It was Meeke’s second win of the season, after his success in Portugal back in May, and the third of his WRC career, and came after a dominant performance in his Abu Dhabi Total WRT-run Citroen DS3 WRC, the Ulsterman winning seven stages and posting 14 top-three times in total.
“What a result!” Meeke said. “What can I say… it’s been an exceptional weekend – something just clicked from the first stage.
“It is little bit crazy to be honest. This is the home of rally and Ouninpohja is the holy grail of stages. To win it how we did – incredible.
“I’ve been enjoying it like a little kid – playing and having fun. We always knew the DS 3 was good here.
“It’s been a team effort in the car too – Paul’s done an incredible job – a top, top job.
“I might have a beer tonight.”
1. Kris Meeke GBR Abu Dhabi Total WRT Citroen DS3 WRC 2h 38m 05.8s
2. Jari-Matti Latvala FIN Volkswagen Motorsport Polo R WRC +29.1s M
3. Craig Breen IRL Abu Dhabi Total WRT Citroen DS3 WRC +1m 41.3s
4. Thierry Neuville BEL Hyundai Motorsport Next Gen i20 WRC +1m 45.9s M
5. Hayden Paddon NZL Hyundai Motorsport N Next Gen i20 WRC +1m 48.2s M
6. Mads Ostberg NOR M-Sport WRT Ford Fiesta RS WRC +2m 04.6s M
7. Andreas Mikkelsen NOR Volkswagen Motorsport II Polo R WRC +2m 22.4s T
8. Esapekka Lappi FIN Skoda Fabia R5 +4m 53.8s WRC2
9. Kevin Abbring HOL Hyundai Motorsport 2015 i20 WRC +5m 22.4s T
10. Teemu Suninen FIN Skoda Fabia R5 +5m 35.5s WRC2