Mini World Rally Championship driver Kris Meeke has taken first blood in his all-important battle with his new teammate Dani Sordo, beating the Spaniard on asphalt in Spain, albeit in a virtual world.
The two Mini drivers swapped their testing duties aboard the Countryman WRC for a GP2 race simulator, designed to help race drivers perfect their lines on track, at the Barcelona circuit. Despite Sordo having raced at the track in real time, it was the former Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion who set the fastest time.
Meeke said: "I've previously worked with a gaming company helping develop a new game which involved spending a lot of time on a computer console, so I've been used to this kind of environment, although this simulator is much more like real life than any computer game and specifically used by professional racers to learn circuits and improve their technique."