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

Taddy's Carwash

It was Taddy Blazusiak v Kimi Räikkönen, two wheels against four, in a unique race at Austria’s Erzberg Rodeo – and it was Kimi who took the spoils, while Taddy took to Kimi’s car with bucket and sponge…

In the end, it came down to just 28 seconds. Räikkönen – the fearless Iceman of former Formula One fame – challenged Blazusiak, a fellow madman and enduro biker, to a duel at the Erzberg Rodeo.

Kimi would be driving the two-litre, turbocharged, 300bhp Citroën C4 WRC that he normally uses on the World Rally Championship, while Taddy was on his KTM trials bike. This boasted the somewhat more modest output of 71bhp from 550cc.

But it’s all about ‘horses for courses’, an appropriate metaphor when it comes to dealing with a rodeo. In fact, most bucking broncos would deliver a considerably smoother ride than the one offered by the gravel surface that Kimi and Taddy were competing on.

The route was a 13km boulder-strewn road, carved out of a mountainside quarry. Imagine Climb Dance (the epic Ari Vatanen Pike’s Peak hillclimb film) crossed with Mad Max, and you get the general idea.

'Actually it was very close. And we had a lot of fun' – Kimi Räikkönen

Erzberg is the venue for the Red Bull Hare Scramble: a knockout race during which around 1,500 mad bikers compete for the title of Hare Scramble champion. Taddy, from Poland, has won it for the last three years – so it would be fair to conclude that he knows it a bit.

Kimi, by contrast, has just five world rallies under his belt in the C4 WRC. And he’s never driven on a road as rough as this. In fact, until he started rallying this year, a rough road for Kimi meant running over a manhole cover in Monaco.

“It reminds me a bit of the Safari Rally in places,” said Kimi’s co-driver Kaj Lindstrom after they returned from a quick recce – complete with a puncture on the Citroen C-Crosser that they had purloined for practice purposes. In total, they faced 93 corners, many of them blind.

Taddy however – short for Tadeusz, the Pole’s full name – was unperturbed. “I think I’m going to have a job beating the car down the road, even though I know the way pretty well,” he said. “The beginning part of the road is tight and twisty, so I’m going to have to try and take advantage there.”

Kimi doesn’t generally go in for bold predictions and sweeping statements – nor was he about to start now. “I wouldn’t want to guess who is going to be quicker,” said Räikkönen. “For us, it’s going to be a question of getting the car down there in one piece. Some parts of the road are very rough, so it could be easy to have some damage or a puncture, and other bits are really narrow.”

Taddy set off first, just to show Kimi what he had to beat. Dodging the rocks, he screamed down the course in front of an estimated 45,000 spectators, many of whom were by now well-acquainted with the beer tent. It was a great show, and the Pole reckoned he couldn’t have done it faster.

Next up was Räikkönen, the Iceman now beginning to melt in the unexpectedly warm weather of Austria. He, too, gave it everything in front of an appreciative audience, but it was impossible to tell visually who was quicker. A black market of betting emerged among punters looking to make a quick buck, with Kimi attracting a lot of the smart money.

The result was announced at a dramatic finale, with the loser having to wash the other’s vehicle. Helpfully, the organisers had provided a bucket of water and some sponges for the occasion.

“It’s all about the fun today – the real action starts tomorrow with the actual Hare Scramble,” said Taddy. He was fortunate to see things that way, as he was the one who ended up wielding the sponges. Kimi had beaten him by 28 seconds, not a massive margin though given the length of the stage.

“I think we were able to clinch it at the very end because the rally car has a better top speed, which made a difference in the fast bits,” said Kimi. “But actually it was very close. And we had a lot of fun.”

So for the time being it’s a case of two wheels good, four wheels better. But Taddy is already muttering something about revenge. And Kimi is definitely deranged enough to take him on again…

Source: RedBull.com

Kimi Raikkonen takes on Taddy Blazusiak at the Erzberg Rodeo showdown

Red Bull driver Kimi Raikkonen faced a brand new different challenge today, when he took on multiple trial bike champion Taddy Blazusiak at a breathtaking head-to-head race in Austria

After a hugely successful Formula One career, in which Kimi claimed the 2007 world title and 18 Grand Prix wins, the Finn is competing on the World Rally Championship for the first time this year. But on one of his rare weekends off, Kimi took part in a spectacular motorsport duel against another well-known Red Bull athlete.

Driving his usual Citroen C4 WRC, Kimi faced a rocky and twisty 13-kilometre stage at the Erzberg Rodeo, carved out of a spectacular mountainside quarry. His objective was to beat Polish enduro rider Taddy: who has made this territory his own by winning the Red Bull Hare Scramble, the highlight of the Erzberg Rodeo, for the past three years.

On the face of it the machines could not be more different. Kimi's Citroen C4 World Rally Car weighs 1230 kilograms, puts out around 300 horsepower and accelerates from 0-100 kilometres per hour in just over four seconds. The KTM trials bike ridden by Taddy weighs just 122 kilograms, has 71 horsepower and takes a bit longer to pick up speed.

However, the agility of the KTM bike - as well as Taddy's unparalleled knowledge of the dramatic course - made it a very close encounter. The stage was extremely rough and bumpy: a bit like the legendary Safari Rally in places. After a tight and twisty start, the road opened up and became quicker: handing the advantage to the rally car at the finish. In the end, Kimi beat Taddy by just over 25 seconds, watched by more than 30,000 people.

As part of the forfeit that had been agreed beforehand, Taddy was then faced with the task of washing Kimi's car at the finish. "Really, it was all about the fun today," said Taddy, who now moves onto the serious business of trying to win the Red Bull Hare Scramble for the fourth consecutive time on Sunday. "It was a real privilege for me to compete against Kimi and I hope that we put on a good show. I tried my hardest, but in the end it wasn't quite enough, so now I just have to congratulate Kimi. And wash his car too!"

Kimi concluded: "It's the first time that I've ever done anything like this and I really enjoyed myself. It was a very close contest and in the end I think our better top speed in the rally car is what helped us. In the slow parts, it was much more evenly matched. I like bikes a lot, so it was great to meet Taddy and chat with him. Now I have some time free in Austria, so I am going to come back and watch the Red Bull Hare Scramble on Sunday to wish Taddy luck. It's really exciting to watch."

Source: RallyBuzz

Pics of Kimi Räikkönen in Erzberg Rodeo

Kimi Räikkönen vs KTM-rider Taddy Blazusiak during Erzberg Rodeo in Austria

Courtesy: Maili85

Kimi Räikkönen interview at Erzberg Rodeo

Johan Ahlberg from Fastbikes.se makes an interview with WRC Citroen-driver Kimi Räikkönen before the duel with KTM-rider Taddy Blazusiak during Erzberg Rodeo in Austria...

Source: Fastbikesse