Junior RC runners
Conrad Rautenbach and
Urmo Aava look set to step up to the top level in the WRC next season and compete in privately entered
Citroen C4 WRC cars.
According to reports by
rallye-magazine.de, Rautenbach will take in all 15-rounds in the championship, as he continues to try and make his mark, following a busy 2007, in which he took in not only the JRC, but also the African Rally Championship and virtually all the events in the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship.
The Zimbabwean, who became the youngest ever African Rally champion back in July and who finished eighth in the JRC standings, made his debut in a WRC car on the Wales Rally GB last weekend.
The event though did not go to plan and he crashed out in his Xsara WRC car on day 2 in SS8. He had been running just inside the top 20 - his best efforts two 14th quickest stage times in SS7 and SS5.
Aava meanwhile, who finished second in the JRC, just five points behind his
Suzuki team-mate, Per-Gunnar Andersson, is hoping to do at least 10 events, although he has yet to finalise his budget. His campaign with the C4 is meant to begin with the Uddeholm Swedish Rally, the second round in the series, which runs from February 8-10.
The Estonian, like Rautenbach, already has a bit of World Rally Car car experience, having done three WRC events this year with a Mitsubishi Lancer WRC, finishing 14th in Greece, seventh in Finland and eighth in New Zealand. It was thought he was also in consideration to drive for the Suzuki World Rally Team as well, although that now appears not to be the case.
More to follow as we get it...
![Conrad Rautenbach (ZIM), Citroen C2 [Junior RC]. Rallye Deutschland, 17-19th August 2007.](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/361975.jpg)
