Urmo Aava hopeful will be in PH Sport Citroen for 09 as Aaron Burkart is being linked with a C4 for next year’s WRC

Urmo Aava is hopeful he can raise the budget to stay with the PH-Sport team next year in the WRC. According to Autosport he is currently finalising his budget at the moment.

Aaron Burkart is also being linked to a possible seat in a Citroen C4 WRC next year. Burkart will of course drive a Citroen Sport C4 on a round of the WRC next year as a prize for winning the Citroen C2 Junior Experience competition (Burkart also finished 2nd overall in the JWRC behind Ogier).

Conrad Rautenbach, on the other hand, may be in another WRCar rather than a Citroen next year as apparently he has yet to decide which car he will use, but he has stated he will be competing in the 2009 WRC.

Citroen is looking at the possibility of running one or two M2 teams for 2009 in addition to perhaps running a third factory car.

Meanwhile, Burkart will be in Ireland today contesting the Skibbereen Fastnet Stages Rally, in preparation for Rally Ireland 2009, driving his regular C2 S1600. He will face some stiff S1600 competition on the event as Eugene Donnelly will be doing the rally in either a 206 or C2 S1600 as a one off in the category to promote a new, for 2009, championship in Ireland. Shaun Gallagher, who finished fourth in this year's JWRC, will be in his regular C2 while Darren Gass is a late entry and is expected to be in a Clio S1600.

26 year old Burkart commented to Motorsport News about his participation in Skibbereen on Sunday:

If we do the JWRC again then Rally Ireland will be the first round. We don't know what suspension settings we will need so this event will provide some good practice."

Urmo Aava video footage from the Mystery Creek SSS during Rally New Zealand 2008:

Image: Postimees.ee

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

• Nicolas Vouilloz has been linked to the PH Sport Citroen C4 test this month and may possibly enter Rally Ireland 2009 in a C4 WRC
• Urmo Aava and Conrad Rautenbach Citroen PH Sport tarmac test France before Rally Germany 2008
• Urmo Aava expected to drive a Ford Focus in the 2009 WRC
• Aaron Burkart has entered the Skibbereen Fastnet Stages Rally 2008 in his C2 S1600 in preparation for Rally Ireland
• Citroen Sport could enter six C4 WRC’s in next year’s championship