Five-time world rally winner Kris Meeke is keen to add to his Portuguese Championship commitments and is citing possible American and New Zealand campaigns.
The Northern Irishman dominated the Classic Otago Rally in a Ford Escort RS1800 last week and admitted he would be back in New Zealand to compete sooner rather than later. Joining him in Dunedin for the opening round of the NZ series was defending ARA champion Brandon Semenuk.
Conversations with the Canadian rekindled Meeke’s appreciation for North American rallying.
“I’ve talked about the ARA a fair bit with Barry [McKenna] over the years and it’s something I would love to do,” Meeke told DirtFish. “Obviously, I’m driving with Hyundai Portugal this year and that’s great – I love that.
Meeke has two wins from two starts in Portugal this year
“But I saw something special in New Zealand last week and I will explore some possibilities there, but at the same time America and the American championship is something which fascinates me.
“I’ve always said that I feel rallying has never quite reached its full potential over there. Honestly, it could be huge as a sport. Yes, OK, I understand the geography of the country makes it complicated, but talking to Barry, I think there are ways to make it work.
“From what I understand from him and Brandon, there are some amazing roads out there and some very good cars. I think if we could capture the imagination of the American public and show them what rallying is all about, it could be big.
“If we could get Barry out a bit more, I’d love the chance to be out racing him and Brandon – we could make some show.”
