Kimi Räikkönen who has gone through a hard school this season in WRC-serie doesn't fear new challenges. According to very reliable sources Vauhdin Maailma has got Räikkönen is founding a Finnish team to motocross WC-serie 2011.The project is called "Team Räikkönen" and it has been prepared behind the scenes for a longer time. The goal is to have two Finnish drivers out of which one would be in the toughest MX1-serie and the other one in MX2-serie.
Räikkönen's motocross team will compete with KTM-bikes. Very respectable and skillfull persons are involved in the team's operative activity, for example 7-time world champion Kari Tiainen.
Räikkönen himself has been asking the promising super talent Harri Kullas as a driver to his team but the 18-year old biker already has a signed contract for next season with another team so the cooperation will not come true. At the moment on top of Räikkönen's list is Toni Eriksson, a recent MX1-serie's national champion who won on the side the MX3-serie's WC-start and also Ludde Söderberg who got a trophy from MX2-serie's national serie and who won a race in Europe's start. Also Antti Pyrhönen has been included and the young promise Juuso Matikainen hasn't either been excluded from the game.
Kimi Räikkönen is not going to compete in the serie himself although he is known as an enthusiastic hobby-motocrossbiker. In the background he has an unselfish will to help Finns rise to the top again in one of our most traditional successful sports. It has been too long since for example Heikki Mikkola, Pekka Vehkonen or Miska Aaltonen held up Finland's flag in international cross-arenas.
Motorsport Federation's CEO Kurt Ljungqvist confirmed to Vauhdin Maailma that the rumours about Team Räikkönen's plans for the motocross WC-serie are true.
- I have helped so much in this matter that I asked the International Motorsport Federation if there would be a place for a new team like this immediately. The reply was quick and straightforward; no problems, it can be arranged, Ljungqvist tells.
- We are talking about a very serious project. Why wouldn't it come true? Especially when thinking about how tough professionals are involved in this starting from Kari Tiainen.
The funding won't be a problem since they have Räikkönen's fortune over tens of millions. It's also clear that the F1-champion's name will significantly help in getting sponsors for the team and the drivers. According to Ljungqvist it costs about 500.000 euros per season to run a team with two bikes in motocross.
- It's the input for the first year when nothing isn't ready yet and they have to get everything starting from bikes to garage-tents. After that it's much more cheaper to run a top team.
Vauhdin Maailma didn't get hold of Kimi Räikkönen for his comment on the matter.
Olli Koivusalo
Courtesy: Nicole
