Excerpt from Jäämies (Iceman) - Kimi Räikkönen Biography

From Jäämies - the Kimi Räikkönen biography (out in Finnish only), by Petri Nevalainen

Räikkönen didn't give in as a karting-driver and this is best described in a karting-event in 1999, including F1-driver Jarno Trulli. They had two separate classes; F1- and karting-drivers. Trulli wanted especially to come and drive with the karting-drivers because he had been a champion in Europe himself.

In the race for karting-drivers they had the European top attending so it was going to be a tough battle. Trulli drove well but Räikkönen drove better. Trulli was before Räikkönen in the start and Kimi tried to pass the Italian on the narrow inner track.

Räikkönen did pass him by force which led to Trulli hitting the wall. The F1-driver came to the paddock to complain about the treatment he got. Räikkönen said to Trulli that he himself wanted to come and race with racers.

- If you don't have the balls to drive then maybe you should got with the F1-men in the other class Räikkönen lashed back to Trulli.

Trulli told Turun Sanomat that 'I wasn't so happy after the crash'.

According to witnesses Trulli was shouting to Räikkönen so much that his face turned red from shouting.

Steve Robertson heard for the first time about Räikkönen through Peter Collins, ex- team manager in Lotus, who had heard about Räikkönen from Harald Huisman where Räikkönen crushed the records the first time he drove on his karting-track.

They held a test drive in Donington Park and Steve Robertson nearly dropped his phone when he saw Räikkönen coming sideways in a slide through a corner. He couldn't even say a word. And that's where it all started.

Source: Jäämies
Courtesy: Nicole @PF1