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Just 43 cars will take part in the Rally Ireland, the first event on the 2009 WRC calendar.

The global financial crisis appears to have had a major effect on the number of entries, with the 2009 race attracting less than half the entry for the last Rally Ireland (in 2007), and roughly half the average entry for the rallies on the 2008 calendar.

The factory Citroen and Ford squads will be represented by the same driver line-up as 2008. Defending champion Sebastien Loeb and team-mate Dani Sordo have been confirmed as Citroen's nominated drivers, while Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala will drive for Ford. Khalid Al Qassimi will pilot a third factory Ford Focus RS WRC.

The entry list also revealed that Estonian Urmo Aava has ended his 2008 association with Citroen's satellite team, PH Sport, in favour of a seat with the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford outfit.

Aava impressed on his 10-round debut season in 2008, setting a number of stage wins and achieving a fourth place on the Acropolis Rally. This year, however, Aava and co-driver Kuldar Sikk will contest an eight rally programme with a Stobart-run Ford Focus RS WRC, with appearances confirmed in Norway, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Finland, Spain and Britain.

In Ireland Aava joins Stobart regular Matthew Wilson as the second points nominated driver, while Henning Solberg will drive a third car for the team.

Citroen's brand new Junior Team is represented by three crews. Reigning junior world rally champion Sebastien Ogier and former Subaru driver Chris Atkinson are the nominated points scorers, while Conrad Rautenbach will drive a third C4 WRC.

A further nine World Rally Car entries are listed, the majority of which are in the hands of local competitors. Driving Subaru Imprezas will be Stephen Murphy, Tim McNulty, Eamonn Boland and Welshman Gareth Jones. Michael Barrable, Ray Breen and three members of the McHale family (Austin, Gareth and Aaron) will each drive Ford Focuses.

Rally Ireland takes place between the 29 January and 1 February and includes 350 competitive kilometres, run as 19 stages through the counties of Cavan, Leitrim, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Sligo, Donegal and Roscommon.

Toby Keel / WRC official website / Eurosport