Isn't it so in the theater that after a bad dress rehearsal you have a good premiere. Hopefully the same applies to me on the rally-stage. Our practice - the Arctic Rally - didn't go that bad but there was that one blunder which should not happen again in Sweden.
It's really cool to go racing and start the season. You always enjoy it and it's what I've always wanted to do most.
My feelings are terribly great as always before the season's opening race. When you are a racer all you want to do is race. It's great that the rally season starts now while in F1 you had to wait for one month longer.
I know I don't have too much of rally experience but out of the five rallies I've raced three on snow. That's why it's good that the first WRC-rally is the same element.
But the snow isn't any easy surface. You have to drive very precisely in a clean driving line so there won't be any extra program.
In Arctic I got a good feeling of snow and we got to compare our pace to Dani Sordo's pace. Well, Sordo went but that's how it was supposed to go when the guy is driving in a gang of the four best in the world.
We know with Lindström's Kaitsu where the difference came from. Now we have excercised with those things and tried to get the package in as good shape as possible for Sweden.
I need to get the car more comfortable to drive so that I know how it behaves and how it turns. Of course I also have to adapt my own driving style at the same time.
In Arctic rally our advantage was that we got to drive the rally with the same tyres we will use in Sweden.
People ask me all the time about what's my goal. I don't want to start acting rashly with those things because it's useless. We just try to get some good rallies in the beginning and start to lift the pace as soon as there's a possibility for it.
I'm going into an unfamiliar world now. All rallies except Jyväskylä are completely new experiences for me. That's why I have so much to learn and I have no idea of my own pace at this point.
We have been hashing over this but the truth is that the rally gang is much more laid-back than the people on the F1-paddock are. These guys like to do everything together and we talk much more freely about driving.
If I don't find the pace it's for sure not because others don't want to advice me and help a newbie.
Source: kimiraikkonen.com
Courtesy: Nicole @OF
