5-10 th? very very dificult. Just saw the Finland entry list and it is the most competitive of all season: Kankkunen, Ostberg, Kassami, H. Solberg and Wilson in wrc's and then a few dangerous s2000 in the hands of Haninen, Gardmeister, Sandell, Al Attiyah, Tuhino, Kethoma, PG Andersson....

Kimi will have a dificult week end.

[but we all know he' gonna crash trying ;) ]

After so many years following motorsport, you should all know that it's no good to announce your deals too soon. As later as possible and only after mounths of speculation. This is how contracts are made and/or broken.
Towards the end of the season he will announce it.
Even if, as someone said earlier, Kimi seems to be an honest guy, when contracts are involved the PR talk must be very carefully choosen ("don't know yet", ...bla,bla,bla). I'm sure he knows what he's going to do next year, that why he seems very realxed about it.

Yeah, people keep saying that but I just don't see the logic. I understand there are all kinds of reasons - contractual and otherwise - to keep a move to a rival outfit under wraps for as long as possible but I've been, perhaps mistakenly, taking it for granted that Kimi's first choice would be to stay where he is. How is it ever too soon to confirm that an employer and an employee are happy with each other and not looking elsewhere? It's actually not routine to postpone contract extensions until as late as possible. This year in F1, Webber's was announced ages ago and so was Massa's, Toro Rosso's already said they'll keep their current driver lineup etc. In WRC, Ogier is a much bigger fish than Räikkönen will ever be and his contract was announced a week or so ago after only a week or two of speculation. Kimi continuing in WRC barely qualifies as news on a slow news day so there's little point in dragging this out until bloody November, IMO. It's just annoying and unnecessary if The Big Announcement is only going to be what we all 'know' it's going to be. If he announces a switch to DTM instead - well, that would actually be kind of interesting!

Yeah, people keep saying that but I just don't see the logic. I understand there are all kinds of reasons - contractual and otherwise - to keep a move to a rival outfit under wraps for as long as possible but I've been, perhaps mistakenly, taking it for granted that Kimi's first choice would be to stay where he is. How is it ever too soon to confirm that an employer and an employee are happy with each other and not looking elsewhere? It's actually not routine to postpone contract extensions until as late as possible. This year in F1, Webber's was announced ages ago and so was Massa's, Toro Rosso's already said they'll keep their current driver lineup etc. In WRC, Ogier is a much bigger fish than Räikkönen will ever be and his contract was announced a week or so ago after only a week or two of speculation. Kimi continuing in WRC barely qualifies as news on a slow news day so there's little point in dragging this out until bloody November, IMO. It's just annoying and unnecessary if The Big Announcement is only going to be what we all 'know' it's going to be. If he announces a switch to DTM instead - well, that would actually be kind of interesting!

He means that he doesn't know FOR SURE because the papers haven't been signed yet. What the previous poster meant was that he probably has a very good idea what's going on, but NO ONE knows FOR SURE until the papers are signed.

As far as I see it, Kimi's performance in WRC so far, he is NEVER going to be a WRC champion. It seems he has started very late and there are others who are young have done rallies their whole carrier.....those who seem more motivated and determined than he him.
If he ever has to be considered as a potential rally winner he has to improve a lot, which according to his age is slightly more for his asking.

Imo it took a lot of guts and motivation to switch from f1 to wrc.

Kimi's mid-term report

Now that the World Rally Championship season is more than halfway over, we caught up with Finnish star Kimi Raikkonen to see how he rates his progress up to now…

What do you think of your results so far this year?
“I’d say that our results are what we expected; or maybe slightly better than we expected. When we came into this year, we knew that it was not going to be easy and it would take us some time to adapt and of course this has been the case.

If you consider that everyone else has got so much more experience than us and we had not even done five rallies before the start of the year, it’s not too bad.

Sweden was a tricky event for us to start the year with as the grip kept on changing but then we found it a bit more normal on gravel in Mexico. Jordan was a really tricky rally but we were very pleased to take our first points, and then we had Turkey where we finished fifth, which was a great result.

After Turkey we missed Rally New Zealand and then we had Portugal, which was difficult for us because it took a little bit of time to get into the rhythm again. When we went to Bulgaria I had a good feeling on asphalt and if we had not had an accident, then I think we could have been in the top five.”

How about Finland?
“Actually, Finland was the same sort of story as Bulgaria: some good bits and some bad bits. But it would have been top eight and not top five.”

So how many marks would you give yourself out of 10?
“I’m not sure: I would say maybe five? Because some bits have been good and some other bits have been not so good but in the end it was all more or less what I was expecting. OK, maybe we have done a bit better than I was expecting, so I could give myself five and a half or six?”

Making pace notes has been a big challenge. How is that going?
“That’s probably one of the hardest things for me. Even when I was in Formula One I never really liked it when engineers were talking to me over the radio when I was driving the car in the circuit. Now though it is part of the job. There is probably more speed to come from me through improving the pace notes than there is in any other area.”

Rallying is a slightly mad sport. Does it ever scare you?
“No, there is nothing that I am scared of in a rally car: it is just a very different style of driving. In the end you have to trust your co-driver and your pace notes because this is part of the skill of rallying.

Having said that, when you go off on a circuit, you normally go off into a gravel trap or a tyre wall. When you go off in rallying there are trees. There is no room for mistakes, and although I am making a few all the time, this is one of the things that attracts me to rallying. If it was easy, then everybody would do it.”

Have your targets changed at all this year?
“No, not really. I just want to gradually improve and learn everything you need to succeed in rallying. It’s unrealistic to expect much more in your first year as rallying is all about experience.

The chances are that I’m not going to be able to win anything this year but if I could have one or two more results in the top five then that would be really good. But I think it’s going to be tough…”

those who seem more motivated and determined than he him.

1 4 J. LATVALA M A8 2:31:29.6 0 2:31:29.6 0.0 0.0
2 2 S. OGIER M A8 2:31:39.7 0 2:31:39.7 +10.1 +10.1
3 1 S. LOEB M A8 2:31:55.6 0 2:31:55.6 +15.9 +26.0
4 11 P. SOLBERG A8 2:32:00.3 0 2:32:00.3 +4.7 +30.7
5 7 D. SORDO M A8 2:33:14.6 0 2:33:14.6 +1:14.3 +1:45.0
6 5 M. WILSON M A8 2:37:13.3 0 2:37:13.3 +3:58.7 +5:43.7
7 15 M. ÖSTBERG A8 2:37:20.4 0 2:37:20.4 +7.1 +5:50.8
8 12 J. KANKKUNEN A8 2:39:08.6 10 2:39:18.6 +1:58.2 +7:49.0
9 51 J. HÄNNINEN S N4 2:40:34.6 0 2:40:34.6 +1:16.0 +9:05.0
10 53 P. ANDERSSON S N4 2:41:45.3 0 2:41:45.3 +1:10.7 +10:15.7
11 24 P. SANDELL S N4 2:42:04.6 0 2:42:04.6 +19.3 +10:35.0
12 62 T. GARDEMEISTER N4 2:42:21.8 0 2:42:21.8 +17.2 +10:52.2
13 21 M. PROKOP S N4 2:44:41.8 0 2:44:41.8 +2:20.0 +13:12.2
14 17 M. THERMAN A8 2:45:21.0 0 2:45:21.0 +39.2 +13:51.4
15 66 M. KAKKO N4 2:46:10.1 0 2:46:10.1 +49.1 +14:40.5
16 23 M. KOSCIUSZKO S N4 2:46:29.7 0 2:46:29.7 +19.6 +15:00.1
17 27 J. TUOHINO S N4 2:44:44.3 2:00 2:46:44.3 +14.6 +15:14.7
18 40 O. TÄNAK P N4 2:46:50.5 0 2:46:50.5 +6.2 +15:20.9
19 67 C. BREEN N4 2:47:16.6 0 2:47:16.6 +26.1 +15:47.0
20 50 J. KETOMÄKI P N4 2:48:18.8 0 2:48:18.8 +1:02.2 +16:49.2
21 38 H. PADDON P N4 2:49:56.5 0 2:49:56.5 +1:37.7 +18:26.9
22 73 A. NEIKSANS N4 2:50:05.0 0 2:50:05.0 +8.5 +18:35.4
23 68 R. KRESTA N4 2:50:12.8 0 2:50:12.8 +7.8 +18:43.2
24 46 A. GRONDAL P N4 2:51:25.8 20 2:51:45.8 +1:33.0 +20:16.2
25 8 K. RÄIKKÖNEN M A8 2:50:54.9 3:50 2:54:44.9 +2:59.1 +23:15.3
26 71 M. ESKELINEN N4 2:56:21.8 0 2:56:21.8 +1:36.9 +24:52.2
27 79 P. LEHTOVIRTA N4 2:56:51.1 10 2:57:01.1 +39.3 +25:31.5
28 39 A. RASCHI P N4 2:57:03.6 0 2:57:03.6 +2.5 +25:34.0
29 22 N. AL-ATTIYAH S N4 2:57:50.1 0 2:57:50.1 +46.5 +26:20.5
30 34 M. SEMERAD P N4 2:58:26.7 0 2:58:26.7 +36.6 +26:57.1

1. S. LOEB 18 25 25 25 15 18 25 15 166
2. S. OGIER 10 15 8 12 18 25 12 18 118
3. J. LATVALA 15 10 18 4 25 R 8 25 105
4. P. SOLBERG 2 18 15 18 R 10 15 12 90
5. M. HIRVONEN 25 12 0 15 12 12 10 R 86
6. D. SORDO 12 0 12 R 10 15 18 10 77
7. M. WILSON 6 0 10 6 8 8 2 8 48
8. F. VILLAGRA - 6 6 8 2 4 - - 26
9. H. SOLBERG 8 8 2 0 6 R 1 R 25
10. M. OSTBERG 4 - - - 0 6 - 6 16
11. K. RAIKKONEN 0 0 4 10 - 1 0 0 15
12. P. ANDERSSON 1 - 0 - - 0 6 1 8

http://www.wrc.com/results/2010/neste-oil-.../final-results/



25th in a WRC C4.

http://www.wrc.com/results/2010/championship-standings/



11th overall. In a C4 that is 1st, 2nd and 6th.

It's going to take a LOOOOOOOOONG time for Kimi to get anywhere near the podium and in the mean time his stock is going to drop. By the time he's got his pace notes sorted out will he have the same crowd pulling capacity as he currently does?

Take a look at some former WRC champions ' beginning years.

http://www.wrc.com/results/2010/neste-oil-.../final-results/



It's going to take a LOOOOOOOOONG time for Kimi to get anywhere near the podium and in the mean time his stock is going to drop. By the time he's got his pace notes sorted out will he have the same crowd pulling capacity as he currently does?

So you think he is doing worse than he expected he would? How could anyone expect to do better than he is their first year in rally while racing against people Loeb? I just don't understand what you are getting at? I think he is both loving rally and doing at least as well as he could have ever expected to. I'll go so far as to surmise that he is probably more likely to continue to do rally than ever.

If it's that you think he is going to lose his Citroen well (a) I think that's crazy idea because he is the biggest thing to happen to WRC since Loeb and this is not going to evaporate to nothing within a couple years -- I think he is Citroen's 3rd favorite driver and Loeb will be retiring way before Kimi (b) even if he did it seems irrelevant as the Fords are looking extremely good for next year and may even be the favorites so it's not as if not driving in Citroen Junior team anymore would change anything as far as whether or not he continues with rally anyway.

DrF thinks Kimi reads his posts, and so he'll make a comeback in F1.
Back to reality please.

Yes, usually in national championship events, driving Group N cars, then moving up to Group A, perhaps then in the Junior WRC or the Production WRC for a couple of years. Then maybe a few runs in the WRC proper.

Only Kimi gets a free pass straight into WRC at the highest level.

No one in their first year in rally should be racing against people like Loeb. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I'm enough of a realist to appreciate that Räikkönen crashing into stuff in WRC sells more piss in a can energy drink than Räikkönen driving sensibly within his limits and finishing 7th in a Finnish rally championship event ever could but, at the same time, I kind of wonder if that off-the-deep-end/sink-or-swim approach really is the best way to go about developing as a rally driver. I know it wouldn't be for me but we're all different.

I think it's possible that the deal really hasn't been sorted out yet between Citroen, Red Bull and Kimi for 2011. Even Dani Sordo, who supposedly will be driving for the Citroen Junior team next year has not signed a deal yet. Olivier Quesnel (Citroen team boss) has said that the budget for the Citroen Junior team has yet to be finalized. I'm sure Red Bull's sponsorship of Kimi does in fact have some contribution to the Junior team's budget and maybe there's some negotiations going on about how much Red Bull is going to be paying the Junior team.

I've also heard some rumors about Citroen being unsure or uneasy about whether they will be able to produce enough DS3s for next year and at the rate Kimi is crashing them, they are probably going to need several more than they usually build. This is just my speculation, but maybe there's still ongoing negotiations about how many DS3s Citroen can build, how much money Red Bull is going to pay, and how many cars they think Kimi is going to crash.

I don't think it's really as easy as Kimi deciding when he wants to announce signing the contract, I think there may be some financial and logistical issues that need to be sorted out first and that takes some time. Of course, this is all assuming that Kimi is actually continuing in WRC. The other possibility is that he is holding out for an F1 deal and that usually takes to the end of the season to sort out.

10. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +6,4
10. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +23,6
10. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +56,1
9. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +1.05,1
8. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +1.31,6
8. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +2.04,7
8. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +2.15,6
8. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +2.46,3
8. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +2.55,6
8. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +3.15,8
8. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +3.18,2

Then Kimi gets one wrong note and goes into a deep ditch. He loses two tyres and his front bumper when trying to get back on the road and he has only one spare tyre. Three stages left before service and he could have easily left it there but no. He takes it slow and drives three stages with practically 3 tyres and without a front bumper which explains his position dropping during the next 3 stages.

32. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +13.14,0
34. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +19.50,7
40. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +20.35,0

Service break - tyres changed and new front bumper.

36. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +21.21,5
31. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +21.50,9
31. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +22.15,6
29. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +22.43,4
25. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen +23.15,3

So this is another way of looking at the list where he was 25th considering that he was 40th at some point before that.

Kimi was often faster than Juha Kankkunen who is a 4-time World Champion in WRC and who drove on his home roads, heck he even passed his own power plant during some stage and also his own estates. He knows every rock and stump on those stages.

I really can't see how you think that Kimi is doing poorly there? Compared to who? Loeb?

Because all of them have rallied for years in other series and know how to make pace notes and how to listen to them. According to Tommi Mäkinen Kimi knows how to drive, once he gets used to the pace notes it should be quite easy for him.

Where was Mikko Hirvonen on that very same list?

Have you ever seen this F1-driver rallying, Derek Bell?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFkbYacqrZM

Kimi sounds to me a bit like a playboy sponsored by Red Bull

Point taken, he recovered well and crashing is part of learning.

Bur how long does he have?

Kimi's stated that he doesn't want to drive an F1 car unless it's for a top team for podiums, yet he's prepared to struggle in a championship-capable WRC car. I just wonder how long he's prepared to spend learning pace notes and how long the likes of Citroen and Red Bull are prepared to sponsor him. It's a huge gamble and I hope he can get to grips with the pace notes because after 2011 there will be no F1 option and if he doesn't succeed in WRC after that he is going to lose his appeal. I don't want that to happen, even if he does.

I feel he was chased away from F1 by Ferrari and the sport is poorer for it, I just hope he does as well in WRC as he could have done if he'd stayed in F1.

Kimi sounds to me a bit like a playboy sponsored by Red Bull

And Santander!

He works a bit harder than your average playboy, he's done plenty of extra events besides the WRC, which is gruelling enough.

This season nobody expects anything from him which is reasonable and understandable. No pressure at all. He was even expected to crash majorly in Finland and not bring the car to the finish line - by Citroen's boss himself ;)

If you think about how he came to F1, unexperienced without a superlicense and all and all he did pretty well in F1.

Jean Todt said on Friday that not Jenson Button and not the one who wins the WDC this year would be able to achieve the level Kimi has achieved this year.

The thing that frustrates Kimi the most is that he can't yet drive flat-out, he is forced to keep the pace slow so that he gets used to listening to pace notes.

The other guys who come to WRC have been rallying for years and most certainly crashed several times in a year.

So he is this season only collecting experience and one thing that should be remembered is that those top guys there have rallied those routes during the earlier years so they are way ahead of him. But the one thing Kimi has going for him is his ability to memorise tracks so I think/hope that he will continue in rally since personally I think he has the talent for it. He could have easily crashed in every rally but so far the only place where he didn't manage to bring the car to the finish line was in Mexico.

And he was 2nd in Rally della Lanterna, it was a battle of 2-3 seconds with Ogier in the end and the other guys there had drove there hundreds of times.

If you remember what Kimi was like in F1, when Stella spoke to him he said 'don't talk to me in the middle of the corner' so he has to learn a completely different style now and for a real rookie he is doing pretty well.

It would be a completely different thing if he would have rallied for several years in the lower serie.

I don't know how people see it to be honest? In Finland rally people give applauds for those who crash - not because they are gloating - because it's a sign of driving flat-out. Mikko Hirvonen has been critisised by his own manager for not being courageous enough to take that 'perkele-gear' into use. It means crashing but it also means driving on the limit.

And the rally people here have very few idols, 4-5, and they are not even all Finnish. One rally-driver drove straight into Finns hearts the first time he drove in Jyväskylä - Colin McRae - people adored and admired him for not giving up, taking risks and crashing, he was immediately number one in Finns' hearts.

We used to call him Kilin-Colin (kilin-kolin is Finnish and means that some parts are loose and make a noise like 'kilinkolin') and Colin's car always had loose parts in his car - hence the nickname that was given out of love.

For some reason Kimi drove into Finns hearts last summer and it was a huge thing since the rally fans in Finland are very demanding. They cheered most for Juha Kankkunen and Kimi Räikkönen and methinks they see Kimi as a future rally-talent.

As a matter of fact I would be very worried if Kimi would stay on the road all the time. In rally you learn only by making mistakes.

And there's also another thing. This first season Kimi has been improving his speed all the time so his curve is progressive when it comes to speed.

And Finland's rally is the most dangerous and fastest rally in the world according to drivers and experts so him bringing in the car was a miracle to say the least.

Kimi obviously doesn't give one shite what anyone thinks he should do. He is not out to please anyone, he is out to have fun and do what HE wants. The man has his priorities straight is all I can say. Wow, his life must be rough. Smoking hot wife, beautiful homes, enough Euros to fill the pool at EACH of his houses, Enzo in the garage, bikes too, and the hard decision of "dirt of Tarmac." yeah miserable life......

I'm sure he is on here right now waiting for every nuggett of advice we can give him.

Anyone who doesn't envy at least a part of that was dropped by the doc at birth.....

He doesn't even need to be driving in the WRC this year, or even driving anything at all. He could have just sat on his arse and collected 17 mil this year.

Its hardly a job though, there's loads of people that would like to be paid to thrash a WRC around

Kimi obviously doesn't give one shite what anyone thinks he should do. He is not out to please anyone, he is out to have fun and do what HE wants. The man has his priorities straight is all I can say. Wow, his life must be rough. Smoking hot wife, beautiful homes, enough Euros to fill the pool at EACH of his houses, Enzo in the garage, bikes too, and the hard decision of "dirt of Tarmac." yeah miserable life......

I'm sure he is on here right now waiting for every nuggett of advice we can give him.


Anyone who doesn't envy at least a part of that was dropped by the doc at birth.....

If you remember what Kimi was like in F1, when Stella spoke to him he said 'don't talk to me in the middle of the corner' so he has to learn a completely different style now

Is it still because of he's a Finn or maybe because he is a former F1 champion?

Nope. It is because he is undeserving of a WRC seat at that level, at least until he gets more experience and proves himself. I cannot recall ANYONE - Finnish or otherwise - who has ever been given a works rally seat on the basis of just 2 or 3 rally outings. So why does this guy merit such special attention?

So how many marks would you give yourself out of 10?
“I’m not sure: I would say maybe five? Because some bits have been good and some other bits have been not so good but in the end it was all more or less what I was expecting. OK, maybe we have done a bit better than I was expecting, so I could give myself five and a half or six?”

Neither can I recall but just for the sake of comparison, let's take K. AL QASSIMI for example. He has been rallying since 2004 and has been in WRC since 2007 driving a WRC-car.

Championship standings so far this season:

11. K. RÄIKKÖNEN (15 points)
19. K. AL QASSIMI (2 points)

Which one deserves the seat better in your opinion?

LOL

That's another way to look at it too

But hey, kick out that brat Kimi from WRC, what is he doing there anyway????

Somebody posted here (??) a while ago an interesting statistics concerning WRS´s sites. There is more viewers this season in a month than there was as total last season.

At least "this guy" isn´t ruining their product ?

it's the only reason Ive been keeping an eye on it, and I've never been into rally, or even kimi. I think it's also about the age old question of which series are the better drivers. But yeah you would have to be pissed if u were an up n coming rally driver looking for a seat to have an f1 dude nick it.

Neither can I recall but just for the sake of comparison, let's take K. AL QASSIMI for example. He has been rallying since 2004 and has been in WRC since 2007 driving a WRC-car.

Championship standings so far this season:

11. K. RÄIKKÖNEN (15 points)
19. K. AL QASSIMI (2 points)

Which one deserves the seat better in your opinion?

But you make it sound like he is crashing all the time?

Sweden: No damage to the car
Mexico: car damaged
Jordania: no damage to the car
Turkey: no damage to the car
Portugal: no damage to the car
Rally della lanterna: no damage to the car
Finland: damage to the front bumper

The only rally he didn't finish was Mexico.

(Bulgaria I honestly don't remember???)

You make it sound like Raikkonen is collecting a great salary just for thrashing a Red Bull sponsored WRC car around an empty car park all year.

Neither can I recall but just for the sake of comparison, let's take K. AL QASSIMI for example. He has been rallying since 2004 and has been in WRC since 2007 driving a WRC-car.

Championship standings so far this season:

11. K. RÄIKKÖNEN (15 points)
19. K. AL QASSIMI (2 points)

Which one deserves the seat better in your opinion?

He's been crashing yes, he's been sometimes behind other WRC drivers in pace yes. The most important thing is that he's shown glimpses of speed that no one can disregard, like on the stage in Bulgaria where he eventually crashed he was the faster that Loeb on the first few splits before slowing a bit and crashing. I don't think there are many drivers who can do that pace on the same day in the same car as Loeb.

Todt praised rally driver Räikkönen

Turun Sanomat 30.7 2010 00:57:33

You know Räikkönen well. How realistic is it to expect him to become a champion in WRC too?

– It's a theoretical question. Kimi is a WDC in F1 but F1 and WRC are two completely different racing series. It's the same if you would ask me how realistic it would be if Usain Bolt would win the championship in maraton and 100 meters. Maybe Bolt could win, I don't know, but I can say as little about Kimi too, Todt told TS.

– Kimi is talented and very committed race driver. He is an extremely brave guy. When Kimi wanted a new challenge he was brave enough to go and look for it in rally. F1 is constant pressure and I understand well why Kimi wanted to do something else.

– Kimi has already achieved a certain level as a rally driver. I can say this: If Jenson Button or whoever who wins the WDC in F1 this year would go to rally he wouldn't achieve the same level as Kimi has during his first season, Todt specified.

Turun Sanomat, Jyväskylä

HEIKKI KULTA

Rally-Kimi has learned a lot

Turun Sanomat 30.7 2010 01:05:34

Kimi Räikkönen was so busy on Thursday that this interview we had agreed was moved more and more later until 50 minutes before the SS1 Kimi had time to answer to a few questions.

If I write that you drive rally in 2011, is it wrong information?

– To be honest I don't know yet, Kimi said.

How much better as a rally driver are you now if you compare to the rookie who started from here a year ago?

– At least I have learned a lot. I learned a lot during the beginning of the season but there is a huge amount to learn.

Experts see that Räikkönen drives Red Bull Citroen like a F1-driver. Kimi takes the car in a straight line concentrating on the front and doesn't let the rear slide like you could do with a rally car.

Do you still think when driving that you driver like a F1-driver?

– I guess my thinking has changed a bit. It's hard to say because I have learned so much. I guess this is a different starting point, Räikkönen thought.

What has been the most difficult thing to adapt to?

– Everything is new. Of course notes are the most difficult to learn. I make them and listen. Sometimes I just put a little more effort into driving and don't hear them and have to ask for them again. Many of my mistakes are due to me not listening carefully enough to the note. It's the most difficult thing because it doesn't happen automatically, Räikkönen said.

What do you expect from this rally?

– I hope it will become a good rally and that I don't make any stupid mistakes. If I'm one second per km behind the lead, then I'm satisfied. It helps a bit that we have notes from last year.

Gravel is the real element for the Finnish rally stars but for Räikkönen it seems that tarmac is a more natural surface.

– I have drove on tarmac all my life, that's why. I expect more of me on gravel too but since I haven't had many rallies my driving style is a bit different. In rally experience means more than it means in F1. If you make a small mistake in rally it costs a lot. In F1 you usually get back on the track through the safety-area.

Turun Sanomat, Jyväskylä

HEIKKI KULTA

Kimi had the first note curse.

Kimi Räikkönen's learning year in the rally world has been as thorny as expected since experience has to be found through making mistakes.

On the second try in Rally Finland Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström got to the finish line, as was the goal. But them main aim of a flawless performance, which would also have been a birthday present for the now 41-year-old co-driver, was not achieved.

After Friday Räikkönen charged himself for a tough battle against Juha Kankkunen but already on the first special stage of the morning, Kolonkulma, the former F1 star got into trouble. The Citroen slid into a deep ditch and couldn't get out. The front bumper was left on the side of the road and the tyres on the driver's side peeled off their rims.

-We just came too fast to a slow corner turning to the right. The car fell into a ditch and wouldn't come up on it's own. We tried to get up by accelerating and while doing that the front broke on the side of the ditch. We got help from the spectators and eventually we were back on the road, Lindström explained.

-We only had one spare tyre and we had to wonder how to get one tyre back on it's rim so that the air would stay in. Then we just drove peacefully, Räikkönen told.

In the final results Räikkönen was 25th 23 minutes behind winner Jari-Matti Latvala.

The first note has it's risks

While the Citroen was lying hopelessly torn in the service area, Tommi Mäkinen went to hear what his friends had been up to.

-It's typical that the mistake happened on the special stage for which Kimi made the pace notes first. It just goes to show how extremely difficult it is to make pace notes. That's the biggest problem and challenge when compared to driving F1, said Mäkinen.

Lindström explained what the first stage pace note problem means.

-When the rally goes on and you gain experience you start to check the first note during that day and the next day. You just try to make it more accurate and therefore the risks are highest on the first stage. The same thing happened to Tommi sometimes, the note for the first stage was a bit less accurate than for the others.

-Kimi was concentrated but mistakes just happen. The needed experience only comes this way, Lindström thought.

For Räikkönen driving to the finish line was like putting money on a high-interest savings account.

-It's good that we managed to drive through all the stages. If Kimi continues with rally in the future he will benefit a lot from driving the whole rally in Jyväskylä with this car and on race speed, Lindström reminded.

No bullseye stage

The experienced co-driver estimates that only two stages went badly: Myhinpää on the first time on Friday and then Kolonkulma on Saturday morning.

But what about Räikkönen himself – how many stages went well?

-Probably none of them were such that I'd be really pleased with them. When you're driving you always notice that you could be going a lot faster.

Räikkönen fully enjoyed his home race.

-It's one of the sweetest rallies. It's well organized and the feeling among the spectators is different than in a lot of the other places. Rally is popular in Finland. People sit next to the stages from six in the morning and everybody has flags waving and it shows that people are rally fans here, Räikkönen praised.

Information in a completely different way

Mäkinen denied being Räikkönen's mentor.

-I'm not involved in Kimi's racing. He has the Citroen team with him.

Mäkinen emphasized that Räikkönen doesn't have to learn the actual driving.

-You learn to drive a car by practicing. With Kimi the problem is that when driving on a circuit he was able to memorize every spot by heart. In rally there's information coming in all the time and it's coming through a different route, through the ears when the co-driver is reading the pace notes.

-You have to learn to utilise that and it's from a different world than anything else in the motorsport world, even realizing how much time it takes. It is taking time but Kimi's ability to make the notes is improving all the time, Mäkinen emphasized.

Turun Sanomat, Jyväskylä

HEIKKI KULTA

(31.7.2010)