Interview from GP Week Magazine: Räikkönen on his first year in WRC

Wales Rally Gb represented the end of Kimi Räikkönen's first season in rallying, in which he became the first Formula1 champion to score points in the World Rally Championship and to win a special stage

When you look back to you career with the C4, what have been your emotions? What is as exciting as you thought?
I think it was more or less what I expected.Some accidents, some much better rallies and some not so good.I knew it was going to be hard and we were going to have some problems so it was more less what I expected. I didn't have much expectation but now it feels more normal to listen to the pace-notes. That took time.
Hopefully we should to be able to do it next year and it should be much easier... but let's see what happens.

It has benn good fun for thousands and thousands of people to have you here but itas been good fun for you as well?
I would not have como here if I wouldn't enjoy it. The few rallies I did last year in my own car I enjoyed and wanted to see what it was like in a World Rally Car.
I knew that these cars went very fast, but it has no been easy but I have enjoyed it. It is completely different and it is hard sometimes because it's a lot of work when you have to make notes for every rally so you get up early. For me that is something new and you have to get used to it.
I guess if we can do it next year it will be easier because we have learned things and it is more normal now. I din't have to think about having to listem to the notes.

Which is more to drive. a Ferrari or C4?
I am probaly not the right person to say because this is new and is much more difficult. Especially with notes and everything, you have to put a lot of effort in to listem correctly.
In Formula 1 I knew exactly how circuits were and how things happened, I didn't even have to think about it. You just drove normally but becuse I knew everything so well. Probably it is the same for the top rally drivers here but it is normal for them what happens when they are driving.
But rallying is more exciting, there are always things happening. In rallying for example a small mistake makes you pay a much bigger price than you do in Formula 1. You can drop many places. In Formula 1 if you miss a braking point you still have 200m on tarmac to run-off areas. Here you make a little mistake and you slide wide and you easily go off completely or roll. It is a much smaller margin of error here than Formula1.

Source: GP Week Magazine
Courtesy: sleenster

CITROËN JUNIOR TEAM IN SPAIN 2010 - A PREVIEW

The Citroën Junior Team starts round 12 of the season with two objectives: sealing third place in the World Rally Championship for manufacturers and allowing Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia to defend their second place in the drivers’ standings. In the team’s second Citroën C4 WRC Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström will also be aiming to make their mark on Catalan asphalt

Mixed-surface events are gradually coming back to the FIA World Rally Championship. After one day of the 2009 Cyprus Rally that was held on asphalt and a Rally of Turkey this year that mixed some asphalt sections on an all-gravel route, the Spanish round of the World Championship also brings a new dimension to the end of the year.

On Friday, the crews will face a stage that is 100% gravel (SS2/5 La Ribera d’Ebre) and two mixed surface stages. The first stage of the loop, Terra Alta (35.94 km) is 73% gravel. The final stage, Les Garrigues (17.28 km) is split equally between sealed and loose surfaces.
The two Citroën C4 WRCs will be in gravel configuration on the first day, but will be put into full asphalt specification for Saturday and Sunday during a long service halt (1h15m) on Friday evening.

Citroën Junior Team manager Benoit Nogier commented: “There’s going to be a lot of work to convert our Citroën C4 WRCs from gravel to asphalt specification. We’ve prepared for this service halt especially so that we can be both quick and efficient. The team will be embarking on two 75-minute sessions, which in theory gives us enough time to do everything we need to do…as long as all goes according to plan.”

The two Citroën Junior Team crews each spent a day testing in the south of France in order to prepare for the penultimate round of the season. Sébastien Ogier reported : “The roads were damp. It wasn’t ideal for us to work on the set-up but it was really important to get the kilometres in for both myself and Kimi, who was asking me a lot of questions so that we could compare our impressions.”

“We’ll start second on the road for day one so we’ll certainly suffer a bit with road-sweeping,” continued Sébastien. “We’ll just need to stay in touch and not lose too much time compared to the drivers who are starting behind us. This first mixed day could well play an absolutely crucial role in the final classification. My objective is to finish runner-up in the World Championship and so I need a good result in Spain.”

“It’s another step into the unknown,” added Kimi. “I don’t really know if our start position will be a help or a disadvantage. On the gravel, we will maybe have a clean line to help us but the asphalt sections might be very dirty. It will be vital for us to come out of the first day without making any mistakes so that we are in a good position for the rest of the rally.”

Source: RedBullRallye
Courtesy: momo

Kimi saved his car for Catalonia

Kimi Räikkönen was 40 minutes behind the lead after Saturday's off and he didn't continue the rally on Sunday. Räikkönen was in fact already home in Switzerland on Sunday

Citroen's Junior team reported that Räikkönen had suffered from some grip-problems from the beginning after the front-cars had made the tarmac roads muddy. Some parts reminded Räikkönen of a mud wrestling arena.

According to the announcement the grip was as unexpected as a chimp holding a machine gun.

Räikkönen and his team decided not to continue on Sunday with the super rally regulation. This way the team avoided the risk of damaging the Citroën WRC C4 -car before the rally in Catalonia.

– Stupid mistakes. We didn't have any difficulties in any fast corner in this rally but they really came in the real slow corners. There was so much mud and so little grip that it didn't feel like a normal tarmac-rally at all.

– The car didn't suffer but I have to admit that when driving so much behind the others the motivation isn't the best and that's when it becomes difficult.

– We learned a lot again and it's really good to have one experience more. I don't think that we could have learned anything on Sunday under these conditions and that's why the wisest thing was to save the car for Catalonia, Räikkönen said.

Turun Sanomat, Strasbourgh

Courtesy: Nicole

RED BULL ON STAGE - RALLY JAPAN, DAY 2.

Japan seems to love motorsport but hate horsepower. While Red Bull's Kimi Raikkonen and the other World Rally Championship competitors power down the stages in Hokkaido, many of the spectators watching them will drive home in cars that have about a sixth of the horsepower of Kimi's Citroen Junior Team C4 WRC

The Japanese 'kei car' regulations are designed to encourage mini cars to ease space on crowded roads by offering important tax advantages. It's no surprise that they have become incredibly popular, with nearly two million of them sold last year. At a maximum of 3.4 metres long, they are about a metre shorter than Kimi's rally car - but many of them also have four-wheel drive and turbochargers at their disposal, just like Kimi.

Mini cars have to make use of every bit of technology available to get the most out of their permitted 660cc engines. Luckily, Kimi had considerably more power at his disposal as he tackled the eight demanding stages that made up the second day of Rally Japan: only the ninth World Championship event of his brief career to date in the C4 WRC.

Having started the day in a point-scoring 10th place, Kimi made the most of the experience he had gained over the previous day to move up to eighth. For the flying Finn, it is all about gaining knowledge of some of the trickiest stages that he will face all year. Showing his consistency he set eighth-quickest time on all the stages today apart from one, where he was classified sixth.

"I'm pleased with the way that things have gone today, especially because the guys in front of me have really been pushing hard, if you look at the gaps at the top," said Kimi, the winner of the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix. "We've made no mistakes today and we've kept a consistent pace, which is the only way we are going to learn. My target before this rally was just to get to the finish and take away as much knowledge as I can, and so far I would say that we are on course to achieve this goal. The car has been really good today too: we were able just to concentrate on our driving and we learned a lot. Of course there is still some way to go, but if we can finish in this position tomorrow I will be quite happy."

Co-driver Kaj Lindstrom, who has been with Kimi ever since the former Grand Prix champion made his rally debut last year, added: "Today was actually much better than yesterday because we definitely benefited from the experience of driving on these roads after not being on gravel for more than a month. The gaps to the people in front of us have come down consistently, and that's what we're going to keep working on."

Kimi has steered clear of mistakes all day but tomorrow it will be even more important for him to have a clean run over the eight stages that remain, as there is no service halt in between them. It's a tough task that needs drivers to stay cool - so it's just as well that Kimi is the Iceman...

Source: RedBullrallye

Hard work for repairing Kimi's C4!

Source: Citroën WRC

Kimi: down but not out?

Despite a sizeable accident on the final stage of the Rally Bulgaria today, the Citroen Junior Team is still holding out hope that Kimi Raikkonen will be able to re-start the second day of the rally tomorrow.

Raikkonen went off less than eight kilometres from the finish of SS4, Belmeken Lake, where he had set fifth-fastest time in the morning.

Nonetheless, having secured fourth place following his team mate Sebastien Ogier’s off in the morning, Raikkonen set off on a more aggressive strategy in the afternoon. He was the only Citroen driver to have opted for Pirelli’s soft-compound tyres, banking on some rain affecting the final two stages.

“I think it’s a good decision,” he said at midday service. “We’ll try something different and see what happens.”

The 2007 Formula 1 World Champion ran at a comparatively conservative pace throughout the penultimate stage, setting sixth-quickest time, but pushed much harder on the final stage, setting the opening two fastest split times despite conditions remaining warm and dry.

Raikkonen then went off towards the end of the stage, landing on his car’s roof. Although the accident was big enough to bring out the yellow flags, Citroen is not giving up hope that the former Grand Prix champion’s C4 WRC can be fixed tonight so that he can start day two under the super rally regulations, with a five-minute penalty per stage missed.

This means that Raikkonen would re-start just outside the top 20 tomorrow, but with every possibility of scoring manufacturer points and acquiring additional experience.

Citroen Junior Team manager Benoit Nogier commented: “We will look at the car when it is back and see if we can re-start under super rally tomorrow. That is certainly our hope, but we can only assess this once we see the car properly. ”

Source: WRC

Rally Bulgaria: SS3 - Junction overshoot costs Ogier second place

SS3 Batak Lake 2

Citroen Junior Team driver Sebastien Ogier dropped from second to seventh place on the third stage of Rally Bulgaria after missing a junction and getting his C4 WRC stuck for one minute.

The Frenchman misheard a pace note and went straight on a junction 5.1km from the start of the repeated Batak Lake stage. His car collected panel damage to its right-hand front corner but seems unscathed mechanically.

Rally leader Sebastien Loeb extended his unbroken run of stage wins, completing the test 2.7sec ahead of his nearest rival and team-mate Dani Sordo. Peter Solberg was third quickest, with Ford drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jari Matti Latvala fourth and fifth fastest respectively.

Source: WRC

Pics of Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastien Ogier Testing the Citroën C4

Kimi has done some asphalt testing/training on Thursday and Friday

More Pics HERE +HERE

Source: extremrallye.com

Courtesy: Julia - wrc.is.free.fr

The Junior Team is continuing its preparation

Big week for Citroen leading two tests simultaneously: one with the official team and one with the junior team. In the Tarn as the team continued its preparation for asphalt rally after his participation in Lanterna in Italy.

The special provision by the organization, always effective, allowed the junior team to prepare Bulgaria with road conditions near the site of the next round of the championship. Ogier and Raikkonen have used the C4, all blue, rented by PH Re Felice at the Lanterna .

Sebastien Ogier took the wheel Tuesday and Wednesday. Weather conditions were wet, the pilot tested the Gap boundary starting at the top to tail. Yesterday and today, Raikkonen took place aboard the C4.

The Finnish company has aligned with the times a very aggressive style. Always on the attack, he was able to enjoy warm weather to make better lap qu'Ogier on the same stage.

Often the limit, Kimi seems more comfortable on this surface after good result Lanterna . While it raises the question about the future of Raikkonen: WRC again or return to F1 ? It was noted that the Finnish seemed interested in the new deal for WRC 2011 ...

Source: WRC.is.free.fr
Courtesy: julia

Changing wheels

Kimi Räikkönen and Taddy Blazusiak fought a bike versus car battle at the Erzberg Rodeo last weekend, but it turns out they’re rather fond of each other’s preferred mode of transport

Kimi and Taddy have huge professional respect for each other, which is why this particular ‘celebrity death match’ worked, despite having all the ingredients of pure Armageddon as Taddy’s KTM bike took on Kimi’s Citroën WRC car in a 13km dirt-track head-to-head in Austria, with the Iceman coming out on top.

Taddy actually owns his own rally car at home – a front-wheel drive Citroën C2-R2 like the one pictured below – that he uses simply to hoon around in and refine his sideways skills. For the moment though, the Pole has no plans to graduate to the World Rally Championship. “It’s a good question: maybe I’ll try it one day,” he commented. “I’ve always been a big fan of rallying, which is why it’s such a privilege for me to go up against Kimi. I’d definitely like to try proper rallying.”

Don’t be surprised to see him turn up at national rally sometime soon at the wheel of his Citroen C2. In the longer term though, his dream rally car is the Citroën C4 WRC – as driven by Kimi. It’s a reasonably sensible choice, given that it has won the last three drivers’ championships and is well on the way to a fourth, thanks to six-time champion Sébastien Loeb.

On the other hand, Kimi also loves the thrill of two wheels, having started his motorised career on scramble bikes. His career progression was fashioned accordingly to strictly utilitarian principles: he simply raced whatever he could get his hands on. In that respect, little has changed – which is how he ended up racing in a powerboat dressed as a gorilla under the alias ‘James Hunt’ a couple of years ago.

“Once I was into cars they sort of took over, but I still like bikes, and from time to time I go on them to have fun,” said Kimi. “I’ve got some motocross bikes and some other bikes as well.”

Rather than fantasise about his dream bike, Kimi has actually gone out there and commissioned it. The result looks a little bit like the lovechild of a Harley-Davidson and the Batmobile, as you can see below with ‘Iceman I’ – you can see the other example – ‘Iceman II’ – by clicking the ‘Kimi’s hardcore bikes’ tab on kimiraikkonen.com (also on second photo below).


“When I go on bikes it’s just for cruising really: I don’t go crazy,” he added. “That’s why custom bikes suit me best these days. You can have a lot of fun designing it and thinking about it, just as you can riding it.”

Source: RedBull.com

[Photos] Kimi tests his Citroën C4 WRC in the East of France

before the Rallye de Portugal

Click here to view all images

Raikkonen to take on bike rider Blazusiak

Kimi Raikkonen will take on extreme endurance bike rider Taddy Blazusiak on a 10-kilometre all-gravel course in Austria next month.

While Raikkonen will be at the wheel of his regular Citroen C4 WRC, Blazusiak will have to make do with his two-stroke KTM motorbike.

The showdown on June 5 is part of the build-up to Erzbergrodeo XVI, which is backed by Raikkonen’s sponsor Red Bull and claims to be the world’s largest off-road event for motorbikes. The main attraction is the Red Bull Hare Scramble, which is contested by 500 riders including Pole Blazusiak, who has won it three times in the past.

Ex-Grand Prix driver Raikkonen will be first to tackle the course, known as the ‘Iron Giant’, before Blazusiak takes his turn on board a KTM 250 EXC, which can top 140kph.

Organiser Karl Katoch said: “We are really happy that Kimi has taken up this challenge with enthusiasm. Our spectators will have the outstanding possibility to witness the ultimate comparison of a high-tech rally car versus the ultralight and powerful enduro motorcycle.”

Source: MaxRally

KIMI WILL DRIVE LANTERNA'S RALLY IN ITALY

Turun Sanomat 18.5 2010

Kimi Räikkönen will participate with his WRC C4-car in a rally in Italy held in June 12-13.6.

Citroen sends Räikkönen to this one day tarmac rally which will serve as a great test race where he can practice before Bulgaria Rally on tarmac, 9-11.7.2010.

They also have a memorial race in Genova's hall; Memorial Luigi Tabatoni who was an Italian rally pioneer. Räikkönen is taking part in it along with Markku Alen, Juha Kankkunen, Miki Biasion and Didier Auriol.

Source: Turun Sanomat
Courtesy: Nicole

RALLY OF TURKEY 2010: FINAL LEG FOR KIMI RÄKKÖNEN

The third day of the Rally of Turkey was shortened by two special stages this morning. Deniz 1 and Mudarli 1 were made impassable by heavy overnight rain and were cancelled by the event organisers.

Kimi Räikkönen also continued making progress to finish fifth, his best result in world rallying. “I feel more and more confident with the Citroën C4 WRC,” he said. “I’m very happy with the pace that we are able to maintain without taking any risks. We are able to get closer now to the drivers who are in front of us, which is our key objective. The hard work we have done with the team is now paying off. I’m feeling more and more confident. We’ve got a few weeks now before our next rally but our goal remains unchanged: we will have to continue to improve.”

Thanks to the reliability of its two Citroën C4 WRCs and its crews, the Citroën Junior Team became the team that scored the most World Championship manufacturer points in Turkey, with a total of 27.

The Citroën Junior Team reinforced its third position in the standings, behind two factory teams, after four rounds of the World Rally Championship.

“We’ve been through a rally with plenty of twists and turns,” concluded Benoit Nogier, the Citroën Junior Team manager. “Some of those things went our way, but we also had a stroke of bad luck with Sébastien’s puncture yesterday. This takes nothing away from his excellent performance. The cars had no problems at all. Our Citroën C4 WRCs are reliable and our drivers have proved that they are extremely competitive. Kimi has driven his best rally since the start of the season. It wasn’t only a rally of attrition; he got past some of his rivals on pure pace and that is the proof that he is making progress. It’s very encouraging for the entire team. We now head to New Zealand, highlymotivated to score another good result!”

Source: Red Bull Rallye

TURKEY! NEW HORIZON FOR KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN - PLUS 3 QUESTIONS...

Just 10 days after the finish of the Jordan Rally, the Citroën Junior Team goes to Turkey for the fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, and Red Bull backed Kimi Räikkönen/Kaj Lindström will drive his Citroën C4 WRC on this new event based close to Istanbul.

A few days after the Jordan Rally, the Citroën Junior Team embarks on one of the three brand new events scheduled for the 2010 season. Prior to Bulgaria and Alsace, the team will contest the all-new Rally Turkey, based in Pendik on the outskirts of Istanbul. The event will take place on two continents with a start ceremony outside the Hagia Sophia mosque and stages on the Asian side of the Bosphorus River.

In total, 12% of the 358.84 kilometres scheduled will be on asphalt. During the second day, the 18.17- kilometre Göçbeyli stage (SS10 and SS14) will feature 13.49 kilometres of asphalt. The final section of Bozhane (SS12 and SS16) is on asphalt as well, and parts of the Riva and Ballica stages are also run partly on sealed surfaces.

Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström scored their first WRC points in Jordan by finishing eighth overall. “It was important to get to the finish of this particularly difficult event,” said the former Grand Prix champion. “It was only my eighth-ever rally, but also the most difficult one I have seen so far.”

In Turkey, the Finnish crew will face another totally new route and surface. “I’ve no real idea of what to expect from the stages in Turkey. We’re going to need to do a lot of work during the recce in order to start off the rally well. Our goal is to be at the finish again, and to gradually reduce the gap to the other WRC drivers.”

Three questions to… Kimi Räikkönen

You scored your first points in the World Championship in Jordan. Is this a first objective achieved this season?

“My only aim on my third WRC event with the C4 was just to reach the finish in Jordan. We saw particularly difficult road conditions with very specialised stages, which were extremely slippery and had very few reference points. The first day was definitely the hardest one I have ever contested throughout my short career in rallying. So I was really pleased to get through all these hazards and not to make any big mistakes. We weren’t particularly quick but this is just a phase we have to go through in order to make progress.”

How do you see your progress at the wheel of the Citroen C4 WRC?

The terrain in Jordan was very difficult to Mexico. Over in Mexico, I felt quite confident. So I decided to push a little bit harder and then I went off. In Jordan, we decided to stay at a safe pace in order to be sure of getting to the finish. But I learn more about the Citroën C4 WRC and how to drive it with every kilometre. At the end of each stage, I have the feeling that I’ve learned a bit more. I’m beginning to feel more comfortable, and perhaps most importantly of all, I’m really enjoying myself in the WRC!”

These kilometers in Jordan they allow you to address the Rally of Turkey with more confidence?

“Once more, we’re going to be discovering a very different environment in Turkey. The experience is coming to us step by step, but each rally is new. Once more, the goal is to be there at the finish. We’ll see where we are at after the start of the rally and if we get the chance, we will try to reduce the gap to the leaders a bit.”

Source: Red Bull Rallye

Ogier admits tactical error, Raikkonen makes steady progress

Sébastien Ogier, Julien Ingrassia and the Citroën Junior Team – who were in the top three of every stage held today – have finished day two of the Jordan Rally in second, behind Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena. Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström have continued to improve throughout the day and they occupy a provisional eighth place overnight.

Two loops of three stages were on the menu for day two, the longest day of the Jordan Rally comprising 138.28 competitive kilometres. After Suwayma and Kafrain, the crews faced one of the most challenging special stages in the entire World Rally Championship: the 41.45 kilometres of Jordan River.

“The first two stages didn’t really present us with many problems in terms of road sweeping, but the longest stage was tricky,” commented Sébastien Ogier halfway through the day. “Conditions got worse and worse with each of the 41 kilometres. The roads were extremely slippery. Our Citroen C4 WRC worked perfectly though and the tyres showed no signs of weakness at all.”

Kimi Räikkönen took advantage of some slightly softer settings in order to make consistent progress. “We’re just trying to find the right pace,” he said. “The first two stages passed without any problems. At the start of the long stage, I was held up by the dust from the competitor in front of me and I went straight on at a junction. The surface is slippery but I’m very pleased with the adjustments made by the team. The car is softer and I feel a bit more comfortable with it. ”

During the second loop of stages, Sébastien continued his exemplary progress to return to the service park at the end of the day in second overall. “We’ve been on the right road for a few events now and that’s really positive,” he said. “We stuck firmly to our plan throughout the day by staying behind Latvala. There’s a slight feeling of frustration because I think we deserved our strategy to succeed all the way to the end. But it’s nobody’s fault. The team did their job and we did ours.” Sébastien Ogier will start second on the road tomorrow, 3.1 seconds ahead of Latvala.

Kimi was sixth-fastest and then seventh-fastest on the two runs through Suwayma, gaining a bit more experience today. “It was a bit better than yesterday,” he reported. “Right from the start of the recce, we knew that this would be a particularly tricky rally. We just need to learn and rack up more kilometres on all the different surfaces. We had a spin at the end of the day but the important thing is still to be here in the evening. ”

Citroën Junior Team manager Benoit Nogier concluded: “Today has picked up from where we left off previously. Starting from second on the road this morning, Sébastien was a little quicker than Latvala. We would have preferred him to start from a slightly more favourable road position tomorrow, but circumstances worked against us. Kimi showed himself to be consistent, setting times that were close to those of other more experienced competitors. It’s important to remember that this is only his second gravel event in the car on the WRC. It’s also worthy of note that neither of our C4 WRCs have suffered from the slightest mechanical problem. The cars are both quick and reliable.”

Source: RallyBuzz

Citroen trio quickest in Jordan Shakedown

Defending World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb was the fastest driver at the pre-event shakedown for the Jordan Rally earlier today, with fellow C4 World Rally Car drivers Petter Solberg and Dani Sordo locking out the top three times.

The four-hour test took place on a 2.3km stage, located 7.5km north of the Dead Sea Service Park. Weather conditions were dry and sunny throughout with a temperature peaking at 30 degrees Celsius.

Loeb drove the stage five times, setting his best time on the third pass, and matching it on the fourth. "Everything went okay, but the road wasn't very representative of the ones we saw on the recce," Loeb told wrc.com. "Today's road was fast and there was a lot of grip, while the proper stages are much more twisty and slippery. All we did today was check that everything was okay with the car.

" Loeb's team-mate Dani Sordo and Citroen privateer Petter Solberg set the same second-fastest time, one-tenth slower than Loeb. "We tried a lot of different things during the session because I haven't done any testing before the rally," said Petter. "I expect conditions will be much looser on the rally but the main thing is that we're up there with the best, and one tenth from Seb is nothing, you know?"

BP Ford Abu Dhabi Team drivers Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen were fourth and fifth fastest.

After a ceremonial start in the historic city of Jerash on Thursday morning, the opening stage of the rally, the 15.34km Rumman Forest, gets underway on 1128hrs. Follow this link to find out how to follow the rally LIVE and FREE here on wrc.com.

Here are the Shakedown times of the WRC drivers:

1. LOEB. Citroen C4 WRC. 1:13.4
=2. SORDO. Citroen C4 WRC. 1:13.5
=2. P. SOLBERG. Citroen C4 WRC. 1:13.5
4. LATVALA. Ford Focus RS WRC 09. 1:13.7
5. HIRVONEN. Ford Focus RS WRC 09. 1:13.8
6. OGIER. Citroen C4 WRC. 1:13.9
7. VILLAGRA. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 1:15.1
8. WILSON. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 1:15.2
9. H.SOLBERG. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 1:15.3
10. RAIKKONEN. Citroen C4 WRC. 1:16.2

Source: WRC
Courtesy: _TaniaS_

Corona Rally Mexico - The Guru's review Kimi Räikkönen

Another miss for Raikkonen - but was his car at 100 per cent?

"Kimi Raikkonen?s third WRC rally didn?t go well. Hitting a rock seven kilometres into stage one and bending the steering arm wasn't a good start. Then, on stage two, he dropped more than thirty minutes when his fuel pump stopped working. Things looked up after a couple of clear stages, and he seemed to be getting into it, only for his rally to end in spectacular fashion when he rolled his C4 WRC five times.

Soon after the crash Kimi said his late braking was to blame. His car had run wide and hit a bank - sending him into the series of rolls. Maybe he did brake late, but on watching footage from the stage side camera I noticed that the rear spoiler was missing from the rear of the C4 BEFORE the crash. Would Kimi have got around the corner with the help of some rear downforce? Perhaps. But after Sebastien Ogier's spoiler parted company with his identical C4 WRC in Sweden I imagine Citroen engineers are working on some stronger bolts for Jordan."

Source: WRC

Pics from Kimi Today in Rally Mexico 2010

Shakedown

Citroën Junior Team set for Mexico debut

Following the wintery conditions of the Rally Sweden, the Citroën Junior Team now changescontinent and surface to contest the first gravel round of the 2010 FIA World Rally Championshipseason. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia and Kimi Räikkönen/Kaj Lindström will drive the team’stwo Citroën C4 WRCs.

Having appeared on the World Rally Championship for the first time in 2004, the León-based eventfeatures the most concentrated rally route on the calendar this year. In fact, a full 354.60 kilometres outof a total route length of only 884.58 kilometres are run competitively. Another peculiarity of RallyMexico is that competitors will be driving at an altitude of almost 2800 metres at one point on theopening day (Ortega, SS2 and SS6). Citroën comes into the event fresh from three consecutive victoriesin Mexico, between 2006 and 2008. Nonetheless, the Rally Mexico will be an all-new experience for theCitroën Junior Team, which goes there for the first time.

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, who finished a brilliant fifth on the season-opening Rally Sweden,have some fond memories of their first visit to Mexico. In 2008, Rally Mexico marked the French crew’sWorld Rally Championship debut. They got their Junior World Rally Championship campaign off to aflying start with a momentous win.

“It was a career-defining moment,” remembered Sébastien. “I’ve got some very happy memories ofMexico. We had a lot to learn, but in the end we were able to win after a rally where we were forced toattack in order to gain an advantage, but then also moderate our pace in order to look after the car. Ireally like this rally as the stages are very flowing and progressive. The fans are especially enthusiastic inMexico as well!”

Since making their World Rally Championship debut two years ago, Sébastien and Julien have climbedonto the overall podium (thanks to second place in Greece last year) and finished eighth in the 2009World Rally Championship for drivers. In Sweden, their fifth place ensured that they beat several localScandinavian specialists. So in Mexico, the French duo’s objective will be to at least equal that result.“We started the season well, with a top-five finish on our first visit to Sweden,” added Sébastien. “Ourobjective is to maintain this same pace throughout the season and get closer to the podium on the eventsthat we know a bit already. “In Mexico, we start off with the advantage of having already driven eight ofthe 11 different stages in the C2 Super 1600. On top of that, we were able to prepare for this rally witha day of testing in Spain. If there’s a chance of finishing higher than fifth, we’re certainly going to go forit!”

Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström will continue their learning curve on the gravel of Mexico. Followingtheir first rally on the snowy tracks of Sweden in February, the Finnish crew now faces a new challenge ona very different surface.

“What I love about rallying is that you have to be competitive on all sorts of different surfaces,” said Kimi.“After my experience on snow, now I’m going to find out about driving on gravel. I really don’t knowwhat to expect, but that is all part of our learning process. I’m very much looking to driving the CitroënC4 WRC in these challenging conditions and getting as many kilometres under my belt as I can, in orderto add to my experience.”

Three questions to… Kimi Räikkönen

Looking back on it now, what conclusions can you draw from your first event in the World RallyChampionship with the Citroën Junior Team C4 WRC?

“The really positive thing is that we managed to cover all the stages on the Rally Sweden and we learneda lot. We could have done better overall had it not been for some small mistakes but we managed toimprove our stage times as the rally went on. That was our initial objective. The second run through thestages was better for us. I also felt a big difference once I became more confident with my pace notes.With more experience, things should get increasingly easier.”

Mexico will be the first time that you drive the Citroën C4 WRC on gravel. Do you think that youwill find this surface easier than snow?

“I’m really looking forward to starting the Rally Mexico. My impression is that driving on gravel should bea little bit easier for us. Or at least that’s what Marcus Grönholm told me! I reckon that we will find amore consistent level of grip on gravel. But for the moment I’m still lacking experience. I just need to getmore kilometres in the car in order to get used to the Citroën C4 WRC in particular and rallying ingeneral.”

How are you going to approach the Rally Mexico?

“My plan had initially been to take part in a test session on gravel, in order to get to know the Citroën C4WRC a bit better on a new surface for me. But unfortunately I experienced a bit of back pain that stoppedme from driving. I’ve had some treatment now but I preferred to rest before leaving for Mexico. Of course Iwould have liked to test the car before going, but it was important to recuperate in order to start thesecond rally of the season in the best possible physical shape.”

Source: racecar - Courtesy: miezicat