Matton: The Meeke gamble paid off
Kris Meeke's maiden WRC victory at XION Rally Argentina proves Citroën was right to sign the Briton when no other manufacturer would.
That's the view of Citroën Racing Team Principal Yves Matton, who recruited Meeke to the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi team in 2014 after a short-lived deal with MINI left him on the sidelines for two seasons.
"I've known Kris a long time, and I'm very happy I took a gamble on him when nobody else was offering him a drive," Matton told wrc.com. "I always thought he had the speed, the technical skills and that he was a very clever guy. But okay, a few things were missing before he could achieve something great."
"It took some time - we are working together for more than one year now - but I'm very happy to show the people who didn't believe in Kris that my bet paid off."
And Matton believes Meeke's landmark win will advance his development even further.
"For sure it's a big step when you win your first event," he said. "The process with Kris is not finished, and we still have to work together, but you are different in your head when you have won. I feel we are going in the right direction."
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