixth, was mentored by McRae early in his career and acknowledged the award via Twitter.

"Honoured to get the Colin’s Crest award for jumping 41m," he wrote. "But... as a great Irish sports philosopher once wrote, “jumps are for show, corners are for dough”!! So we will be after the dough in Mexico." 

Meeke's leap denied Østberg a hat-trick of Colin's Crest Awards. The Norwegian was the winner in 2017 (42m /  Ford Fiesta WRC) and 2018 (42m / Citroën DS3 WRC). 

Norway's Eyvind Brynildsen holds the outright record with a 45 metre jump in a Ford Fiesta R5 in 2016. This year he managed 39 metres at the wheel of a Skoda Fabia R5.

 Zdroj: wrc.com