Peugeot eye McRae to replace Meekeposted in RSCOT15 | 10 | 2010
SCOT ALISTER McRae heads into the opening stage of RallyScotland at Scone Palace this evening knowing he is being lined up by Peugeot to replace 2009 Intercontinental Rally Championship winner, Kris Meeke, for next season.
With the 31-year-old from Dungannon switching to the World Rally Championship with Mini for 2011, Peugeot UK is currently considering a number of drivers to replace the Irishman.
McRae, who has competed in the WRC with Hyundai and Mitsubishi, and is a former British champ, will drive a Proton Satria S2000 this weekend, but the Lanark driver admits he'd relish the opportunity to fight for the title with Peugeot.
"It would be fantastic to be a serious contender for the championship next year with Peugeot," McRae, who finished second in last year's RallyScotland with his Proton, said today.
"Everyone knows what a professional and highly committed team they are and, like me, they want to win every rally they start. We've spoken about next season and things were positive, so now it's just a case of waiting.
"But there's no doubt contesting the full season with Peugeot would give me a great chance of winning the IRC title. I believe I retain the ability to compete at the highest level and together I'm sure we could be a success."
Peugeot meanwhile, who will confirm their new driver next month, are totally focused on ensuring Meeke wins this weekend's RallyScotland, his last event behind the wheel of the UK-backed. But Peugeot UK's rally spokesman Ian Sedgwick admitted McRae was in the running.
"Alister is definitely one of our primary targets," Sedgwick said. "Obviously we'd love a fast, high profile driver in our car and Alister certainly meets all the criteria.
"It's important from our perspective that we have a driver capable of winning IRC rallies in his first year with us. We've been a bit spoiled by what we've achieved with Kris in the last two years, so we've set the bar very high.
"We also need someone who meets our high profile approach to rallying, so that helps limit our choice. Once we get through RallyScotland, we'll sit down and make our final decision."
The rally, Scotland's biggest motorsport event of the year, heads into the Perthshire forest stages tomorrow before entering the Trossachs on Sunday. The event finishes at Stirling Castle on Sunday afternoon.
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Jim McGill