The Citroën Junior Team faces new territory
The Citroën Junior Team will field three C4 WRCs on the Rally Poland for Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt, Evgeny Novikov/Dale Moscatt and Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia. The eighth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship will take place in Mikolajki from 25-28 June.

The FIA World Rally Championship returns to Poland this season. Back in 1973, when the World Rally Championship calendar was first created, Rally Poland was one of the first events that welcomed the crews, although only three entrants managed to make the finish! Now, 36 years later, the Citroën Junior Team will tackle a brand new event based in Mikolajki.

Rally Poland was run for the first time in 1921; making it the second-oldest rally in the history of the sport after Monte Carlo and it has always enjoyed a high level of popularity. The rally takes place in the region around the Mazurian Lakes, on gravel roads that promise high average speeds.

As was the case in Italy and Greece, Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt and Evgeny Novikov/ Dale Moscatt have been nominated to score manufacturer points for the Citroën Junior Team, which is currently fourth in the World Championship.

Conrad Rautenbach and Daniel Barritt, who finished fifth on the Acropolis Rally, will be getting to grips with this new event for the first time. « I don’t know Poland at all and I know the rally even less » he said. « From what I have understood, the roads there are going to be quick. If the route looks anything like Finland then I’ll be happy, because I love those types of roads. We learnt a lot in Greece and I can’t wait get stuck back into the action again! »

Having scored their first points in Sardinia, Evgeny Novikov and Dale Moscatt were the best performers on the Acropolis Rally with four fastest stage times. The young Russian, whose potential is clear to see, hopes once more to exhibit his talent on this new event. « It’s a new rally for everyone and a great opportunity for us to show our speed » he commented. « I can’t wait to get to the start so that we can continue making progress. »

By finishing second in Greece, their first podium with the Citroën C4 WRC, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia returned to the top 10 of the championship before making the trip over to Poland. « Our objectives haven’t changed, » he concluded. « Poland will be a different type of rally but it will be just as difficult. We are going to maintain the same strategy in order to accumulate as much experience as possible and be sure of getting to the finish. We took a lot away from Greece and our goal is to try and drive the same sort of event in Poland. »

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