Kris Meeke eyes third Fafe victory at ERC season finale

Pulse Sports Team 12:14 - 17 October 2026

Northern Irish driver Kris Meeke heads into the decisive European Rally Championship (ERC) season finale targeting a third consecutive victory in Fafe, though he remains cautious and refuses to make bold predictions.

A five-time World Rally Championship event winner, Meeke triumphed at the Portuguese fixture in both 2024 and 2025 during his national championship campaigns. Despite those successes and an emphatic victory at the previous ERC round—September's Rali Ceredigion—Meeke remains composed ahead of the rally scheduled for 23–25 October.

"I really love this part of the world and have spent a lot of time in Portugal over the last few years," Meeke said. "We managed to win in Fafe over the past two years, but everyone knows these stages exceptionally well. I know the terrain and I'm aiming for a strong result. You always start with victory in mind, but I know we're going up against some very tough competition."

For the upcoming event, Meeke will once again be joined by longtime co-driver Stuart Loudon, with the pair tackling the stages behind the wheel of a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.

"This is proper gravel and the rally features some of the best stages in the world. In our sport, you always have to expect the unexpected. It's usually wet at this time of year, but it looks like it will be fairly dry in the build-up. Even so, we have to be ready for plenty of mud and tricky conditions. In recent years, rain has made the rally extremely treacherous, but things could look quite different if the summer temperatures stick around," the Northern Irishman concluded.