His name is Sebastien, he's French and he drives for Citroen — and he's coming to the Ulster International Rally next week!

No, not World champion Sebastien Loeb but the man the French have dubbed "petite Sebastien" — Sebastien Ogier, leader of the Junior World championship series.

The 24-year-old has been drafted in to replace European champion Simon Jean-Joseph who was scheduled to introduce Citroen's C2R2 Max to Irish tarmac rallying on the August 22-23 round of the British championship.

But Jean-Joseph has been forced to stand down because of injury and Citroen have called on their rising star to take his place in the Ulster entry list.

He will head for the Armagh-based event immediately after this weekend's World championship Rally Deutschland in which he defends an eight point lead at the top of the JWRC standings ahead of Poland's Michal Kosciuszko with Ireland's Shaun Gallagher in third place.

And in Germany he will be up against Ulster's former JWRC rally winner Kris Meeke who returns to the World series to drive a Super 1600 Renault Clio against Ogier's Citroen Sport C2 — a car Meeke used to drive.

Ogier will also take part in an "open house" night at the Boucher Road premises of Charles Hurst, sponsor of the Irish Citroen C2R2 Cup championship, on August 19 as well as demonstrating the C2R2 Max to potential customers the following day.

Ogier slots into the entry list for the toddsleap.com Ulster event at No.15, a list which is headed by Irish Tarmac champion-elect Eamonn Boland, two-time Ulster winner Eugene Donnelly and former Northern Ireland champion Kevin Lynch.

The British championship contingent is led by the production Subaru of Mark Higgins at No.7 followed by the works Mitsubishis of Guy Wilks and Gwyndaf Evans who comes in after the controversial sacking of Ulsterman Phillip Morrow.

Morrow will drive his privately entered Mitsubishi at No.18 but Richard Cathcart, who has quit the Mitsubishi Evo Challenge series, has withdrawn his entry.

Top of the entry list: 1 Eamonn Boland (Subaru Impreza); 2 Eugene Donnelly (Skoda Fabia); 3 Kevin Lynch (Subaru Impreza); 4 Kenny McKinstry (Subaru Impreza); 5 Peadar Hurson (Subaru Impreza); 6 Derek McGarrity (Subaru Impreza); 7 Mark Higgins (Subaru Impreza N); 8 Guy Wilks (Mitsubishi Lancer N); 9 Gwyndaf Evans (Mitsubishi Lancer N); 10 David Higgins (Subaru Impreza N); 11 Glenn Allen (Toyota Corolla); 12 Denis Biggerstaff (Subaru Impreza); 14 James Cullen (Subaru Impreza); 15 Sebastien Ogier (Citroen C2R2 Max); 16 Seamus Leonard (Mitsubishi Lancer N); 17 Colm Murphy (Mitsubishi Lancer N); 18 Phillip Morrow (Mitsubishi Lancer N); 19 Darren Gass (Mitsubishi Lancer N); 20 Emma McKinstry (Subaru Impreza).