Kimi Spanish Grand Prix preview: Spanish Eyes

 Obviously, this is the most interesting time of the season. It’s a pleasure for the drivers and the teams, as we’ve been back at home for some time, and now the next couple of races will be not that far away to go to.

This is great. It’s easy to get to the circuit, have fun during the Grand Prix weekend, and come back home in such a short time.

For me the Spanish Grand Prix is a kind of checking-point of the season. All the teams know the Catalunya Circuit very well. This is the only race track we been testing with the new cars and now with the upgrades on board we can start evalutiating things to the data gathered during the preseason testing.

All the eyes are now on Barcelona. It will be tighter than ever before, while so many teams and drivers have been so close all the year long so far. I guess, for the spectators it must be as exciting as it is for us.

Hopefully this time our team will have a weekend with all the things getting sorted out quickly. Up till now we have not done any favours to ourselves in that side. We’ve been close, but close is not enough in this sport to gain poles and victories.

The Enstone boys have been working very hard with the car. It’s been one of the best cars I have had in the beginning of all the seasons in which I raced. The very encouraging thing is to keep hearing whispers the best is still to come from the car.

But you never know beforehand. There is no reason to promise anything right now. Like I said, it’s so bloody tight and close. With a smallest mistake you’ll be out of the Top 10. It’s like long jump. You have be able to leap hitting the board exactly right by millimeter to get everything out of all your competitiveness.

Twice I have had a perfect weekend in Barcelona. I’ve won both times from the pole. Obviously, I rank them to the best races I have ever had. The circuit is very challenging. It’s changing so quickly from the morning to the afternoon and the vary in the temperature is such an important factor to the set-up compromises being right.

My own approach is always to keep pushing 100 percent. It’s the same like the whole team. Our aim is to get the maximum result possible for every Grand Prix. Let’s wait and see how it goes in Barcelona.

Source: KIMIRAIKKONEN.COM

Kimi Räikkönen on the Spanish GP: “Hopefully We Will Be Regular Visitors to the Podium This Season”

Just four races into his F1 comeback and Kimi stood on the second step of the podium. The Iceman however was not completely happy; after all, the victory was so nearly in his grasp. Will Barcelona give him the opportunity to add to his win tally?

It took you four races into your comeback before you achieved a podium – were you surprised at this?

I never had any doubts in myself and it is clear we have a good car so in some ways the podium could have come sooner. We had the car already in the first three races to be up there, but we made some small mistakes and it cost us a lot. I would have been much happier if we had managed to get the victory, but nevertheless it’s a good result and the team deserved it for all their hard work. We have been good in every race so far, so hopefully we will be regular visitors to the podium this season.

Are you frustrated not to have taken the win?

I chose the wrong side to make it past Sebastian (Vettel). I didn’t make it past and after that, I pretty much knew that was it. Of course, I wanted to win. I would have been much happier with myself after the race.

You did not attend the Mugello test – is this an issue for you?

We didn’t have any major new parts to test and we don’t race at Mugello so I was not crying when it was decided that I wouldn’t test. I know the track well but there was no need for me to drive. I am here to race and that is what I will do in Barcelona.

You must have completed a lot of laps of the Circuit de Catalunya over the years; what are your thoughts of the track?

I have tested there very many times. It’s a challenging circuit - great fun with a good car, but not that great with a not so good car. Usually a car going well in Barcelona, goes well everywhere. We had a good car there for the second pre-season test even if the car wasn’t quite together for the first one.The car has improved and I feel more comfortable in it.

What are your thoughts on the Pirelli tyres and the strategies needed for the best results?

No matter what the tyres you always have to make a strategy to suit them best. The tyres are fine for me. For the strategy I work with my engineers and we make the best choices we can. Sometimes we get it right, like in Bahrain. Sometimes we get very close, like in Shanghai. After the race in China and after the qualifying in Bahrain, people probably started thinking that we are idiots and cannot do anything right. But we showed in the race why we did what we did. It was close already in China and this time our strategy paid back very nicely for us. It’s all part of racing and the same for everyone.

Are you looking forward to racing in Europe again?

I really like racing in Europe. We don’t have to travel too far and all the energy is saved for the weekend itself. Traditionally the real season starts while coming back to Europe. For me it’s just great.

What do you think can be achieved in the Spanish Grand Prix?

I expect Lotus to be very competitive at Barcelona. It’s going to be very, very close between the top teams. This is the only circuit where the teams have already tested with the new cars, and the set up is crucial as the track changes with the wind and temperature. All the teams have updates for the first European race, which makes it even more interesting and even tighter at the top.

You have some good memories of the Spanish Grand Prix?

Yes, I have won there twice, and there’s nothing better than winning in any Grand Prix. Those two wins are my only podiums in the event.

Four races completed; what do you want to achieve from the next four?

Let’s see what happens. As I’ve said, the car feels good everywhere we’ve been so far. I am here to race and I race to win. That is the target for me and the team. We want to win Grands Prix. We have a good car and we saw in Bahrain it is good enough to win. That’s the target.

Source: LotusF1

Kimi's Column: Kimi Australian review and Malaysian preview

The heat is on! It¹s signed, sealed and delivered with the Australian Grand Prix. Right now I¹m trying to get grips with the next challenge here in the hot and humid equatorial climate of Malaysia. Obviously, it was very nice and rewarding to open the season with some good points. Honestly, I didn¹t know that much what to expect from the first race weekend after two years¹ break. We got a good feeling in the car since the day one in Jerez, but you never know exactly how competitive the new equipment is compared to other new cars. Well, now we know ­ a little bit, at least. I always felt I could make a return to Grand Prix racing, but, I can confess now, I got some good answers to my own minor doubts how quickly you can adapt the racing rhythm after being away for some time. The speed is there. That¹s ok. The car is good. That¹s ok, as well. Some issues were to be improved, especially in the qualifying routine. I knew already before going to Melbourne, that it takes some time to get everything together in the best way with all the new things there are with tactical and mechanical part of the whole qualifying prosedure. On Saturday I wasn¹t happy at all. We had some issues that put as in a very poor situation to start the race. All in all, I¹ve got a perfect start from the line and, obviously, it could have been very good for the race. But the first corner mess-up with some cars took my advantage away, I had to back-off and we had to build up again the race to reach the TOP-10. The first set of tyres didn¹t feel that good, but then I saw the other people having even more problems with them, so I just sat back and went for it. It was quite tricky to get past the cars. The DRS doesn¹t help that much in Albert Park-like circuit and while I was battling against Saubers, they were too strong coming out of the last corner, where the DRS zones started. The safety-car situation didn¹t help, as well. I¹ve got a set of brand new tyres, but after the race re-started, it was very difficult to get them working properly. Finally everything went well. We got some places back in the last lap and I was quite satisfield finishing seventh in that first race. As a team we know, we have a solid and consistent car to work with. It¹s nice to have a race again this week. Sepang is the place with some nice memories for me, while we won a Malaysian Grand Prix both with McLaren and Ferrari. The heat is a little bit too much, but it¹s the same for everybody. I just sit back again, put my head down and try to get the best out of the car and myself, too. The heat is on!

Source: KIMIRAIKKONEN.COM

Kimi's column: WRAPPING UP THE SEASON

Kimi GB rally preview in Finnish

Let's wrap up the season now and go to drive the last race. It always has a certain kind of different vibe than other races have. Once again I have raced for one different kind of year.

We had really good tests and got the car nicely so that it pleased us. The setups are the setups that I want. It's good to drive now. The shakedown also went well so everything is now in place to start the rally.

The weather is typical for GB. At times the sun shines, at times the water is dripping. There's mud, fog and slippery. When the conditions are changing you have to take really carefully all the spots in the beginning, so that you don't get any nasty surprises.

This is one of the most challenging rallies in the whole season. From last year they left only a few stages and there are a lot of new roads. New roads are always different. Let's see how the car works on them.

The last rallies have been a bit minor-predominant, hence it would do me really good to get a clean race again. Let's go and make a good result and avoid stupid blunders.

I am concentrating only on this rally to finish the season. Lets see what the future holds when it arrives.

Source:KIMIRAIKKONEN.COM
Courtesy: Nicole

Kimi's Column: FRIDAY ON MY MIND

Kimi Rally de Spain preview in Finnish

Ahead is now the season's second last rally. Last year's experience doesn't help at all at this point. We are going to a completely new rally so to say. At least the vibes are very high after the pace noting.

From here we go and drive almost two different rallies because the first part is gravel and the two parts after that are on tarmac again.

The noting went well and based upon that, we already know that on Friday the roads are slippery and hence very demanding. It's clear that on these gravel roads one has to drive totally with the tongue in the middle of the mouth and try to avoid bigger blunders.

The last stage on Friday will practically be driven when darkness has already descended. That offers a challenge of it's own in this rally. Lets hope that there's not a lot of dust in the air since the visibility is already limited as it is.

The goal is of course to cross the finish line on Friday so that we get to continue from good positions on Saturday. Saturday and Sunday will be on tarmac and those roads are totally super cool. They aren't very fast but it's kind of real tarmac driving. They don't have those shortcut places and the roads stay pretty much clean.

Its already beforehand the very best driving that rally offers. The front cars are also making sure that no unpleasant surprises occur after pace noting.

Now we hit the gravel roads, our last gravel rally was in Jyskälä. That's what makes it different when compared to Germany and France because you have to be alert all the time. The goals are the same as always: we aim to the finish line.

Source: KIMIRAIKKONEN.COM
Courtesy: Nicole

Kimi's Column: Challenging in a tricky way

Kimi Rally Germany preview in Finnish

This Germany is a quite tricky rally. Lets see how it takes off. I have good vibes from last year and lets hope that it goes better the second time, in this year's way.

The more in the top you would get to start, the more easier it would be. If you have to go on the route from very behind, then the more all kind of trash there is on the road.

Now we are on tarmac for the first time after gravel rallies. We had a test after Jyskälä. We could have used a bit more testing since we were left with things we have to try out during this rally week. Soon we'll see how we got things in place.

All and all it's easier when we know what to expect. They haven't changed more than a couple of stages. They took about 10 km off the super long SS on beton. Now we have about 35 kilometers of that banging.

Last year we went well until the last day. I made a few blunders in the crossroads and we lost our position.

Now we try to improve. Not do any blunders and try to get time-wise as close as we already got in Jyskälä.

Lets hope now that the weather stays good. It would be much nicer since we haven't drove even one test during rain with this car. This route gets very slippery if water starts falling down on it.

They talk about tarmac, although I think we are driving more on beton in this rally. There is a decent road somewhere there but usually it's something completely different from a clean tarmac surface.

Source: KIMIRAIKKONEN.COM
Courtesy: Nicole

Kimi's Column: The third time

Well, it’s flat-out time once again. Hopefully I’ll find the best feeling with driving straight away from the start. This is the rally, where you need to get the right rhythm on since the very beginning of the special stage one, while we go so fast.

This is the rally I’ve been looking forward the whole summer along. The home race is the greatest of them all for every racing driver. This is my third time in Rally Finland and, obviously, this is the rally, where we have the most experience so far.

Twice I have started the rally in Jyväskyla. This time the first day is a little bit different compared to previous ones, but the most remarkable change is day two, while we go to new roads in Lahti area.

I think it’s good to have experience of two rallies here. We know some roads, some are there for the first time, but, all in all, they are very fast roads and it’s a huge challenge to get them right.

The test and the preparation for this rally went very well. I’ve been training hard both with bicycles and in the gym. We had a nice rally show downtown Helsinki, too. Obiously, my feeling is great and I just cannot wait to get things going on.

We have had good results this year in all the rallies we have had so far. This gives me a solid boost to my confidence to keep the car on the road.

The work with the pace notes has been improving all the time. Listening to the pace notes goes better and better. Still, it’s a huge challenge for every rally driver.

My goal is to finish the rally without major mistakes. Two years ago we had a D.N.F. and last year we finished, but I made too many mistakes, still.

Hopefully this time we get everything right and improve again like we have done in every rally so far.

To finish a rally is always a good achievement and especially it’s a great achievement in Jyväskyla, in the fastest rally of them all.

All I can promise is that we try our very best. Let’s wait and see, what it brings along this time.

Source: KIMIRAIKKONEN.COM
Courtesy: _TaniaS_

Kimi's Column: TO THE TOUGHEST RALLY

Kimi Acropolis rally preview in Finnish

We had a break from the rally business for a couple of months. When driving the tests in France with Kaitsu it felt like I hadn't been gone at all. The test went well and we got right away a good feeling in the car. It was good preparation for this rally in Greece since we even got the car better.

Greece is a new place to me and the gang says that it's the toughest rally for the car. Therefore the biggest challenge will be to get the equipment to the finish line in one piece.

I mean, this isn't the first rally where it's hot with rocky and dusty roads like here. We had a tough route in Jordan too and there the car survived the beating completely fine. It's completely new that we will now go fast on Saturday-night during darkness.

We have been in three rallies this year. One can be completely satisfied since we have each time finished the rally and scored points. Since the goal has been to learn more each time, we have succeeded in it and developed as much as possible.

It's nice when you see that the notes get better each time.

Since everything went well in the tests it's easy to come back to this car.

We have good feelings to start pulling, although we are taking these routes for the first time. Our goals haven't changed at all. We will do our best so that we avoid big mistakes and can pull the whole race in a good speed all the way to the finish line.

Source: KIMIRAIKKONEN.COM
Courtesy: Nicole

Kimi Räikkönen to Make NASCAR Debut in N.C. Education Lottery 200

Kimi Räikkönen and the No. 15 Perky Jerky Toyota Tundra
N.C. Education Lottery 200 Race Preview

RACE: N.C. Education Lottery 200
TRACK: Charlotte Motor Speedway
PRIMARY SPONSOR: Perky Jerky
ASSOCIATE SPONSORS: DVS Shoe Company, Flexco, M&M's,
PRIMARY CHASSIS: KBM-3
BACKUP CHASSIS: KBM-2
MANUFACTURER: Toyota
MOTORS: Triad Racing Technologies
BROADCAST: Friday, May 20 - 8:00 p.m. ET SPEED/MRN/Sirius NASCAR 90

Kimi Räikkönen to Make NASCAR Debut in N.C. Education Lottery 200
Former Formula 1 champion Kimi Räikkönen will make his NASCAR debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NC Education Lottery 200 Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Räikkönen will pilot his first laps around a NASCAR oval as a teammate to team owner Kyle Busch, from behind the wheel of the No. 15 Perky Jerky Toyota Tundra.

"I'm excited to do my first-ever NASCAR race; it will be fun to compete against other drivers on the track again,"said Räikkönen, referring to only racing against the clock in World Rally Cars. "This is a new experience for me - - let's see what happens."

Räikkönen is scheduled to address the media following the conclusion of final practice, Friday at 12:15 p.m. ET, in the media center at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The Finnish driver comes to NASCAR with a resume that includes the 2007 Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship. Over his nine year career in Formula 1, he registered 18 wins and 62 podium finishes. The 31-year old is currently competing for a World Rally Car Championship for his own team, ICE1RACING.

Source: Kylebuschmotorsport.com
Courtesy: miezicat

Kimi's Column: MORE THAN ENOUGH OF CHALLENGES

Kimi Jordan Rally preview in Finnish

Okay, so I went to drive a NASCAR-test. It was completely super awesome. That serie is a completely different world and everything is new for us who are used to drive elsewhere. It's interesting and challenging to go there.

But now we are driving rally again. It is after all 'our thing' at the moment.

Jordan is one of the most trickiest gravel rallies. We were here last year so we have some kind of understanding over what we can expect this weekend. So far being in the same rally for the second time has helped us and it's 100% sure that we have an advantage of it in Jordan too.

I have a pleasant image from Portugal's gravel. Once we recovered from *** No swearing *** up the setups - the whole front of the car was too high - the car felt good in the final games.

It's going to be exciting to see how it goes now. This rally is as challenging as challenging can be. The roads are hard gravel and loose sand. The weather is quite warm too. You don't seem to find any focusing points from the terrain. Fortunately I have learned to make and understand notes better and better all the time. They are really important in this rally.

They have warfare going on nearby but it's peaceful in Jordan. We all wish that the rally could be pulled through without any incidents.

Our goal is once again to get through the route without making any bad blunders. Last time we came in 8th in Jordan. They were our first points.

We are now going there to see if we can improve our position. It's going to be a tough twist since the group is so even at this point.

Source: KIMIRAIKKONEN.COM

Courtesy: Nicole

VODAFONE RALLY PORTUGAL 2011 - PREVIEW: Van Merksteijn joins Solberg and Räikkönen

For the first time, five Citroën DS3 WRCs will compete in a round of the World Rally Championship

Petter Solberg, Kimi Räikkönen and Peter van Merksteijn Jr are racing under their own colours in Rally Portugal in cars that are identical to those run by the Citroën Total World Rally Team. These have been put at their disposal by Citroën Racing Technologies.

For several seasons, Citroën Racing has been developing its activities in the World Rally Championship through Citroën Racing Technologies. This back-up programme for privateers at the top level is continuing in 2011 with the Citroën DS3 WRC.

“The changes in the regulations have forced all the drivers to enter the latest generation WRCs,” says Benoit Nogier, the Citroën Racing Technologies director. “Citroën Racing has decided to provide Citroën DS3 WRCs for privateers. These cars have the same specification as the works cars and comply with the same homologation sheet.”

Petter Solberg and Kimi Räikkönen began their season in the World Rally Championship in Sweden. The Norwegian finished fifth (with three fastest times) and the Finn scored the points that went with eighth place.

In Mexico, Solberg just missed out on a podium finish (five fastest times) after leading the rally in the early stages. In the third round of the championship in Portugal, Petter Solberg, Kimi Räikkönen and Peter van Merksteijn Jr all have very different aims in their Citroën DS3 WRCs.

Petter Solberg (Petter Solberg World Rally Team): “I always enjoy rallying in Portugal. The event is both quick and very technical and suits me good. We learned a lot about the car on gravel in Mexico, and also learned a lot during our test day here in Portugal. As usual, I want to finish on the podium, and I know we have the speed to do so. Crossing my fingers for a problem free rally.”

Kimi Räikkönen (Ice 1 Racing): “We made a good start to the championship in the Swedish Rally. We were closer to the leaders than last year. But we’re still learning. Since then we’ve taken part in a test day to get to grips with the car on gravel. It feels good and I can’t wait to be at the start of the Portuguese Rally.”

Peter van Merksteijn Junior (Van Merksteijn Motorsport): “I was able to get used to the car in a two-day test. We ran through a wide range of setups. The DS3 WRC is a bit like a kart as it reacts immediately to the slightest input from the driver. The car really made a big impression on me as did the team, which is very professional. I’m really looking forward to tackling my first rally of the season.”

Source: RedBullRallye

RALLY SWEDEN – 10-13/02/2011 – PREVIEW

After the Xsara WRCs and the C4 WRCs, both crowned with triple titles, Citroën Racing is launching the DS3 WRC on the roads of the FIA World Rally Championship

The Citroën DS3 WRC that complies with the new regulations drawn up by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile is a real package of Creative Technology.
The DS3 WRC is shorter and more compact than the previous cars, and is powered by a new 1600 cm3 direct injection turbo engine designed in-house by Citroën Racing. This new generation of World Rally Cars puts the emphasis on driving skills after the suppression of the central differential, and the return of a mechanical gear selection mechanism.

Back for their eleventh season as a Citroën works crew, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena are starting the year with all the hunger of young chargers out to score their first victory! The Franco-Monegasque pair, 7-time world champions on the trot, are bubbling with enthusiasm on the eve of this new challenge. Alongside them are Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, who won their place in the Citroën Total World Rally Team during a more than promising 2010 season.

Rally Sweden, the first of the thirteen rounds on the 2011 calendar, is a unique event. It is the only one run on snow, and for a long time it was an exclusively Scandinavian hunting ground. Since the year of its first running, 1950, only one driver has beaten the Vikings on their home turf, Sébastien Loeb, who won it the same year as he racked up his first world title!

The route of the 2011 rally goes through the regions of Värmland and Dalarna, and the service park is in Hagfors. The event even makes a brief foray into Norwegian territory (Lovhaugen, SS4/7).

With just a few days to go to the first round, Olivier Quesnel, the Citroën Racing Team Principal, is champing at the bit: “We can’t wait to see the first times to find out if the team has done a good job. However, Rally Sweden isn’t really representative of the difficulties we’ll have to face during the season. Our crews know what they have to do and they have my full confidence to come out on top in this new campaign.”

Stage of the season. The 4.16-km Gustavsfors (SS22) special will be televised live, and 3, 2 and 1 points will be awarded to the first three for the Drivers’ and Co- Drivers’ Championships.

Two more Citroën DS3 WRCs are entered for Petter Solberg / Chris Patterson and Kimi Räikkönen / Kaj Lindström. Each crew has covered 250 km on two stretches representative of the Swedish route. Solberg has been able to adapt the car to his driving style, and he is both delighted and enthused by the performance of the new engine. Räikkönen was happy with the DS3 balance and handling on his first test; he ran through
the different setups and will start the rally with the closest options to those of the works team.

Source: RedBullRallye

KIMI READY FOR WET AND WILD STAGES IN WALES

Red Bull Rally Great Britain preview

Kimi Räikkönen, backed by Red Bull on the World Rally Championship this year, was exactly one month and four days old when the legendary Hannu Mikkola won what was then called the RAC Rally in 1979: a four-day marathon up and down the length of Great Britain in wet and wintry conditions, featuring 56 special stages and 687 competitive kilometres.

Kimi won't have noticed the first time that the Rally Great Britain came into his life as he could not even walk, let alone drive. But several years later this fact would go on to have an immense significance, as Mikkola is one of the many Finnish rally heroes who inspired Kimi to go beyond his comfort zone and step inside a rally car.

Mikkola was one of the flying Finns who made the specialised forests of Great Britain their own, along with Henri Toivonen, Markku Alen, Tommi Makinen and Marcus Gronholm; to name just a few examples. In fact, a Finn has won in Great Britain 21 times in the 65-year history of the event.

In his first year of the World Rally Championship Kimi certainly won't be challenging for victory in Wales, but nonetheless all these icons of the sport have made their mark on the 2007 Formula 1 World Champion.

"Rallying is like a national sport in Finland: since I was a kid I followed it and I grew up with all these big names who were right at the front," he said. "So rallying is something that I always wanted to try: it was not at all a sudden decision. At the end of last year the opportunity came up so I was very happy to take it. Our season has not gone entirely according to plan, but this is actually what I expected: it's completely normal when you are learning something so new. But I've really enjoyed it. Not so many people get the chance to compete at this level and I want to use all the lessons I have learned this year. I'm sure that Rally Great Britain is going to be a very tricky way to end the season because I hear that the grip is changing all the time and I know that the weather is going to be bad, but you learn more by pushing yourself to the limit. I'm looking forward to it a lot."

The limit is a place that Kimi has always been fascinated to explore, and in Rally Great Britain he will face the possibility of torrential rain, freezing fog and maybe even patches of ice. Or possibly all three at the same time. As always though, he is able to rely on co-driver Kaj Lindstrom to guide him through all the potential pitfalls. Kaj has plenty of experience of Great Britain, having even taken part in - and won - the British Rally Championship.

"A bit like Finland, rallying is really part of the local culture in Britain," added Kaj. "There's always a really enthusiastic crowd of spectators, and wherever we go we get massive support. We'll need it, as these are some of the most difficult stages of the year. If it rains the surfaces just turn into mud and it becomes almost impossibly slippery. Once more, the aim here is simply for us to get to the finish, so this will be the priority. We're here to learn and so we have to get through all the stages."

Kimi and Kaj will also have an opportunity to see some of the famed Welsh countryside this weekend as remote service is in Builth Wells, towards the middle of Wales. Rather than producing rally cars the little town is more famous for producing calves, as service is held inside one the biggest cattle markets in Wales: even bigger than the main street of Cardiff on a Saturday night...

Source: RallyBuzz

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN AND THE CITROËN JUNIOR TEAM, PREVIEW WALES : The end of an era!

With the new World Rally Car regulations coming in for next year, the Citroën C4 WRC will end its career on the Rally Great Britain, the final round of the 2010 FIA World Rally Championship

Dani Sordo/Diego Vallejo and Kimi Räikkönen/Kaj Lindström will represent the Citroën Junior Team, with the aim of sealing third place in the manufacturers’ championship.
Rally Great Britain is the 13th round of the year and one of the iconic events of the World Rally Championship.

It traditionally rounds off the season, although this year both the drivers’ and the manufacturers’ titles have already been decided. But the Citroën Junior Team is still aiming to secure third place in the manufacturers’ title race (which has already been won by the Citroën Total World Rally Team*) while both Dani Sordo and Kimi Räikkönen have the chance to improve their final position in the drivers’ rankings.

Dani Sordo heads into the final rally of the year lying fifth in the championship, having taken five podiums from the last seven events, and the Spaniard is hoping for a strong finish to the season. “This is a particularly difficult rally, but I’ve manage to set some good times there in the past,” he pointed out. “This year, I want to be right in the fight for victory.”

Sordo has ended up with two podiums from his last two participations in the Rally Great Britain. “The weather conditions will play a big part,” he added. “If the roads stay dry, this is going to be an extremely fast rally. If it rains though, the stages will rapidly turn into mud and it will become the most slippery event of the year. We need to get off to a good start, as I’m sure that the pace will be quick from the very beginning. Everyone wants to win the last rally of the year.”

Having scored 21 points, Kimi Räikkönen is currently 10th in the World Championship following the 10 rallies that he has taken part in. The Finn will be back on gravel in Wales: a surface on which he scored points in Jordan, Turkey and Portugal.

"We knew that our first learning year would be a bit like this,” pointed out Kimi. “Like any driver starting off in a completely new discipline that is as specialised as rallying, I’ve had my ups and downs. I imagine that Wales will be no different. We’re going to work hard during the recce. We need to make sure that we set off at a decent pace and then gradually reduce the gap to the frontrunners as the rally goes on. Our rivals will have more experience than us on these roads, although Kaj knows some of the stages. If that means that we can keep making the pace notes in the same way as before, it’s definitely a small bonus.”

The rally route has changed slightly compared to last year. A new superspecial stage (Cardiff Bay) will kick off the action on Thursday night. The first day is a repeat of 2009. But the second day returns to some older stages such as Radnor Forest, which was last used in 1999. On the final day, the Resolfen and Margam Park stages are also slightly modified.

Source: Red Bull Rallye

Brazilian GP preview - Stefano Domenicali

Source: ferrariworld

Sao Paulo from the cockpit - Red Bull previews the Brazilian GP

It’s a track dear to Mark’s heart after his stunning victory there in 2009, while Seb relishes the unique atmosphere and the challenge Sao Paolo presents. Here are the boys’ thoughts ahead of this year’s Brazilian Grand Prix...

Mark Webber: “Brazil is one of the best tracks of the year in terms of the atmosphere. The Brazilians are fully into their motorsports and have had lot of world champions in the past. I obviously have good memories from last year, it was a nice race to win and we will clearly be trying to get another victory this year. It’s now coming to a pivotal stage of the Championship and we need to make the most of every opportunity we can.”

Sebastian Vettel: “There are a lot of positive things about the upcoming event in Brazil. The circuit is fantastic and the spectators are passionate about racing; the atmosphere during a race is great and the city is interesting. The Interlagos track is a challenging one for the drivers because it’s anti-clockwise which, after a season of racing on clockwise circuits, puts a strain on your neck muscles. Also the big bumps are demanding. The circuit requires good aero-efficiency which should suit the RB6 although the long, uphill start-finish straight will give an advantage to the more powerful engines. It’s always a challenging circuit and the weather often plays a part."

Source: Red Bull

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi: Press Preview

Source: ItaliaspeedTV

Kimi's Column: One more year of age and speed

Kimi Rally Catalunya Preview

I had my birthday on Sunday. That means one more year of age – and hopefully some more spped, too. Well, let’s have a try. This weekend it’s time for the Rally Catalunya. Obviously, I don’t know how it goes, but it should suit us better than a couple of last rallies.

Me and my co-driver Kaj Lindstrom are heading there with a good feeling. My learning year will go on as usual, but, generally taken, this should be one of better rallies for me.

I hope it won’t be raining. It would be fantastic finally to get to the good and clean roads with the RedBull Citroen C4 WRC.

This is the same story again, but, for sure, the leaders get their usual advantage having done most of these stages so many times in previous years. But also Kaj has been there before and that should help us a little bit. In the end of the day you cannot use the old pace notes too much, but knowing the roads is a certain bonus where to build on.

We start the rally with the car we left in France, while we had no tests before going to Spain. Sebastien Loeb clinched his title in the last rally, but it doesn’t change that much the situation. Everybody tries to go as hard as they can and it will be tight in the front and will be tight in the group behind them.

The opening day has been changed, while it will be on gravel almost all the first special stages. How big change that is, I can’t tell, but one thing I know: it will give busy time for the engineers and mechanics while we have to change the set-up of the car so totally from gravel to asphalt.

But it won’t be any different driving for me. My target is the same like always: first to get a nice, good rhythm, then to keep the car in one piece all three days and then finish the rally without any major mistakes.

Last couple of rallies have not been that good for us. But it’’s useless to worry too much afterwards. The mistakes have been done and all I can do is to learn from them for the future. I know, sometimes such a minor error can cause on huge waste of time. But it’s up to experience to improve and that’s what I try to do all the time when I race.

Now we focus on this rally in Spain. I have always enjoyed it very much while I was with Formula INe in Barcelona. Let’s hope it will be a nice weekend there with WRC, too.

Source: KIMIRAIKKONEN.COM
Courtesy: _TaniaS_

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN - PREVIEW SPAIN 2010

This weekend, Red Bull driver Kimi Räikkönen will travel from Mexico to Polynesia to China to the Wild West. And he's not even going to leave Spain once

This geographic miracle is made possible by the fact that the Rally de Espana, also known to fans as the Catalunya Rally, is based in the Port Aventura theme park: Europe's answer to the famous Universal Studios in America. All these exotic regions of the world are represented in the park, thanks to stomach-churning rides such as the Grand Canyon Rapids, Furius Baco (the fastest rollercoaster in Europe with a top speed of 135kph) and the Dragon Khan (another rollercoaster, this time featuring eight inversions). Hold onto your paella...

Kimi's rally diet will be equally mixed, because the Rally de Espana takes in both asphalt and gravel surfaces this year. On Friday, the drivers will compete on gravel roads, whereas on Saturday and Sunday the surface will be the more typical fast and flowing asphalt that Spain's round of the World Rally Championship is famous for.

It is often said that the Catalunya Rally is the closest that world rallying comes to circuit racing. Kimi, knows a few things about racing thanks to his 18 Grand Prix wins, does not entirely agree. But like most of the events this year, it will be a brand new experience for the 'ice man'. So what does he think?

"I don't know the rally at all, but the route doesn't look like any race circuit I've ever seen, although I've heard some people say it's similar!" he joked before starting the recce. "This year it's going to be completely different too as the first day is gravel. But I think it's quite nice to have the variety on this event, even though gravel is not our strongest surface. In the end we'll just do our best and try not to make any mistakes, which has been our goal since the start of the year. It should be a very interesting rally that teaches us a lot, but I don't think we should have expectations that are too high. If we can be near the top six then that would be great, but the main is just to get to the end. If you go like crazy on the first day and go off, then you don't learn anything. And that's why I'm here: to learn."

Kaj Lindstrom, the man who reads Kimi his notes, has plenty of experience to pass on in Spain. But as Kaj points out, Kimi has been pretty good at teaching himself too. "Kimi's obviously been used to winning in Formula One all the time, and now in rallying he starts from scratch,'" said the Finn. "It can't be easy, having to go back to basics when you're a World Champion. But I've been really impressed by his attitude. He takes in absolutely everything and if you consider what he's achieved despite his lack of experience, it's pretty impressive. Hopefully Spain will be good for us: Kimi should be more comfortable on the asphalt roads of Saturday and Sunday."

The Rally de Espana is based in the popular tourist resort of Salou, an hour's drive south of Barcelona on the Costa Daurada. While the town is normally famous for buckets, spades and beaches, the coming weekend is going to be a long way from being a holiday for Kimi, Kaj and all the other intrepid Red Bull-backed World Rally Championship crews...

Source: RedBullRallye

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