German ace Burkart targets top 10

"It’s quite fantastic to do my home WRC event in a World Rally Car"

By Franck Drui

10 August 2011 - 13:55
German ace Burkart targets top 10

Aaron Burkart has described his entry on next week’s ADAC Rallye Deutschland, round nine of the World Rally Championship, as a "fantastic opportunity".

The 28-year-old will become the first German driver to pilot a new-generation World Rally Car in competition when he contests his home round of the WRC from 18-21 August.

Burkart, the last driver to win the Junior world title before the series was replaced by the FIA WRC Academy for 2011, will compete in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC run by the British M-Sport organisation. Andre Kachel will co-drive.

“It’s quite fantastic to do my home WRC event in a World Rally Car, really something special,” Burkart told Wrc.com. “With 20 World Rally Cars it’s going to be a big challenge to be in the points at the finish but that is my aim at least.”

Burkart will sample his Fiesta for the first time during a test in Germany on Sunday. Despite his lack of knowledge of his new car, coupled with the fact his last appearance in the WRC was in Spain in October 2010, he says he is ready for the challenge.

“We will see afterwards but at this moment I feel good,” he said. “Our test will be in our actual rally car so we cannot make any mistakes and we also have to think carefully for the recce. The cornering speeds will be much higher in the World Rally Car so we have to think to this.”

M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson said: “As with all our drivers I’m interested to see how he performs.”

Since making his world championship debut on Rallye Deutschland in 2003, Burkart has gone on to contest a further 35 WRC events, mainly in Super 1600 machinery.

In addition to capturing the JWRC crown in 2010, other highlights include finishing 12th overall on Wales Rally GB in 2009 at the wheel of a Citroen C4 WRC. He scored his first and only drivers’ championship point by finishing 10th on Rally of Turkey last season in a Suzuki Swift S1600.

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