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Upgrades help Meeke 'feel in control'

Kris Meeke says chassis upgrades to his Citroën C3 WRC introduced at YPF Rally Argentina have given him a new level of control at the wheel.

Having acknowledged shortcomings in the car's handling, Citroën made changes to the C3's rear axle geometry in a bid to improve performance in varied conditions.

Meeke immediately felt the benefit - running in the top three in Argentina until a puncture on Saturday's last stage dropped him down the order and out of podium contention.

"I felt in control all weekend which is what the other set-up we had couldn't do," Meeke explained. "I had good speed but I didn't feel in control all the time. The upgrades that were introduced enabled us to be a lot more consistent.

"I felt confident throughout the weekend, even when fighting for the podium. I felt that I had the situation under control at all times. We need to keep going in this direction."

He added that while the changes didn't bring more speed out of the car, the increase in confidence allowed him to push for quicker stage times.

"Putting on a new geometry doesn't get you from A to B any faster but if it gives you confidence that breeds speed and time. Before this rally, I was able to push to do good times but the car was a lot more nervous - you felt like a passenger," he explained.

With no further gravel testing scheduled before Vodafone Rally de Portugal (17-20 May) Meeke decided to use Sunday's three stages as an opportunity to experiment with different set-ups ahead of the championship's next round.

Zdroj: wrc.com