Ogier - Kimi Raikkonen

Ogier expects Raikkonen to prove his ability in rally

Posted on 5/1/2011, 18:50 by: Ice Lady87

Ogier expects Raikkonen to prove his ability in rally

Turun Sanomat 4.1 2011 22:36:25

A confirmation of Kimi Räikkönen continuing in WRC in 2011 can be expected in mid-january. This year the Finnish driver does not start his season in Tunturi-ralli nor does he start it in Monte Carlo either, he will start directly from the opening rally in Sweden, 10-13. February.

The contract has not yet been made. Räikkönen's family has been hit by a hard sorrow after Matti Räikkönen passed away in a sudden illness attack just before Christmas. Last year Raikkonen drove in Citroen team mostly as Sebastien Ogier's team mate.

Ogier sees Räikkönen continuing his rally career as a very logical solution.

- If Kimi wants to prove his abilities in rally also, then he must continue in WRC. One can't draw any conclusions based on only one year in rallying, Ogier pointed out.

Ogier was very supportive of Räikkönen's difficulties during his debut season.

- It would be difficult for any top driver to jump right into the WRC-serie without any rallying experience. The competitive level of the serie is very hard. Of course Kimi made a bunch of mistakes but I remember myself making big mistakes during my first season - although I however was born as a rally driver.

- It will be good for Kimi to continue in the WRC-serie so that he is able to gather more better results as his experience grows, Ogier says.

The French driver himself puts down the expectations his supporters have of him fighting for the championship during this year.

- My long-term goal is to win the championship. There is no rush yet.This year I would like to develop into an even better rally driver and of course collect better results. Loeb is the toughest possible teammate whom everyone wants to win - just like I do too, Ogier said.

Last year Dani Sordo was ranked before Raikkonen and he has now switched from Citroen to Prodrive and will drive a Mini together with Kris Meeke.

Petter Solberg who drove an even stronger season than Sordo, his rallying career is ending. The Norwegian's situation describes in a harsh way today's situation in rally series when there no longer is a car to be found for a world champion.

Turun Sanomat

Tags:: kimifuture,; Ogier

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Last Post by: Ice Lady87 (5/1/2011, 18:50)

Rally of Germany: Sunday results

Posted on 22/8/2010, 19:16 by: Ice Lady87

Loeb remains unbeaten in Germany

By Matt Beer Sunday

Sebastien Loeb stretched his astounding unbeaten run in Rally Germany by winning the event for an eighth time with another dominant performance.

Citroen driver Loeb was never headed this weekend, pulling out an ever-increasing lead over his team-mate Dani Sordo before eventually triumphing by 51 seconds. Loeb's fifth win of 2010 extends his championship lead to 58 points with four rallies to go, meaning he could clinch his seventh consecutive title in Japan next month.

Sordo was satisfied with second place on his return to the factory team, particularly as he was in his first rally with new co-driver Diego Vallejo. He had kept Loeb within sight until the Frenchman's blistering performance on the Saturday morning run through the 48-kilometre Panzerplatte stage built a secure lead.

"A very good victory for me again - the eighth one in a row," said Loeb. "It's incredible, I really have a good feeling on this rally. I wouldn't like to be beaten here, and this time it's all okay again."

Contesting the event in WRC machinery for the first time, Sebastien Ogier (Citroen Junior) made a quiet start before taking fourth from Mikko Hirvonen and then closing on Jari-Matti Latvala - taking third when the Finn spun on Panzerplatte.

Latvala went on to secure fourth, scant consolation for Ford on a weekend that saw transmission problems on both Saturday and Sunday forcing Hirvonen to retire, Ken Block's Monster Ford suffering a broken alternator on a road section, and returnee Francois Duval crashing his Stobart Ford heavily on Panzerplatte while running fifth.

Petter Solberg would have featured in the podium fight had he not lost several minutes to two damaged tyres on Friday. He took five stage victories as he fought back to fifth place.

The closest battle ended up being between Matthew Wilson and Kimi Raikkonen for sixth. The Stobart Ford driver slipped ahead of the Citroen Junior man when Raikkonen made some small errors on Sunday morning, and then held the position despite the Finn winning the rally-closing superspecial.

S2000 featured a spectacular three-way, weekend-long dice between Patrik Sandell, Martin Prokop and P-G Andersson. After the latter damaged a wheel with a heavy landing this morning, Sandell managed to beat Prokop to the class win by just 4.7s....

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Tags:: Citroen,; GermanyRally,; Loeb,; Ogier,; Sordo,; Wilson

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Last Post by: Ice Lady87 (22/8/2010, 19:16)

Team boss's goal for Räikkönen: No mistakes

Posted on 14/8/2010, 21:09 by: Ice Lady87

Team boss's goal for Räikkönen: No mistakes

Citroen's junior team will go to Rally Germany with a confident mind since in the last tarmac rally in Bulgaria both Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Ogier were in excellent speed.

-Everyone in our team has good memories from our trip to Bulgaria. Kimi has so incredibly much to learn this year but in his first WRC tarmac rally he showed his abilities and Sebastien was also very competitive, chief of the junior team Benoit Nogier praised.

-But Rally Bulgaria was new for everyone. In Germany we will be against drivers who have a lot of experience of the circumstances. So we've given our drivers a goal of not making any mistakes, Nogier continued.

Räikkönen drives in Germany for the first time and Ogier hasn't driven the special stages with a WRC car yet either. When the German WRC rally was driven the previous time two years ago, Ogier won the juniors' WRC race with Citroen's Super 1600 car.

(MTV3)
Source: www.mtv3.fi/urheilu/ralli/uutiset.s...2010/08/1170538

Tags:: Citroen,; GermanyRally,; Ogier

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Last Post by: Ice Lady87 (14/8/2010, 21:09)

Sebastien Ogier and Kimi Raikkonen head to Rallye Deutschland

Posted on 14/8/2010, 14:33 by: Ice Lady87

Sebastien Ogier and Kimi Raikkonen head to Rallye Deutschland
Kimi Raikkonen returns to his favourite surface for Rallye Deutschland

The Rallye Deutschland, the second asphalt round of this season, has been eagerly awaited by the Citroën Junior Team. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia make a return to the *** No swearing *** of the number 7 C4 WRC and their aim is to consolidate the potential that they showed in Bulgaria. Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström, who naturally feel comfortable on asphalt, have exactly the same objective.

After a very encouraging performance in Bulgaria, the Citroën Junior Team is hoping to do even better on a rally that contains quite different types of asphalt.

“Everyone in the team has very good memories of our trip to Bulgaria,” commented team manager Benoit Nogier. “Kimi, who had so much to learn this year, showed just what he is capable of on his first asphalt World Championship Rally and Sébastien was very competitive too. However, the Rally Bulgaria was new for everyone. In Germany, we will be up against drivers with plenty of experience of the terrain. So the objective we have fixed for our drivers is not to make any mistakes. I’m sure that our C4 WRCs are capable of some excellent results.”

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia are currently second in the World Rally Championship for drivers after eight of 13 rounds and they are contesting the Rallye Deutschland for the second time. Their first time in Germany dates from the 2008 season, when they claimed victory in the Junior World Rally Championship classification, driving a Citroën C2 Super 1600.

“Things will be completely different at the wheel of the C4 WRC” said Sébastien. “ The route in Germany is very specialised, with one stage in particular that stands out. On Saturday we will drive a stage that is nearly 50 kilometres long twice, on a military range, and that is really going to separate the men from the boys. Generally speaking, one characteristic of the rally is several grip changes. It’s important to make a good set of pace notes and work well with your safety crew. The goal is to try and get to the end without making mistakes, hopefully coming close to the pace of Sebastien Loeb – who is definitely the man to beat in Germany!”

Kimi Räikkönen has been comfortable with the Citroën C4 WRC on asphalt since he first drove it, and now he will have a new playing field on the challenging stages that run along the shores of the Mosel Rive...

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Tags:: GermanyRally,; Ogier,; WRC

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Last Post by: Ice Lady87 (14/8/2010, 14:33)

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