World Rally Championship runner-up MikkoHirvonen doubts that Kimi Raikkonen would be an immediate success if he
switched to the WRC next year.
Raikkonen is planning to take a sabbatical from Formula 1 for at
least one season following the end of his negotiations with McLaren
over a 2010 seat.
The Finn has long been interested in rallying and has hinted it
would be his next step after F1. He contested this year’s Rally Finland
in a Super 2000 car and set an impressive pace before crashing.
But Raikkonen’s compatriot Hirvonen thinks the regular WRC drivers’
years of practice on the stages and with driving to pace notes gives
them a huge advantage.
"Kimi is fast and with driving he doesn’t have problems," Hirvonen
told Finnish website Sportti.com. "But preparing to drive with pace
notes is a difficult case for him.
"We WRC drivers have so much more experience, and almost all the
rallies will be unknown to Kimi in advance. It’s difficult to imagine
that Kimi could succeed, at least in his first season."
Hirvonen’s manager Timo Jouhki, who also brought Juha Kankkunen,
Tommi Makinen, Toni Gardemeister and Jari-Matti Latvala to rallying’s
top level, agreed that Raikkonen would need time to get up to speed.
"Kimi is a really talented driver. No other F1 driver has been
driving a rally at that level," said Jouhki. "Rallying, however,
requires so much experience that I basically cannot see him having any
chance in the first year. Rallying is such a difficult sport and
experience counts."
Despite suspecting he might struggle initially, Hirvonen reckons
the chances of Raikkonen appearing in next season’s WRC are high.
"That man does not surprise me in anything," said Hirvonen. "I
would not be surprised if Kimi took a year off, and did for example
five World Championship rallies, or pushed for the whole season."
Solberg: Raikkonen has top five potential
Petter Solberg believes that should Kimi Raikkonen commit to a full
WRC season in 2010 he would adapt quickly to the sport and could
challenge for top five finishes before the end of the year.
Solberg,
who won the World Rally Championship in 2003, has a unique perspective
on the Finn’s potential, having this year driven both a Ferrari F1 car
at the Fiorano test track in Italy and a C4 World Rally Car – the car
Raikkonen is expected to drive – on two rounds of the WRC.
Talking
exclusively to wrc.com, Solberg ruled out a WRC victory for Raikkonen
next year but felt his F1 championship winning background would stand
him in good stead.
"With the proper practise planning and testing
I think he will adapt quickly," said Solberg. "He’s a very, very good
driver, and once he’s learned the basics, like how to work with pace
notes, I think he will surprise many people. We’ve already seen how
quick he was in Finland in a Super 2000 car, and if he’s in a decent
World Rally Car next season I think he could finish between third and
fifth on some rallies. The fact is, if you can drive, you can drive."
Solberg
is confident Raikkonen would cope well with the transition from his
2009 season Ferrari F60 car to a four-wheel drive World Rally Car.
"This year I’ve driven a Formula 1 car and a Le Mans car and it’s the
same as rallying; you have to attack and push," explained Solberg. "You
have to be on the case and you need some balls. I think it’s all about
understanding how to push and Kimi has proved he can do that."
Raikkonen
is widely expected to drive a Citroen C4 WRC in 2010, a car which –
along with the Ford Focus RS WRC – Solberg rates highly. "Both the C4
and the Ford work very well are quite easy to drive," he said. "They
are both consistent, predictable handling cars that do the correct
thing – just in slightly different ways. I think he could adapt very
quickly to either of them."
Asked what advice he would offer Raikkonen before his first stage, Solberg said: "Just nail it."
FUCK ISRAEL 
Really hope he compete’s in a full season next year. There is a rumour that Petter Solberg (who runs his own team) is looking at creating a "super team" with Kimi and Marcus Gronholm!! That would be brilliant!! Just waiting for Solberg to sort out his own budget first then he can discuss potential team mate
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In some ways Kimi "learning the ropes" of the WRC in 2010 makes a lot of sense. The regulations etc are changing for 2011 but he would get to know some of the tracks, work out improving his pace notes and be able to advertise himself to potential employers. Not to mention the fact that he would really enjoy it. A year away from all the idiocy that is F1 at the moment might refreshen his senses and his love for driving too. I think Mikko sounds a teensy bit threatened by Kimi also Lol! that bodes very well! 😀
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James Allen suggests that Kimi is close to a deal with Citroen. I’m not terribly optimistic on the Merc seat. Would love him to remain in F1 but Kimi in WRC is better than no Kimi at all!
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Hehe, all this rally/experience stuff reminds me of when the F1 world was worried about Kimi joining without hardly any racing experience. He sure showed them 😉
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Rally or F1, isn’t important, because Kimi is the best, but I think it’s finally time to find out what he will do next year.
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Looks like we’ll have to take to the other form of racing that is WRC. Kimi gave us bites of it this year to create enough interest for me to follow this sport. Hope you’ll keep this site going Saima, wherever Kimi ends up racing. What’s worse than losing Kimi in F1 is if we lose this precious Kimi community created by you, Evenstar!
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I totally agree with Trixie, I love this place.
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Yes Trixie, Saima will keep this site on she said it before 🙂 Yup I’m ready to follow Kimi to WRC even I would definately disappointed if he didn’t join Mercedez in the end. Anyway, it is his life, his choice. As long as he is happy then there is no reason we should feel sad for him.
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oh yeah Even*….thats absolutely rite…..i just saw his carrier’s 1st qualifying lap…..and he was so awesome….its really nice to hear such word from Brundle…..if u haven’t seen it…u should definitely watch it…….Here’s the Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icawovR-T1Q
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Of course I’ve seen it 😛
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so nice to read it! they’re personalities in rally and they’ve understood exactly Kimi’s potential!wrc and f1 or only one of them, is the same, ‘cos Kimi everywhere is the best!keep flying hero!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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[QUOTE][SIZE=3][B]Raikkonen close to Citroen WRC deal [/B][/SIZE]Formula One star Kimi Raikkonen is understood to be ready to sign a deal with Citroen to drive a C4 World Rally Car on all 13 rounds of the 2010 World Rally Championship. Nothing is signed yet, but a source close to the 2007 F1 World Champion told wrc.com that only small details needed to be tied-up before an official announcement is made in the coming days. The Finn’s 2010 WRC programme is understood to have been funded by Red Bull, one of Raikkonen’s personal sponsors, and a major backer of Citroen’s World Rally campaign. Long time rally fan Raikkonen is able to tackle the World Rally Championship season thanks to his decision to take a one year sabbatical from Formula 1. Raikkonen’s only WRC experience to date came on this year’s Rally Finland, where he impressed in an Abarth Grande Punto S2000. Despite engine problems he was placed 15th overall when he crashed his car into a ditch on the second day.If Raikkonen does make the switch to Citroen power for 2010, he’ll be in good company. Six-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb has won 26 rallies in the C4 and recently admitted it was his favourite competition car of all time.[/QUOTE]
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Rumours are everywhere…so try to post the source to these articles too 🙂 Here it is:http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=101&id=6559&desc=Raikkonen+close+to+Citroen+WRC+deal+Apparently, Mika Salo has spoken to Kimi recently and said that he is keen on signing with Mercedes.Bla bla bla… lol we’re back to square one. Let’s wait and see.
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what Michael quote comes from wrc offical website.
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It seems to be credible.
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Kimi Raikkonen to Citroen and the WRC?! According to sources close to Automoto365.com, former Ferrari champion Kimi Raikkonen has signed a preliminary deal to race for Citroen in the World Rally Championship (WRC) in the upcoming 2010 Championship season.Left without a top team capable of giving him a winning car after agreeing to step back from Ferrari and losing the available McLaren drive alongside Lewis Hamilton to 2009 champion, Jenson Button, Kimi’s choices in Formula One are very limited and while he still has unfinished business in the pinnacle of Motorsports, it seems no one on the 2010 grid can match the Finn’s requirements.Mercedes is more than likely the only other team that could give Kimi what he needs equipment wise, are not prepared to meet the Finnish driver’s financial demands with the top brass wanting a much cheaper driver to race alongside Nico Rosberg. Therefore, he now finds himself left out in the cold and despite a nice payout from Ferrari, racing is in his blood and that’s what he wants to keep doing.In steps Citroen, renamed as Creative Technologies, ‘the new ad baseline", to reinvent Citroen. Kimi is the sort of driver that should appeal to Red Bull, one of Citroen’s sponsors, immensely talented and a dare devil on and off track and his love of Rally has never been in doubt, in fact he has already made his debut in the Finnish rally earlier this year. For Citroen, the chance to have Raikkonen on their books would be a win win situation. While drivers tend to switch disciplines afrom time to time, never before has an F1 champion moved to the World Rally Championship for an entire season and as he already has a strong fan base his image would be perfect to reinforce the team and championship. It would also be the first time in a while that Citroen would have a Nordic driver in their ranks, giving them France, Spain and Nordic countries in their portfolio.While the exact nature of the new deal is not quite known at this point in time, there are two possibilities open to the Finn in the Citroen world, either with the Junior Team as there is an immediate seat available or with Petter Solberg’s team, making for a super pairing of 2 world champions, 1 F1 1 WRC. Our very reliable sources confirmed that Solberg has contacted Kimi recently while the Finn’s co driver in WRC has already stated that they will keep working together in 2010…
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Kimi may struggle to return from sabbatical – Prosthttp://motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=353003&FS=F1Alain Prost has warned Kimi Raikkonen to think hard before taking a one-year break from Formula One.The quadruple world champion said the Finn might have trouble convincing team bosses to employ him in 2011."He will try to go rallying, but he is a bit lazy, likes to party and drink a little," Prost told Europe 1 radio. "When you take a year off you have to be extremely serious about it, preparing physically and mentally."The Frenchman, now 54, took a sabbatical in 1992 before returning in 1993 to win his final title with Williams.He said Raikkonen has lots of fans but also some detractors within the F1 paddock. "He sometimes had difficulty workingas a team."Some Ferrari people in particular didn’t appreciate his remoteness from the engineers. He is a superb driver," said Prost."But it may be difficult for him to get the people who are half-way down the middle about him to trust him again in 2011."
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Funny Kimi Quotes (2 0f 2)Kimi, what is your feeeling before the race? – It’s allright.French GP 2002: – xxxx race.Hungarian GP 2007: – Boring race.OHO!-magazine number 46/2006: – I read somewhere that I drive with the luck of a drunk.Opinion of Ron Dennis: – He’s strange now and then. He always wants to know everything. He doesn’t interest me.My life would be much more easier had I been a f1-driver in the 70’s with the guys. I was definitely born in the wrong era.What makes TAG Heuer special? – It’s ok.Kimi, you speak a little bit? – Yeah, one two.. three..What kind of an atmosphere do you think McLaren has right now (the spy saga)? – I bet it’s fucking great.The Constructor’s Championship doesn’t really mean anything to me.I’m not interested in what Jackie says. He hasn’t got anything to do with me.Coulthard can say what he wants. I’m not interested in what he’s saying.I don’t give a damn about what Trulli says.Montoya’s comments doesn’t interest me.It doesn’t matter what he says. (Kimi about Hamilton’s defences after Canada GP)I’ve seen him (Schumacher) twice: when the car was displayed and in one testing he came to but I left almost immediately after that.You don’t drive races on paper.Driving is the only thing I love about f1.If there’s a red light when you leave the pitlane you have to stop. Then some wooden eye (Hamilton) crashes into you and breaks the car.What the papers write about me afterwards makes me laugh.Formula 1 would be a paradise without the media.I’m not interested in what people think about me. I’m not Michael Schumacher.The circuit broke totally. Every year same thing happens. They promise to fix it. They probably should hire the guys from Lemminkäinen (Finnish asphalt company) to fix it.How does it feels to drive at 300 km/h? – It feels normal.Your idols? – There aren’t any.What kind of a relationship do you have with Peter Sauber? – He is my boss.Is he a father figure or a god father? – He is my boss.The helmet has a special meaning for many drivers. How important is it to you? – It protects my head.Do you have any special rituals when the helmet is concerned like many have? – I wipe it so that I can see better.What would you if you met an alien, run away out of fear or try to talk to him? – The problem won’t arise so I don’t imagine meeting one.What do you have to do to become one of your friends? – I’ve got my friends and that’s enough. I’m not on the lookout for new ones.Others can sit in the simulators if they want. I´m here to drive.I couldn’t do anything more. Alonso keeps finishing second, so we just need to do the best we can. You never know what might happen in these races.Kimi, who was on the phone that Jean Todt gave you? – I think it was Michael (Schumacher), but the line was pretty bad so I couldn’t hear him.Martin Brundle: “Kimi Raikkonen doesn’t seem interested in the proceedings going on up there. Kimi, you missed the presentation by Pele.”Kimi (nonchalantly): “Yeah.”Martin: ”Will you get over it?”Kimi: “Yeah. I was having a shit.”Martin: “OK, thanks for that! Obviously you’ll have a nice light car on the grid, then.”Interview after Monza 08 (Kimi again failed to score any point) Are you satisfied with the result? – Do you think I am?It’s nice to get the championship trophy from Monaco. I haven’t been interested in that party before, but after I got the first place, my party feelings are high.Does Michael Schumacher’s presence bother you during the races? – Why would it bother? Why should I care about Michael? I’m a driver, so it means nothing if he’s there or not.Well, in summer there’s fishing and fucking. And in winter… the fishing is bad.Describe yourself. What are you made of ? – Blood, flesh and bone like everybody else!Party at the President’s castle:Kimi, good independency day!Thanks.Are u feeling excited?No.What will you say to the president?I don’t know. We’ll see.Do you think president have watched your races?I don’t know, probably at least some from tv.Kimi and Jenni…..I have nothing to say really.I would have just wished u a happy independency day.No, I’m not excited, I think this is pretty normal stuff. When did you come to Finland?This morning.Happy evening for you then, how was the night?Was ok, but quite short yet, there’s a lot job left to do.Did you say anything to the president?Yes, I did say morjensta.How often do you have Finland on your mind when you are abroads and racing?-Mainly when I hear the national song after a victory. In other situations during the weekend I wont spend time thinking that I’m from Finland. Not that I would in general think much about my home country anyway.Interviewer: The most exciting moment during the race weekend?Kimi: I think so it’s the race start, always.Interviewer: The most boring?Kimi: Now.Suddenly the steering wheel was in my hands. I tried to put it back on, but it was too late. I was just wondering where I was going to end up.Is it true that sometimes you’re bored in the car?Only when I am in front by a country mile, like in Melbourne last year. Then you are thinking about other things or you’re playing with the buttons on the steering wheel. Then I suddenly missed a braking point. This year unfortunately we haven’t had such race.Bernie Ecclestone complains about Raikkonen being few wordish in front of the press – Everyone has their own opinions. I don’t care much about what other people say about me. Raikkonen respons when asked about Ecclestones comments.I will just have try my best and drive as fast as I can. There is nothing I can do about it.The interesting thing will be to see what the weather will do tomorrow. I lost my mirror during the final qualifying session but didn’t notice it, and it had no effect. Now we will see what happens in the race.I don’t know. I think we have something new on the car but I wasn’t at the test so I haven’t seen the team… I’ve just arrived here. I will find out tomorrow.No, it’s no worry. I’m happy with what’s happening now and I don’t really need to worry about next year or any other years, so we will see what happens.And would it be even better if also Marcus Grönholm was able to win the championship? – It’s good for him and good for Finland, but it doesn’t affect my life. I’m not that interested in it.Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Kimi, I’m sure you’re aware that, as a result of the seventeen laps you led in Hungary, McLaren Mercedes, for the first time this year, have now led more racing laps than the Mercedes safety car driven by Bernd Maylander. I just wonder how you see that battle developing in the remaining races and how strong McLaren will be versus the safety car. – Hopefully we can beat them. At least it’s the same company so it doesn’t really matter but we will see what happens. Kimi, have you ever got angry about anything, and jumped up and down and shouted?Yeah, many times but of course you’re not happy if you retire or something but I guess it mostly happens more in normal life than in racing.Can you give us examples?No, not really. What are the kind of things that make you angry in normal life, as you say?If you keep asking questions like those.I have not looked at what everyone else is doing and what teams are running, so we are just doing our own thing.We will see where we are at some point, it is just too early to say. You see what times they are doing, but it is still hard to tell.I don’t know much what is going on, I’m just waiting what’s gonna happen next and they always tell you, so I think so it’s more you just wait and see what happens and just try to do your best, but whatever it is, and it’s not easy, because they also know that they don’t expect us to be active so everybody does the best what they can and hopefully it’ll work well in the end.(Sal Zanka – AP) And Kimi what advice would you seek from Michael as an incoming Ferrari driver? – As I said, it depends on many different things, but we will finish this year and then we will see what happens. I don’t know what’s going to happen next year. So far, I just want to finish this season and do the best I can for McLaren and then we see next year and what’s going to happen, but I don’t really know.When asked to comment on Hamilton’s crazy move at Fuji that ran everyone off at the first curve: – You have to learn how to find the breaking points already when you are six years old while starting in Go Karts. Obviously, you should know how it goes at this level. I don’t know about others but, at least, my father Matti put sticks on the right places for me and for my brother to know where to break. That’s how you learn that lesson the best and you remember it always where ever you race.The car is certainly different, but do you feel different to last year? – I don’t know anything about a different feeling. It’s a new season, so it’s hard to know what to expect. What about Felipe? Is he still the same guy he was last year or has he changed a lot? – I don’t know. You should ask him. I don’t know what he’s been doing, so if you want to know something about his life you should speak to him.Who do you see as your main competitors this year? – It could be all tight – but then again, it might not be. I don’t know more than anybody else – I just see the times. That’s it.
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Just posting more Kimi articles to kill time while waiting for the BIG news…Funny Kimi Quotes (1 of 2) Totalf1.comKimi Raikkonen is one of those guys that keep the F1 media and fans alike busy. His behaviour and his remarks are often highlighted. Fans think of him as funny, critics thinks he lacks the ability to give proper quotes. Judge for yourself! Here are the funny Raikkonen quotes! "You always learn from mistakes, but I’m not very interested in trying to understand what happened last season. We can’t change what happened in the past and it won’t help us."Montoya’s success in NASCAR? – It doesn’t even interest me.Will these tyres benefit your driving style? – I don’t know and it doesn’t mean anything to me. Tyres are what they are.What advice would you give to the rookies Nico Rosberg and Scott Speed? – I hope that they are good in giving way.Do you think that the speed is good at this point? – It doesn’t matter how much behind the others we are at this point. The car will anyway be rebuilt before Australia. Now we just drive around.Media’s interest in Kimi after the WC? – They have thrown a lot of xxxx on me but I think that I’ll get even more of it now.Schumacher’s role : – He doesn’t come and tell us drivers anything. And at least I don’t need his advice.Montoya’s points: – If he believes in it, he can believe. I’m not interested in what happens behind me.Gossip Media asks how are you prepared for the season? – I usually get to read from your magazines what I have done.Montoya’s tennis accident: – We don’t call and I’m not interested in what he does.If the army would be volunteer I wouldn’t go there – Kimi about women in armyAustria 2002: – I haven seen it. I’m not the least bit interested in what Ferrari did.Raikkönen isn’t affected by Alonso’s mental games. – I couldn’t care less what that man thinks.Weather conditions: – It’s all the same if it rains or not.Season 2006: – It doesn’t interest me yet what is going to happen. You’ll see it then.An Italian interviewer tries to get Kimi to say something in Italian. – You can talk Italian if you want to.Ferrari event 2007: – I’m not going to a language school to learn Italian, that’s not what I came to do at Ferrari.Kimi, what’s the 5th grid place like? – It’s the 5th grid place.Ferrari party: – Ferrari’s own parties are the nicest. There are all the crew and their children. I don’t know exactly what I will do there. Maybe I will be Santa. Other parties are official and boring.Asked to reveal how many pounds or kilograms he shed: – I don’t know. I haven’t got scales. I am happy as long as we are okay with the overall weight, that’s all that matters.Party at the President’s castle: – I think I will skip the dancing part. Maybe someone else dances with Jenni if she wants.Party at the President’s castle: – Ah, go and interview Mikko Leppilampi. He likes to talk.
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I didn’t know the article was from WRC.com but then I edited my post. Credible indeed.Oh and if you guys are interested in posting/reading more then you’re always welcome to the forum.
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http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=101&id=6559&desc=Raikkonen+close+to+Citroen+WRC+deal+http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=101&id=6562&desc=Solberg:+Raikkonen+has+top+five+potential+this is what’s new
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This is promising, really glad to read the WRC.com article on Kimi close to sign a deal. It would be an absolute dream if he goes to WRC’s top team Citroen. It’s also been very pleasing for once to hear other drivers speak so positively about Kimi and really aknowledge the true talent that he is. Kimi never recieved the full credit he was due in F1, they were all so quick to pounce on every little petty excuse to put him down. WRC seems like the perfect environment for Kimi, all the drivers seem to like him and he’s obviously the biggest superstar with the largest fanbase, even more so than Loeb so yeah Kimi will be the super big fish in the WRC sport. I’m getting ready to get TV subscription to WRC, and see Kimi become the first ever driver in motorsport history to have attained both F1 and WRC Championships.
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Yup, promising to read the comment sfrom the current WR drivers on Kimi. Now I’m readyy to accept the fact that Kimi’s move from F1 to Rally 🙂 I’m really to say bye to F1 & start to follow Rally racing once Kimi joined. Unfortunately I don’t think there is live broadcast of Rally racing in my country, it just some highlight therefore I will rely on Saima or other Kimi websites to provide info & respective source in the future 🙂
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I agree with you YUSS, I’m ready to say bye to that so called ‘sport’ Formula 1. Instead of watching the whole friday, sat and sunday sessions I’ll probably just catch the 1 hour highlights at the end of the weekend. I’m not sure about the TV coverage of WRC in my country either (UK)…if I’m not mistaken it’s shown live by Eurosport and highlighted by Dave – hoping Evenstar can confirm this as she’s in the UK too :). I wouldn’t worry too much about the lack of WRC coverage, with superstars like Kimi (and talks of Rossi) coming to the sport it will bring in HUGE investment and eventually the need for global live TV coverage will be imperative!
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Yep, WRC is covered by Dave and Eurosport here in the UK. I think Dave’s coverage is really good anyway (I did watch a bit of it last year on Dave).But, the news of Kimi being ‘close’ to signing a WRC deal is kinda pissing me off. Everything has been more or less ‘close’ to happening this year, I’m fed up of it. Plus, it’s extremely quiet in Kimi’s camp for over a week now, we have no idea what the hell is going on if anything is even happening yet. Kimi is apparently on vacation as his managers said so I doubt he’s ‘close’ to signing anything yet.
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Totaly agree with you Evenstar, this is becoming very frustrating now! I hate how things are never 100% confirmed and are just printed on the papers for all us fans to read and get our hopes up. Especially with there STILL being a question mark over Kimi possibly staying in F1 with Merc GP…it just complicates things. I think everything should be sorted before the new year, because surely the teams can’t keep it till that late with testing just round the corner…but then again it is the motorsport industry and they have a habbit of making a hash of things.
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I think that nothing about wrc is so sure. we all are seeing that all is calm and quiet from Kimi and his manager, so we have to wait…the difference between us and news is that we’ll share and support all with Kimi and they just talk.be strong, guys!
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http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=353093&FS=F1Kimi Raikkonen’s likely switch from Formula One to the World Rally Championship with Citroen in 2010 is moving ever closer.The French marque’s rally boss Olivier Quesnel said in an interview at the weekend that the reports about the 30-year-old’s rally plans for next year are inspired by "more than a rumour"."It is not signed and I have never even spoken with Raikkonen on the telephone," Quesnel told Radio-France. "But it is more than a rumour; it is a real possibility."He added that the former Ferrari driver is an "incredible driver" who "did not become world champion by accident" in 2007.Referring to the Finn’s world rally debut in his native country earlier this year, Quesnel continued: "What he did there in a S2000 was amazing."Quesnel revealed that Raikkonen would not race alongside Sebastien Loeb in the official Citroen team, but instead "in the junior team", albeit reportedly with a full specification C4.
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Citroen Deny Kimi Deal: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80364
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Sigh… thanks Saima, I just saw that too. This see-sawing is getting a bit too much. Now on, I’m just going to do a Kimi – sit back, relax and wait for the news…
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Hey guys, sorry for not allowing comments in the past day, it’s because I was receiving hundreds of spam comments yesterday and even when I was deleting them they were still being posted. Anyway, back to normal now!Rautenbach: Raikkonen fits Citroen http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80382
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Just an update [yes, comments are still deactivated for a while, sorry 😦 ] Kimi’s PR manager is completely denying the Citroen rumour, even Autosport’s article:———————http://www.mtv3.fi/urheilu/f1/uutiset.shtml/arkistot/f1/2009/12/1008985 – Kimi has not made a deal with anyone. What Autosport said isn’t correct either, assured Riku Kuvaja to MTV3.- We are still negotiation with several instances, Kuvaja continued without wanting to clarify who the instances are.According to information MTV3 has, Kimi is negotiating with Citroën to move to rally, but it seems there are one or more F1 teams involved in the negotiations.- We will tell when we have something to tell.<snip>If the F1 World Champion Räikkönen will move to rallying, it’s not worth it to compare him to experienced rallying aces.- It is clear it is not worth it to compare Kimi to Sebastian Loeb or to Mikko Hirvonen. He only has the experience from a few rallies and he will start pretty much from zero. The correct comparison would be to Valentino Rossi who will drive the Mexico Rally next season, Kuvaja reminds.At this moment the enigmatic Finnish driver is preparing to the new challenges at full steam.- Full training is on, no matter does he drive F1, rally or downhill cars, Kuvaja reveals. ————————————-
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Apparently: Raikkonen’s WRC switch deal donehttp://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80423ARGH…. the media can really be a pain in the ass, headline saying it’s DONE but it’s not OFFICIAL. For God’s sake… just say it already so we can move on!
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Also, looks like we’ll hear it officially tomorrow that Kimi will be a rally driver in 2010…wooooooo: http://www.ts.fi/f1/uutiset/93387.html——————————–Kimi took the news to rally Friday morningTurun Sanomat 3.12 2009 23:27:51One reason or another official seal of Kimi Räikkönen’s transition to the ranks of Citroen World Rally percussion was still on Thursday and as the reigning champion team reporting the acquisition of the Finnish driver moved to Friday morning.French label Räikkönen’s contract was expected to confirm on Thursday evening, but it was left frustrated. Financial supporter in the team’s headquarters for Red Bull Salzburg Nachrichten sikäläinen Räikkönen-Journal reported the agreement without the release coat.Also according to the information salzburgilaislehden agreement was made public Thursday. Release is now the permit, then on Friday morning.Turun SanomatHEIKKI KULTA ——————————
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Well I guess it’s settled then. We’ll explore the world of rally with Kimi next year! All the best!
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Finally it’s official! I’m absolutely loving how the WRC people have embrased Kimi, especially with the Citroen junior driver, Kimi’s new team mate saying how Kimi is one of his fav driver and the immense achievement of being F1 world champ. Brace yourself WRC, one of the fastest professional drivers on the planet has entered your domain…be prepared for some real ass kicking :DOh and I’m super PISSED about Ferrari’s comments against Kimi, what in the hell!? they are disgraceful, Kimi handled this with so much dignity and now they’re criticising him :@
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http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=101&id=6586&desc=Kimi+Raikkonen+to+Citroen+-+it%26rsquo%3Bs+official%21confirmied on the wrc site. Really excited about this, the Citroen Junior Team are a good team and Ogier is a talented driver, plus the C4 is one of the best cars. I can’t see him challenging for wins in his first season but I could see him challenging for podiums come the end of the year. Probably a stupid question I know but will the site still be running next year? Also I read in Autosport that Petter SOlberg could also be joining the same team which would be great news!
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Yes Michael, I’ll try my best to keep everything the same here 🙂
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hmmpp very good news im happy that finally kimi have something to do next season…oh well to bad for me i will not see kimi in action anymore..=( damn!!!..hope kimi will return in F1 in 2011 that’s all i can wish for this xmas..=/
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cool cool thats very good to hear and much appreciated!hopefully it won’t be as difficult for you to get pictures etc and everything else as stupid as it sounds with F1 being a lot more public and more known than rallying!roll on 2010
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I hope so too, I did think about that, hehe.If I be really honest with you… I’m not feeling too good at the moment in general, a lot of things on my mind. I don’t know what it is, I thought I’d be alright with a new start, continue following Kimi and etc. I just have this horrible feeling… as if I should just say goodbye now 😦 But I don’t want to let anyone down. I don’t want to stop being a Kimi fan, not at all, it’s been my ‘job’ for years, but it seems I’ve ‘lost’ that touch today and it’s really bugging me. We’ll see what tomorrow will bring… I so hope I don’t feel as I do now.
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For example, I would have usually written a whole big post about this turn in Kimi’s career but I can’t find the words.I’ve been thinking of making a tribute video for a while, a 2009 review video or something like that, and I guess doing that will help me find some closure and be as brave as Kimi. Most of you know, I love making those videos. So till then, everything just seems horribly empty and blank.
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would be shame if the website went! I don’t mind tbh, maybe thats because I enjoy the WRC more! 😀
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Saima why not a career tribute rather than just 2009? Wrc will be a new era.:) I already support the young Finn JM Latvala but since Kimi is pitching in I’ll be torn between Ford and Citroen! But cheer up Saima, we need you!!
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Oh I’ll do a career tribute of course, but that’ll come some time later (if I get the time). That’s what I was thinking about…so maybe I’ll just do one final video then 🙂
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