Kris Meeke stormed to his second victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship on Sunday after dominating all four days of Rally Portugal.
Despite not competing for 13 weeks and missing the last two rounds of the WRC, Meeke produced a flawless display to lead 18 of the 19 stages in northern Portugal.
The Citroen driver finished almost half a minute clear of Volkswagen’s Andreas Mikkelsen to pick up his second WRC victory following his maiden success in Argentina last year.
Meeke is only running a part-programme in 2016 while Citroen focuses on developing a new car for the WRC next year, making his success both surprising and all the sweeter.
“It was nearly a perfect weekend, a text book performance,” Meeke said.
“It’s another step for me as a driver. This year is all about gathering experience and I couldn’t have done any more.
“We’ll use these rallies this year for our benefit and try to mount a title challenge next year.”
Defending world champion Sebastien Ogier continues to lead the drivers’ championship after finishing third in Portugal, having suffered two punctures on the final day of running.
The next WRC round takes place in Sardinia from June 10-12.