Kris Meeke: Ex-WRC driver to share Nitro RX seat with Jenson Button

Rallycross News

Kris Meeke will replace 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button for three rounds of this year's Nitro Rallycross Series

Kris MeekeKris Meeke

Kris Meeke will replace the 2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button for three rounds of the upcoming Nitro Rallycross Series.

The Northern Irish driver will join XITE Energy Racing in what will be a debut year for the series’s bespoke 1,000bhp FCX-1 electric car.

Five-time WRC rally-winner Meeke will contest rounds in England, Sweden and Saudi Arabia due to Button having prior contractual agreements.

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Since leaving the WRC at the end of 2019, the 42-year-old has competed at the 2021 Dakar Rally, with this year being his first venture into an electric-based series.

“I’m really excited to join XITE Energy Racing,” said Meeke. “I was really interested in every aspect: the team, the car and the championship.

“Rallycross is a category of motorsport that suits electrification perfectly: it’s short, sharp racing with an incredible amount of power available instantaneously.

“If it’s managed well, this can certainly be a bright future and it’s really nice to be part of that with the XITE Energy Racing Team.”

Meeke will race alongside team owner and driver Oliver Bennett, who also competes in the Extreme E Championship.