Kimi Raikkonen

Rally of Sweden: Räikkönen's shakedown began through the snowbank

Posted on 10/2/2011, 14:45 by: Ice Lady87

Rally of Sweden: Räikkönen's shakedown began through the snowbank

Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström visited a snow bank with the new Citroën DS3 WRC car at the beginning of the first shakedown period during the weekend of Rally Sweden in the World Rally Championship season.

- Whenever there is a new car, there is a little bit of experimenting, Lindstrom acknowledged the situation.

Räikkönen likes Sweden's snowy challenge although the snowfall on Thursday put to the test the new tires and the studs.

- The tyres are suffering from that amount of snow. When it is snowing, the new tires seem to be quite difficult. When you go over even a little bit of snow, there's no grip and the car is like aquaplaning, Raikkonen thought.

Räikkönen did not have any worries from his lack of preparation for the season.

- There was no plans from last season on how to prepare. We had time to test on one day, and even then not quite the whole day, because the engine blew up. Because the engine had apparently been run in all the tests they had done.

Räikkönen is now the boss of his own racing team, ICE1 Racing.

– The team is the same even though the name is different and the car is new. Nothing else has changed. If I wanted to drive, it was better to develop something. This option was the easiest, Raikkonen explained.

What about the new car, the Citroën DS3 WRC?

- From what I have gotten to drive, it feels pretty good. It has a Super 2000-style, it feels lighter and turns more quickly.

Raikkonen did not promise any results?

It is being driven and considered. We'll see how it goes, Räikkönen acknowledged.

FINAL OFFICIAL RESULTS AFTER ALL SHAKEDOWN RUNS

1. Henning Solberg Ford 2.02,5
2. Mikko Hirvonen Ford 2.02,6
3. Petter Solberg Citroen 2.02,7
4. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 2.02,8
5. Jari-Matti Latvala Ford 2.03,2
6. P-G Andersson Ford 2.03,4
7. Mads Östberg Ford 2.03,9
8. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen 2.04,5
9. Sebastien Ogier Citroen 2.05,3
10. Eyvind Brynildsen Skoda 2.08,6 (S2000)

Tags:: SwedenRally

Comments: 0 | Views: 93

Last Post by: Ice Lady87 (10/2/2011, 14:45)

Kimi Raikkonen's car arrives in Sweden

Posted on 7/2/2011, 19:28 by: Ice Lady87

Kimi Raikkonen's car arrives in Sweden: http://bit.ly/fm9azD Wishing Robert Kubica a speedy recovery n kimi to do well in Rally Sweden
(Source: Ice1Racing Team Twitter)

Tags:: SwedenRally

Comments: 0 | Views: 39

Last Post by: Ice Lady87 (7/2/2011, 19:28)

Raikkonen and Solberg: article about Swedish test

Posted on 4/2/2011, 13:04 by: Ice Lady87

Source: www.wrc.com/drivers-and-teams/teams/ice-1-racing/?teamid=2

Tags:: 2011,; Solberg,; test

Comments: 0 | Views: 54

Last Post by: Ice Lady87 (4/2/2011, 13:04)

Citroen Winter Testing

Posted on 28/1/2011, 21:29 by: Ice Lady87

Tags:: 2011

Comments: 0 | Views: 44

Last Post by: Ice Lady87 (28/1/2011, 21:29)

Kaj Lindström tells that the duo gets to test the car at the end of January

Posted on 22/1/2011, 18:41 by: Ice Lady87

Kaj Lindström tells that the duo gets to test the car at the end of this month.

Lindström hopes that the starting season would go easier on every level. According to him it still isn't easy for Kimi to drive rally although he has one full WRC-season behind him.

- If we are talking about the outside quarters and media, the expectation-level was more like an utopy. One has to remember that the genres are so different. On the other hand Kimi would have made all the WRC-drivers laughing stocks if he would have done well there during his first year and achieved great results, Lindström says.

- I think he drove very well when looking at his driving experience. We knew that mistakes would happen. We did those mistakes under a magnifying glass. It was easy to pick on them and gloat at them. All and all it was a learning year and there were some good achievements too but then again driving off and retirements also happened during the year.

- We knew during December how we would continue. It was finetuning of the contracts and other things that take time. Of course some uncomfortable things happened before Christmas. At that point it was meant that we would tell about it only at this point.

- The situation is the same for everybody. The cars change a bit technically and they get new cages. They are a little lighter and clearly smaller from the outside and the distance of the axle is also smaller. Technically they have gone more towards a mechanical car compared to the old WRC-car.

- We will start driving our second season. It means that we still try to improve our skills on every level and go forward. The pace will get faster through that. I think that when you drive for the second year the amount of mistakes also drops. If you drive in a clean way then the results will come through that but let's not start building any huge expectations. Just take it rally by rally.

http://yle.fi/urheilu/lajit/moottoriurheil..._medium=twitter

Tags:: 2011,; Lindstrom

Comments: 0 | Views: 66

Last Post by: Ice Lady87 (22/1/2011, 18:41)

Kimi staying put

Posted on 21/1/2011, 21:13 by: Ice Lady87

Kimi staying put
January 20, 2011 by joesaward

Citroën has been running two teams in the World Rally Championship in recent years: the Citroën Total World Rally Team, which features multiple World Champion Sébastien Loeb and, until recently Dani Sordo, and the Citroën Junior Team, which in 2010 was sponsored by Red Bull and featured drivers Sébastien Ogier and former F1 driver Kimi Räikkönen. This year Ogier has moved up to partner Loeb, Sordo has joined Mini and the Junior Team is being discontinued – at least in name. It seems that the team will continue to exist, under the management of Benoit Nogier. The difference is that the cars will be leased to private operations, although the preparation and rally operations will be undertaken by the team, which has thus become a commercial enterprise, rather than a secondary factory team.

There will still be four cars running out of the team’s headquarters in Satory, near Versailles, but two will be customer cars. One of these will be run for Dutchman Peter van Merksteijn Jr under the Van Merksteijn Motorsport banner and the other will be for Kimi Räikkönen, who will compete under the new ICE 1 Racing WRC Team, which is funded by sponsors. It is expected that both cars will be seen in 10 of the 13 WRC events. Norway’s Petter Solberg was hoping to be involved but it seems that he will continue to run his own operation as and when he can.

There was never much doubt that Räikkönen would stay in the World Rally Championship in 2011, having started down a new career path in 2010, after an unhappy time at Ferrari in 2008 and 2009, which followed his World Championship title with the team in 2007.

The monosyllabic Finn says that he will not rule out a return to Formula 1 one day, but added that if he had missed F1 he would have returned but found that he did not miss it all.
http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/kimi-staying-put/

Tags:: 2011

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Last Post by: Ice Lady87 (21/1/2011, 21:13)

Raikkonen to keep rallying with own team in 2011

Posted on 12/1/2011, 20:33 by: Ice Lady87

Raikkonen to keep rallying with own team in 2011
Racing series WRC F1
Date 2011-01-12

By Motorsport.com/GMM

Kimi Raikkonen has ended speculation about his motor racing career by signing up for another season of the world rally championship (WRC).

After talks about a possible return to F1 broke down, and then the death of his father Matti two days before Christmas, rumours had suggested F1's 2007 world champion might hang up his helmet.

Having made his debut with Citroen's junior team in 2010, the 31-year-old Finn has now formed his own team called ICE 1 Racing to run a Citroen DS3 WRC.

L'Equipe in France said the team is funded by Raikkonen's own sponsors.

The WRC confirmed that his entry for the opening Swedish rally was received "shortly" before this week's deadline.

L'Equipe said Raikkonen's has committed to 10 of the 13 rallies in 2011.

"With Kimi's limited experience, it may be better to do additional testing while the others are competing," his manager Steve Robertson told Finland's Turun Sanomat.

The 2011 season begins in mid February.

Raikkonen told the official WRC website that he considered returning to F1 this year.

"Of course I thought about it, because you think about everything," he said. "But I never really thought seriously about it, because actually I didn't miss Formula One at all this season."

Tags:: kimifuture

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Last Post by: Ice Lady87 (12/1/2011, 20:33)

Official: in 2011 Kimi with Citroen!

Posted on 10/1/2011, 18:41 by: Ice Lady87

F1 world champion will continue to rally people familiar Citroen holds.

Kimi Raikkonen came forward on the last possible date in Sweden starts, the season opening rally.

- I understand that Kimi has got things Citroen agreed with and he will continue his career next season there. Kimi vuokraaaa from the full package, "says MTV3 rally expert Tomi Tuominen.

World Rally Championship season starts in late February in Sweden.

- Interesting to see how Kim's second year going. Training Year is now behind him and will certainly see a better investment, considering Tuominen
Kimi car is a Citroen WRC DS3.

- What is important is how Kimi can get in the car a significant mechanistic. These cars have to drive so to speak, more than the last generation of WRC cars, Tuominen said.
Traslated by Google.

CITAZIONE

Kimi Räikkönen's case manager Riku Kuvaja confirmed Räikkönen driving this year, Citroen's junior team, at least 10 World Championship rallies. Season begins in Sweden, where Raikkonen has enrolled Championship prologue Ice 1 team in the name.

Tags:: Citroen,; kimifuture

Comments: 0 | Views: 62

Last Post by: Ice Lady87 (10/1/2011, 18:41)

Manager confirms to MTV3: Kimi's career will continue

Posted on 6/1/2011, 18:05 by: Ice Lady87

Manager confirms to MTV3: Kimi's career will continue

Räikkönen got some sad news during Christmas when his Matti-dad suddenly died after having an illness-attack. According to rumours Kimi put all negotiations in ice and even started to consider stopping his career.

- There has been a lot of talk about it and of course he is sad over his father passing away which is normal. Yet talks about him keeping a break are pure speculation, Robertson told.

Robertson told that he is still negotiating with several quarters. According to some rumours the deal with Citroen might be announced soon.

- I'm pretty sure that Kimi is still in motorsporting, Robertson assured.

The manager didn't want to comment if Räikkönen could possibly drive in some other serie than WRC.

- Kimi is a WDC in F1 so of course Kimi has had other options too. However at this moment we don't have anything to announce, Robertson emphasised.

There might be some news concerning Räikkönen's future to be expected soon.

- We are now in January so I don't think it takes much longer anymore, Robertson promised.
Source: mtv 3 (Nicole's translation)

Tags:: kimifuture,; SteveRobertson

Comments: 0 | Views: 59

Last Post by: Ice Lady87 (6/1/2011, 18:05)

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

Comments: 0 | Views: 56

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

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