Räikkönen is in his second season in the WRC, driving a Citroën DS3 WRC for the Ice 1 Racing team. He says he feels his pace is improving all the time - which is why he won’t be distracted by taking part in the oval-based racing series in the United States.“I wouldn’t be doing any of the racing if it clashed with anything which I’m doing in the WRC,” said the 31-year-old. “The races have been picked because they fit around the rallies I’m doing. It doesn’t matter where I am when I’m not on the rallies. The driving has been better and we’re pushing harder now. My only target really is to improve in the WRC.”
Räikkönen just missed out on equaling his best ever WRC result on the Jordan Rally last month, dropping from fifth to sixth when a puncture cost him time late in the event.
The Finn has impressed mightily on his first NASCAR tests, with superstar American racer and team owner Kyle Busch commenting: “He’s right there, he knows what he’s doing. Kimi is a race driver, so he knows how to drive race cars and drive them well.”
Busch is among America’s most successful NASCAR racers, but Räikkönen, who drove for the Citroën Junior Team last season, matched his pace at a recent test in North Carolina.
“I got into the truck and ran some lap times to see how I compared to where he was on tyres and stuff,” said Busch, “and we ran identical lap times.”
Räikkönen’s next WRC outing is on the Acropolis Rally of Greece, which runs from 16-19 June.
Source: WRC
Courtesy: Sleenster
