Rautenbach Aims for WRC Return in 2011

Last year, at the end of a part-time schedule with Citroen Junior Team, South African rally driver Conrad Rautenbach failed to secure the necessary sponsorship for a second consecutive campaign with the French team. However, that isn't to mean the 2007 FIA African Rally champion let go of his dream to compete a full season in the WRC, as he admitted he's aiming for a return in the series in 2011.

“It absolutely remains my aim to come back to the WRC next season,” said Rautenbach, who is set to contest in 7 rounds of this season's South African Rally Championship on an M-Sport developed Ford Fiesta S2000. Additionally, he'll tackle a full season in the Zimbabwean Rally Championship on the same car in order to get more comfortable with an S2000 machine ahead of the 2011 WRC.

As you all know, the World Rally Championship will switch to S2000 cars next season. Therefore, doing some 15 rounds on an S2000 car prior to making his return to the series (hopefully) could not have been turned down by Rautenbach, especially since he will additionally keep himself in rally shape in the meantime.

“Coming to Africa for a year seemed like the perfect way to spend a lot of time driving a S2000 car. (...) I have a good chance to really find out about the chassis of these cars before coming back to WRC next year,” added the South African driver, who will debut in his home championship during next weekend's Cape Town Rally without any prior testing of his new S2000 Fiesta.

Regardless of how his South African and Zimbabwean campaigns will go this season, Rautenbach admitted that he will put all his efforts into securing a few outings in either the IRC (International Rally Challenge) or WRC later this season, in order to link his 2010 programme to a potential campaign in the WRC next season.