Kimi Räikkönen - Rally

Entrevista a Kaj Lindstrom
Después de pasar la temporada 2002 y 2003 como copiloto del múltiple campeón Tommi Makinen en el Subaru World Rally Team, Kaj Lindstrom sabe lo que es trabajar en el ojo del huracán. El año que viene el finlandés regresará al WRC junto a otra súper estrella, Kimi Raikkonen.

Desde 2003, Lindstrom ha participado en el WRC con diversos pilotos privados, pero ninguno de la talla de Raikkonen, a quien ya acompañó en el debut en rallyes de la estrella de la F1, el Arctic Rally 2009.

Desde entonces Lindstrom, de 41 años, ha hecho de copiloto para Raikkonen en dos pruebas más fuera del WRC, el Rallye de Mikkeli, en Finlandia, y el Rallye della Marca, en Italia, así como el Rallye WRC de Finlandia .

Mientras se prepara para su regreso al WRC de forma continuada, Lindstrom ha hablado con wrc.com sobre el desafío que les espera:

Su última temporada completa en el WRC fue en 2003, ¿cómo se siente al volver al certamen?
"Está bien volver, especialmente con este piloto, el cual es evidente que tiene potencial. He trabajado con muchos tipos de piloto, desde los “gentleman” hasta los que se mueren por demostrar su capacidad. Kimi definitivamente tiene el potencial para ser rápido y, como copiloto eso hace mi trabajo más interesante. Estoy deseando empezar."

Kimi y usted aún no han probado el Citroën C4 WRC, ¿cuándo lo harán?
"Tenemos previsto hacer test antes del Arctic Rally, en enero, pero aún no se ha decidido cuándo. Los dos iremos a la sede de Citroën Sport en París a principios de enero para crear el molde del asiento y demás temas. Esperamos poder acordar las fechas de los test en esa reunión."

Hasta ahora todos los rallyes que han disputado juntos han sido a bordo de un Abarth Súper 2000. ¿Cuán difícil cree que será para Kimi adaptarse a un World Rally Car?
"Desde luego será diferente, pero no sé si Kimi lo encontrará difícil. Está acostumbrado a pilotar coches de Fórmula 1, los cuales diría que están un grado por encima de cualquier otro coche. Está habituado a manejar 700 cv con las ruedas traseras, así que si puede con eso, correr a la mitad de la potencia - desafortunadamente - con cuatro ruedas no debería ser problema. Cierto que hay diferencia entre un coche de Grupo N o un Súper 2000 y un World Rally Car, pero no creo que sea tanto como para que no pueda con ello."

Ha copilotado a Kimi en nieve y asfalto. ¿En cuál de los rallyes del 2010 cree que le será más difícil adaptarse?
"Creo que todos serán complicados, porque todos serán nuevos para él. Puede que el más duro sea Turquía, ya que deberá conocer los límites del coche. Tiene que conocer lo duro que es y lo que puede aguantar. En los coches Súper 2000 y de Grupo N hay un límite que no se puede sobrepasar, o averías el vehículo. Pero con un World Rally Car es diferente. Obviamente también puedes averiarlo, pero no es tan fácil."

¿Y en cuál cree que lo hará mejor?
"Es difícil de decir, pero obviamente en asfalto es donde se sentirá más cómodo. Estoy deseando estar a su lado en estas carreras."

there are some quotes from Kimi, like how he"couldn't breathe" in the paddock and how the place felt like it was "strangling" him.

09 diciembre

Arctic Lapland Rally Confirmed - Warm-up in Citroen C4

World Rally Championship convert Kimi Raikkonen will make his competitive debut in a Citroen C4 on January's Arctic Lapland Rally - a fortnight before his 2010 WRC campaign kicks off in Sweden.
Based from Rovaniemi, on the edge of the Arctic Circle, the event, the opening round of the Finnish championship, has been run for 45 years and is sometimes used as a test for the winter rallies in the WRC. Previous winners include former WRC champions Marcus Gronholm, Tommi Makinen and Hannu Mikkola.
Raikkonen made his rally debut on the snowy event earlier this year, finishing 13th in a Fiat Abarth Grande Punto S2000 co-driven by Kaj Lindstrom. The pair will tackle next year's edition, which starts on 29 January, in the same C4 World Rally Car they will use on 12 rounds of the WRC.
Contracted to Ferrari until the end of 2009, Raikkonen is limited in what he can say about his rally programme until the New Year and confirmed the appearance via a statement on his website.
However speaking exclusively to wrc.com, Lindstrom felt the Arctic would be invaluable experience for Kimi, who is yet to drive a Citroen C4 World Rally Car.
Lindstrom said: "Getting the Arctic Rally in our programme was a key factor - we really wanted to include it as a pre-season test. It's a rally that Kimi and I have already done together in the Fiat, so he knows the stages - more or less - and it will be a good opportunity for him to build confidence in his driving and the pace notes.
"He hasn't had the experience of listening to, or working with, pace notes since rally Finland. As far as I know the route for the Artic this year will be same as it was last year, so we can use the old notes, and that will be very useful preparation - both for Sweden and the championship," he added.
Lindstrom revealed a test in Finland before the Arctic Rally was also being discussed, to help Raikkonen make the transition from his Super 2000 Fiat to a turbocharged World Rally Car. "The ideal would be to return to the test roads [near Jyvaskyla] we used before the Arctic and Rally Finland this year," he said. "Kimi knows those stages well now, so that would be the ideal place to get to grips with the new car. That's what we'd like, but at this stage we haven’t agreed a plan with Citroen. We'll find out more in the New Year."

Dr HS wrote:¿Y también le gustan los helados entre las etapas? Aún así, creo que Kimi debería tener un copiloto más actualizado, que tenga un conocimiento más fresco de los rallies y de las etapas actuales.

Suerte.

Panda wrote:Si hace falta vender camisas, gorras y cualquier otra bisutería en Finlandia de seguro lo vuelven... además que con 31 o 32 años sería el "novato" con mayor potencial dentro de la F1 en el 2012

Pero él lo que quiere es divertirse y en la F1 a veces ni ganando te diviertes

So, Kimi, let's talk dirty. What's the earliest rally car you can remember?
KR: My brother's Ford Escort. Of course, as a good Finn, I saw rally care on TV from an early age. I liked Ari Vatanen and Juha Kankkunen's Peugeot 205 T16s the best. The first rally I actually went to must have been the 1991 1000 Lakes Rally, which Kankkunen won in a Lancia Delta Integrale.

Were rally drivers your childhood heroes?
KR: I didn't have any childhood heores, I was a fan of the sport, not individual drivers. During my childhood, Kankkunen, for example, was a world-class driver so he could have been an idol. I've met him since then. He's still got a Peugeot 205 at home and a Group B Audi Quattro from the 1980s. He might even lend it to me if I asked nicely.

Was it inevitable that you would end up on the racetrack?
KR: I always wanted to give rallying a shot, but I did get into F1 very quickly [Raikkonen was only 21 when he made his F1 debut, for the Red Bull Sauber team at the Australian GP, scoring a point for sixth place]. So it became difficult to move sideways into rallying, which meant I just had to lump it. I didn't get the chance until very late - I was almost 30 [Raikkonen competed i the 2009 Rally Finland, in a Fiat Grande Punto Abarth]. I also think F1 helps you as a rally driver and vice versa.

But it would be a bit ungrateful to say that you were biding your time for nine years in F1 and you had to become world champion so that you could ultimately become a rally driver?
KR: That's just how my career has worked out. Now it's the right time to go for it with the right people and the right car for however long. I did negotiate with another F1 team for next season, but we couldn't agree 100 per cent. Then Red Bull came and made me an offer to drive in the WRC for a season. It felt like the right thing to do straight away.

A lot of racing drivers in your position would have just bought themselves a world rally car and had some fun in it. But you've joined the Citroen Juniour Team for a whole season where you'll be up against Sebastien Loeb, the best rally driver in the history of the sport. Haven't you made things difficult for yourself?
KR: It's definately the biggest challenge yet. I've got to learn everything from scratch. But I want the challenge. I have to get to know the car, the rallies, how to work with my co-driver [Kaj Lindstrom], everything. I'm looking forward to it. And you've got to set yourself some competition if you really want to know how good you are. I'll still be able to drive around the forest in a private rally car.

But when you entered the WRC last year, at the Rally Finland, it was a much more professional effort compared with other well-known converts.
KR: If you're going to do something, do it with the best team. My car's been prepared by Tommi Makinen's team; these guys are super professional. Of course it's a smaller operation than an F1 team, but they're professionals. Even though the driver plays a bigger overall role in rallying than in F1, the best driver won't win in a bad car. So that's why I wanted an experienced co-driver so at least one of us would know what he was doing. I met Kaj Lindstrom through Tommi and we were ice spies for Chris Atkinson during the 2006 Monte Carlo rally. Kaj is outstanding; he and Tommi were World Champions together. Kaj was also the one to make first contact with Citroen Sport.

Does entering the World Rally Championship feel a bit like it felt when you first test-drove for Sauber F1 in 2000?
KR: Yes, I'm finding a bit of the young Kimi in me again. A world rally car is quicker and tougher than the S2000 car I dove last year on the Rally Finland; it's 10 times better to driver and has more power. It's why you can still come out of critical situations. If the Fiat ever went sideways with its non-turbo engine, it was game over.

So what about rolling the car in Finland last year?
KR: It wasn't because I was going too fast! It was the opposite. The car had already begun falling apart, so I just wanted to get it to the service park. The Fiat definately wasn't the quickest car in the S2000 class, nor the most stable. My line going into the left-hand turn was maybe 2m off and we turned over.

Why was your line bad?
KR: I was driving with my eyes and not my ears. But in rallying you've got to pay 100 per cent attention to what your co-driver says.

Is that something you still have to learn to do?
KR: It is. The driving itself shouldn't be too much of a problem. If you know the special stage, there'll hardly be any different usually. What makes the difference is the pacenotes [the co-driver's notes on the road conditions for each stage of the rally] and your trust. That's my main disadvantage starting out - I only know the Arctic Rally and Rally Finland. I've got to work the rest of the events out for myself.

Can you use other crews' pacenotes?
KR: It's always better to have your own. If you want to be really fast, you've got to have trust. And you'll never have complete trust in someone else's notes.

Does it help to follow other drivers' tracks to get your bearings?
KR: No. There's no way of knowing what the car in front of you might have done. You've got to do what the co-driver tells you.

When was your first roll?
KR: I was 14. I rolled my brother's Lada. We had a 3km track close to home. Marcus Gronholm [Finland's two-time world rally champion] also trained there. I over-braked the rear axle and rolled twice. The roll-bar [the car's internal safety cage] also broke.

Your brother Rami was seen as a great rallying talent. Does he still drive?
KR: No, he's a family man now. One year he was runner-up to Mikko Hirvonen [runner-up in the 2008 and 2009 World Rally Championships].

Have your nephews caught the motorsport bug?
KR: Absolutely! There's only three and four and they already go karting. I've bought them a quad bike.

Are you a good co-drver?
KR: No. I've been co-driver to Tommi Makinen [four-time World Rally Champion] once. I have complete confidence in him, but I wouldn't want to repeat the experience. Maybe I'll sit alongside Load during a test. I don't think he'll do the same for me.

Are you expecting a couple of rolls next year?
KR: Of course. Over the course of the WRC there are bound to be a couple of shunts. Everyone makes mistakes in this sport and, as a rule, a mistake usually means you wreck the car. How many cars must Jari-Matti Latvala [WRC winner] and Hirvonen have destroyed before they won their firt world championship rally? The only driver who hasn't rolled is Loeb. He's an exception.

Do you think you'll be more intuitive on tarmac or gravel surfaces?
KR: We've been amazingly fast on gravel, but tarmac will probably be more my thing. Snow will be the hardest. Your lines have got to be spot-on in the snow, whereas on tarmac it's no big deal if you brake a metre too late and have to turn more sharply. You have to be able to read the gravel. On some types of gravel you've got incredible grip with rally tyres and on others you haven't.

What sort of results are you expecting?
KR: The first few rallies are bound to be tough. Until I know how fast the other drivers are, I'm holding back on any personal expectations. I'm sure I won't manage to keep up with the top four [Loeb, Dani Sordo, Hirvonen, Latvala].

Your team-mate Sebastien Ogier is also seen as a future star.
KR: Yeah, he's really good. He's a perfect yardstick to measure up against.

When you look back on your F1 career, is there a single moment you value above all others?
KR: In F1, every lap is more or less the same. It's more difficult if it rains, but otherwise it soon becomes a routine. In rallying, every corner or hill might be different from what you expected. The most fun I've had in recent years was fooling around with friends on snow-scooters, for example. I'd find it difficult to pick a single moment from the last nine years.

How about this as a moment to go down in history? Kimi Raikkonen overtaking Giancarlo Fisichella on the outside at Suzuka on the last lap of the 2005 Japanese GP, to win the race?
KR: Yeah, that was really good.

The 2009 Ferrari must have been really difficult to drive when we see how badly Giancarlo Fisichella struggled when he stepped in for the injured Felipe Massa. Not to mention [Ferrari test driver] Luca Badoer.
KR: The car wasn't bad. It just didn't have enough grip. It was hard to driver but I liked the 09 Ferrari more than the 08. I didn't cope too badly [Raikkonen won the 2009 Belgian GP]. But it made Fisichella age 10 years in two races!

If you couldn't get a neutrally balanced car, would you prefer oversteer or understeer [a car that has more or less front/rear grip]?
KR: I've never liked understeer. How can you push the car if you don't know whether it's going to steer? You lose time on a circuit but in rallying, you end up in the trees because you run out of space.

How much communication does motorsport need?
KR: As a driver, there are some things you just can't communicate. No F1 driver in the world can talk to an aerodynamics engineer on an equal footing because they have completely diffferent levels of understanding. All you can do is tell your race engineer what you'd ideally like. Mechanics are important too but they do what engineer tell them to. So your communication is limited to two or, at most three, people in the team. And then what's made of your input depends on the team.

In rallying, you'll sometimes have to work on the car yourself. Do you know know to?
KR: I enjoy it. In Finland, I've always repaired my own cars. I tweak my bikes too. There's nothing wrong with getting your fingers dirty.

Did you foster the 'Iceman' image to survive in F1?
KR: No. 'Iceman' goes back a long way. In F1, politics gets in the way of the exciting side of things. The atmosphere in rallying is much nicer and there's a lot less politics involved. It's must more about how the driver performs.

You're a celebrity, especially in Finland. Now that you're moving over into Finland's national sport - rallying - you probably won't dare to go out on the streets of Helsinki at all.
KR: I don't care about that. It can't be any worse than it already is. I've learned to deal with it.

You did military service. What did you find most difficult about it?
KR: The first couple of months were stressful. We were constantly roared at. By the end we were bored and messed around. Apart from military films where everyone's roaring, getting up early was the worst.

Rally drivers often have to get up early too.
KR: I know. But I had to get out of bed early for F1 sometimes too. It's part of the job.

What's your favourite toy during the off-season?
KR: A snowmobile. It's huge fun tearing around Lapland with friends on one. But Motocross comes close.

What makes a good road car?
KR: Space.

What's the last sport you've tried?
KR: I started climbing last year on the recommendation of my fitness trainer, and it's fun.

Who's going to win ice hockey's Stanley Cup?
KR: The San Jose Sharks.

Who's going to win snowboarding Olympic gold in the half-pipe?
KR: I'll keep my fingers crossed for the Finns, but it'll probably be hard to beat Shaun White.

Who's going to be the next World Rally Champion?
KR: Loeb or Hirvonen. Loeb.

And MotoGP?
KR: Have the teams changed much? No. So - Rossi.

Formula One?
KR: Hard to say. I don't know what Ferrari's plans are. Mercedes will probabaly have a good car, so will McLaren. Red Bull Racing probably will too. So I'm going to have to award the title based on who I like: Sebastien Vettel. He's so down-to-earth.

Do you have much contact with him?
KR: I know Heikki Kovalainen better. As a rule, I don't have that much contact with people from F1. Sometimes I play badminton with Vettel. He's moving to my part of Switzerland so we'll probably see more of each other.

How interested will you be in F1 if you're not in an F1 car yourself?
KR: I'll watch a race on TV every now and then. Maybe I'll go to the Monaco Grand Prix. I could get an F1 drive again any time, but lots of bad things are happening in F1. Manufacturers are pulling out. Let's have the same conversation in a year's time.

Let's look way into the future. What would an WRC title mean to you?
KR: More than my F1 world championship title. I'm just starting out and I can sense what a long journey it would be to get to that point.

No one's done it before.
KR: That's another thing that makes it interesting.

Raikkonen debuta a los mandos del Citroen C4

El campeonato de rallies comienza el 12 de febrero en Suecia

Kimi Raikkonen ha comenzado su preparación para afrontar su primera temporada completa en el campeonato del mundo de rallies.

El finlandés, que ha cambiado de disciplina tras nueve temporadas y 18 victorias en la Fórmula 1, hizo su debut al volante de un Citroen C4 WRC del equipo Red Bull con el que afrontará el próximo 12 de febrero la prueba inaugural del campeonato del mundo, el Rally de Suecia.

Antes de la citada carrera sueca, Raikkonen competirá en el Rally del Ártico Laponia a finales de este mes. Según recoge la publicación gala Auto Hebdo, el campeón del mundo de Fórmula 1 en 2007, realizó una breve sesión de "shakedown" en una pista de pruebas de grava en el complejo francés de Satory, cerca del cuartel general del equipo

Sissi wrote:El Artic se corre en Finlandia y es algo asi como un precalentamiento, o mejor dicho un precongelamiento, para el Rally de Suecia. El año pasado el Sr Räikkönen terminó nº 13.

peska wrote:

Sissi wrote:El Artic se corre en Finlandia y es algo asi como un precalentamiento, o mejor dicho un precongelamiento, para el Rally de Suecia. El año pasado el Sr Räikkönen terminó nº 13.

Precisamente por esas fechas estaba mi sobrina en Rovaniemi... y ni se enteró del rallie, ni de que estaba Raikkonen, ni na.

Esta juventud...

Sissi wrote:
que edad tiene tu sobrina??????? 10 años?????? y si, por tu edad debe andar por ahi o menos

peska wrote:

Sissi wrote:
que edad tiene tu sobrina??????? 10 años?????? y si, por tu edad debe andar por ahi o menos

No es de buena educación decir la edad de una dama, tu lo sabes bien .

Pero como soy un poco maleducado te diré que le falta una semana para doblar tu estimación

McMan wrote:Ay lo que te ha dicho...

Peskita, enano

Sissi wrote:

McMan wrote:Ay lo que te ha dicho...

Peskita, enano

y es cierto, no puedo llamar "nene" a peska teniendo en cuenta la edad que tenés vos...

Kimi Räikkönen: About WRC ? The biggest challenge of my life. But, I feel ready !

Sissi wrote:

Kimi Räikkönen: About WRC ? The biggest challenge of my life. But, I feel ready !

parece que se olvidó rápido de sus primeros pasos en la F1

Uno de los mayores cambios que ha experimentado Kimi desde Suecia afecta a sus notas de reconocimientos, las cuales se encarga de leer su copiloto Kaj Lindstrom. "Ahora el nivel de detalle es realmente bueno," ha comentado Lindstrom. "