- We searched for years for an unbuilt property until we found a completely move-in ready Villa Butterfly, Kimi Räikkönen introduced.How embarrasing! Seiska's reporter was late for the interview because of a break-problem in the airplane and because of missing luggage. F1-champion and WRC-driver Kimi Räikkönen had to wait 2,5 hours for the interview to begin and arranged his already tight schedule again. - No worries, things happen, Kimi comforted and noted that because of such roadblocks he often resorts to rent a private plane. - I usually do my Middle-Europe trips with the car. Last night I rented this Ford from Austria where I had a TV-shoot and I drove 500km home. Tomorrow I will leave for a 400km trip with my co-driver Kaj and with my friends to Genova, where I will try to drive on tarmac for the first time, Kimi told while he was showing the beautiful scenery of his homecountry.
Abroad his whole adulthood
Kimi, who celebrated his 30th birthday last fall, moved away from Finland already before he turned 18.
First he lived in Holland, then for 1,5 years in England. He did however finish the army in his native country where he still has couple aparments.
In Switzerland he has lived permanently for over ten years and he doesn't plan to move away. In Finland he visits a couple of times a year to greet his friends and family.
-It's nice to visit Finland but there isn't enough to do to make me stay and live there, the speed-rascal noted.
Here you don't hear karaoke!
Kimi lives 30km from Zürich in the village of Baar where he moved with his wife Jenni a year ago from Wollerau.
-We searched for about 5 years for a property where we could build our own house. Then we found Villa Butterfly which was ready for move-in and had a name too.
The stylish, beautifully furnished home is situated on a hillside of a small village, where is amazing view to the Zug lake and the Alps behind it. The scenery from the living room is like work of art no matter what the weather is.
-Although there is a short distance to the clubs in Zürich, I don't visit them often. I like to scour the cafés and bars of the small towns of Switzerland more. I haven't found any karaoke places from here, Kimi smirked.
MY FRIENDS LEND MY HOLIDAY-HOME!
Many people imagine Switzerland as the neat paradise of happy and rich people. Kimi tells however, that the country has many problems including the living politics.
-You can own your house but the property where your home stands belongs nearly always to the government!
The suidice rates confuses Kimi
-In Zürich there is also a very bad drug-problem. I was also surprised to read some time ago that the Swiss people do suicides nearly as much as Finns, Kimi wondered.
The statistics of WHO from 2008 tell that Switzerland has risen after the millenium to the 17th spot, while Finland has fallen to the 14th position. In Switzerland most of the suicides are done by elderly people.
Three dogs as company
In Kimi's garage the attention is fixed to two beauties, which stand beside each other looking like their abandoned. Iceman I and Iceman II are motorcycles customized by German Walz Hardcore Cycles, which Kimi got a few years ago and has been driving them a couple of times to the races in Middle-Europe. The bikes have also been the attraction in Helsinki's American Car Show.
- I haven't used the motorcycles lately since it is boring to drive alone no matter how interesting the roads are, Kimi confessed.
Although Kimi doesn't have proper driving-company, he doesn't suffer from loneliness. The doors of Villa Butterfly are open for friends, who willingly travel to accompany him in different racing venues.
Kimi also gives open-handedly the keys to his friends, who want to have a vacation for example in his villa in Phuket.
-I have been there only once. I should probably travel to Thailand again but isn't there pretty uncomfortable heat right now?
Kimi and Jenni also have three dogs as their company, a German Shepherd Ajax and Jack Russel terriers Peppi and Reiska, who travel easily between the two home countries.
THERE ARE FRACTURES IN MY SPINE!
Kimi's first rally-season has been very ascending and will be stay in the history of sport, since Räikkönen is only the second F1-driver in the worlds who has also in WRC-rally reached for points. The man tells that he enjoys himself in Red Bull because of the professional and relaxed atmosphere of the team.
I don't follow F1 actively
Kimi plays down his achievements in rally contrary to the people who know the rally-world, who say Räikkönen is a exceptional talent behind any wheel.
Kimi hasn't followed the F1-races actively, just like many other Finns either, after the Iceman was out of the picture.
-Although I was in Monaco during the race, I only glanced the happenings from the TV. I didn't go to the paddock even once.
Of course Kimi has his F1-favourites.
-I want Red Bull to win and it would be great if Sebastien Vettel would become world champion, Kimi hopes for his friend who was fifth after the Canadian GP.
Spinal disc herniation an annoyance for Kimi
The beginning of Kimi's racing-season was painful, since an old spinal disc herniation started to remind of itself.
-There are hairline capillary cracks on my vertebra. They have originated from my several different crashes during the ten years.
Kimi fortunately got into a new kind of laser-treatment in Strasbourg, France, and he wasn't operated but the liquid which had build up in the distention was sucked with a needle which made the pressure on the nerves loosen.
- I will have to go to a 2-hour operation once more and after that I have to be more relaxed for couple of weeks.
I LOST MY DRIVING LICENSE!
Kimi keeps his muscular strenght up daily. There is a well-equipped gym in his Switzerland home. He also likes to drive different kinds of water-vehicles.
People who know Kimi have said many times that if he wouldn't have chosen motorsport as his sport, he would have been a hardcore ice hockey player.
Ice hockey is a very dear sport to Kimi and he has many friends who are NHL-stars.
An ice-hockey hall in the neighbourhood
Kimi wanted to show the reporter the big pride of his home region, the EV Zug ice rink, which will be opened to the public in August. The assistant coach is Waltter Immonen and there are many other Finns seen on the ice. -Soon I will be able to play ice-hockey here with my old buddies!
To Finland in July
The worldchampion zigzags in the Swiss traffic calmly and safely - occassionally he remarks about the interesting lane switches of other drivers just like Finns usually do. Only the parallel parking which is inches from the car's plates makes the people in the car babble. - The police are too strict in traffic in this country. The speed limits are the same as in Finland and violation-customs are similar too. If you get three speeding tickets you will loose your driving license for a month. This happened to me a couple of years ago, Kimi revealed.
Kimi's next rally-contest is in Bulgay on 9.-11th of July and in Finland's rally-paths the man will drive at the end of July. After the interview he was fantasticly places 2nd in Italy's rally.
Source: Seiska.fi (paper edition)
Courtesy: Leijona
