And
now
for my
next
challenge...

Meeke, part of the now defunct MINI WRC Team in 2011, will switch from four wheels to two when he starts the Baja 1000 race in Ensenada, Mexico, tomorrow, an 1804-kilometre off-road enduro, which the Red Bull-supported Briton is hoping to complete in less than 35 hours.

“I’m going there as a complete amateur,” Meeke told Motorsport News. “I might be reasonably handy on a bike, but I have no idea about a result. My only goal is to get to the finish of it. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but [rallying] has precluded me from doing this event.”

With no drive in the WRC this year due to funding issues, Meeke has undertaken intensive training for the Baja and tackled the Dawn to Dusk event in Wales (pictured) to practice.

“When we start, we don’t stop riding until the finish,” said Meeke, 33. “Of course, you stop for fuel, but other than that you just keep going. I did the race in Wales, which psychologically told me I could get through the night and keep riding and that’s the goal in Baja.”

Meeke’s bid to reach the finish in La Paz begins at 06:30hrs local time on Thursday 15 November. WRC event winner and former factory driver Armin Schwarz will also be in action with the German competing in an AGM-Jimco X6 SCORE Trophy Truck.