Finland's gold was celebrated even in the F1 Champion Team

Topfysio Tommi Pärmäkoski celebrated Vettel's F1-championship in November. On Sunday evening he got something new to celebrate.

Together with his colleague Antti Kontsas, Pärmäkoski organized a joint Icehockey WC -studio for Finnish F1-trainers in Switzerland.

Pärmäkoski played icehockey himself in Mestis during 2002-03 as a goal keeper, "as a good sportsman but not as an especially talented hockey player".

– It was a great game from Finland's whole team and especially from Petri Vehanen (goalie). Deepest respects also to Sweden's goal keeper Viktor Fasth, who became a WC-star coming almost straight from their Mestis-level, Pärmäkoski thought.

Vettel, who has got a wooden Finnish sauna built in his home, tried out this weekend his renamed Red Bull Ring.

– Vettel called after Sweden made the opening goal but it got more quiet after that, Pärmäkoski revealed.

When Finland played against Germany Vettel was racing in Turkey. The competitive WDC made a bet with his fysio about who will win - he lost, which is very rare for the man these days.

Vettel leads the serie with 34 points to Lewis Hamilton after only 4 races.

– The car is good, the driver is good but there's at least 15 races left. The most important thing is to keep the feet on the ground and just take peacefully one race after another, Pärmäkoski says.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Kimi Räikkönen has promised a lift on Ferrari to Miami Vice star

The Miami Vice famous actor Philip Michael Thomas has fans in Finland.

One is Jussi Salonoja and another is the former F1 driver Kimi Räikkönen.

Ilta-Sanomat journalist Rita Tainola sat recently in the back seat of a taxi with Räikkönen and the conversation touched the Miami Vice series.

- Kimi said he likes the series because of Tubbs and thought that it would be nice to meet the man.
I picked immediately up the phone from my pocket and called Philip, Tainola tells.

- We chatted for a while and I told him that a certain F1 World Champion admires him, and I tapped the receiver on Kimi’s hand. Kimi told Philip that, if he will come to Finland one day, a Ferrari, similar to the one used in Miami Vice, will be acquired/prepared for him.

Buy this weekend edition of Ilta-Sanomat and read what Tainola thinks about the real star of this TV-series: Don Johnson.

IS

Courtesy: luieluv

Vettel shares Räikkönen's happiness

Sebastian Vettel is radiating from happiness and he admitted openly in a tv-interview that he loves his job that is crowned by continuous victories. Vettel sent his wishes to Finland from behind the scenes through his trainer Tommi Pärmäkoski, wishing that Kimi also lives his dream just like he does.

– It was quite a big surprise to hear that Kimi is going to race in Nascar on top of rally but that way he gets to continuously experience strong emotions that other F1-drivers can only dream of, Vettel said.

Pärmäkoski has a different challenge

A year ago after two opening races, Pärmäkoski was Vettel's closest mental supporter when Red Bull's young German star had thrown away two victories because of technical problems.

Now Pärmäkoski's role after two victories is to prevent the WDC from feeling too good.

– Psychologically this is a completely different challenge. You have to calm the man down to make sure he won't go ahead of things, Pärmäkoski told on the phone from Sepang's victory-party.

– On Tuesday morning I will challenge Seb in a squash game and beat him so badly that he knows again that he can also lose, Pärmäkoski laughed.

Not that there would be any big risk for an attitude-problem though. Vettel is that kind of type who doesn't easily start floating - just as he won't easily throw the hatchet in the well, which last season already proved.

– There's been more than enough of those who pat him on the back during the journey. Sebastian deals really well with those things. On the paddock he always does his work as precisely as before. Seb pulled a good race again although everything in the car didn't work, Pärmäkoski said.

Yet Red Bull isn't the only rooster on the roof.

– McLaren is close and keeps the team on their guard, Pärmäkoski reminds.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Kimi Räikkönen, what are you thinking?

Former Formula 1 champion Kimi Räikkönen told a newspaper in his native Finland that he would try his hand at NASCAR racing—with Foster Gillett as a partner in his ICE-1 Racing team

If this is true, and not an elaborate hoax, Raikkonen would be wise to be wary.

Gillett ran the day-to-day operations at Richard Petty Motorsports last year and ran the organization into the ground. Foster and his father, George Gillett, left hundreds of creditors and former employees holding the bag at RPM.

This is the same Foster Gillett who introduced himself to driver Carl Edwards by trying to "borrow" Edwards' four-wheeler in the driver/owner coach lot at Homestead—without permission.

"I hear my little Polaris Razor start up—I hear the exhaust start up," Edwards told Sporting News the day after the incident in November 2009. "'Who's in my four-wheeler?' So I run out the door, and here's these two guys—and I don't know who they are—and they're getting ready to take off. I say, 'Hey, hey, who are you?'

One of the guys was Foster Gillett, but that was a mere peccadillo compared with some of the larger consternation the Gillett family has left in its wake.

The Gilletts are hated in England for the bungling of their ownership/management of the Liverpool soccer side in the English Premier League. In 2008, George Gillett spoke of death threats against his family from the club's fans, threats Gillett said arose primarily from comments made by his estranged partner in the team, Texas billionaire Tom Hicks.

George Gillett didn't win many friends in Montreal when, according to Forbes, he leveraged the Bell Centre for $240 million after acquiring 80.1-percent interest in the Canadiens, as well as the building. A reported $72 million of that money found its way to Gillett's pocket as a dividend.

Ultimately, Gillett sold the Canadiens to the Molson family for a tidy profit. He wasn't as fortunate in Liverpool, where he lost the team to John Henry's New England Sports Ventures in a forced sale through the Royal Bank of Scotland, which had loaned more than $350 million to Gillett and Hicks.

Some reports describe Foster Gillett as an investor in the deal with Raikkonen. With what money? Ray Evernham recently sued two companies owned by George Gillett for $19.2 million Evernham alleges is owed from the original sale of majority interest in Evernham Motorsports to Gillett.

Gillett walked away from a reported $90 million loan from Wachovia/Wells Fargo that was used to purchase Evernham Motorsports, which became RPM after a merger with Petty Holdings. Investors Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron bought the loan for pennies on the dollar ($11 million, according to a Forbes report), and after Richard

Petty made a substantial investment of his own, the company returned to solvency. NASCAR will welcome Raikkonen with open arms. The Finnish driver is a bona fide superstar, and if he follows the plan of starting in the Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series before making a decision about competing in Sprint Cup, he's approaching the transition in a prudent way.

One has to wonder, though, if there's any NASCAR news in Finland. Due diligence should have squelched involvement by Foster Gillett before it started.

Richard Petty barely escaped having his name and reputation permanently sullied through association with the Gillett family.

Raikkonen doesn't need to take the same risk—and he doesn't need to leave any four-wheelers sitting around after dark.

Source: SportingNews
Courtesy: sleenster

Kimi concerned over young drivers

The idea of the new team was born in August after Finlands WRC-rally in Tommi Mäkinen's sauna in Puuppola.

- We chatted with Kimi in the sauna. Kimi knew Ludde (Söderberg) from before and was thinking about how he could help young motocross-drivers like him to go forward in their career, Kari Tiainen told.

This is how the first step was taken and Ice1Racing was put up with a fast schedule. The driving force was Räikkönen's genuine interest in running a motocross-team.

- Kimi has always been interested in motocross. He has been dreaming for a long time about starting a Finnish motocross-team, Riku Kuvaja tells.

Räikkönen will not participate in the everyday activity but according to Tiainen he has enough interest in the team's matters.

The team's goal is to open up a road to the top on long-term for Finnish drivers.

- We are satisfied if we are in the top 10 in some race. We have long-term goals, Tiainen says.

- We could think about drivers from other Scandinavian countries in the future.

Tiainen won't exclude the possibility of Räikkönen himself performing in his team's colors.

- I'm sure it would be possible, Kimi has taken part in the tests with us. If Kimi would drive, he probably should do it in some class in Finland. There's no point in going to the WC-serie although it would be a funny ad-gimmick.

Ice1Racing will race the full serie. The first race takes place in Bulgaria on April 10th.

Source: Ilta- Sanomat
Courtesy: Nicole

New trainer for Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton’s Twitter feed (@IamLewis4real) has kept his 90,000 followers up to date on the most strenuous period of winter training in his entire career – and that’s largely thanks to the efforts of his new full-time trainer, Finland’s Antti Vierula.

Lewis spent the Christmas period in the mountains of Colorado, where he’s been snow-hiking, cross-country skiing and working out in the gym – all between altitudes of 2600 and 3700m to maximise cardiovascular efficiency.

It’s been a punishing schedule – but one that will set him up perfectly for the 2011 season. Antti will be working closely with Lewis both in the gym and at the racetrack to co-ordinate his fitness programme, dietary requirements, and to ensure that he’s operating at peak physical form throughout the grueling 20-race season.

McLaren Racing managing director Jonathan Neale said: “At Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, we’re committed to building a team with incredible strength in depth in every department.

“By appointing Antti Vierula to oversee Lewis’s trackside fitness regime and Clayton Green to a senior position within our Human High Performance programme at the McLaren Technology Centre, we’re convinced that we’ve assembled the most experienced, capable and committed team to oversee Lewis’s training requirements."

Source: Nextgen

Photos: Kimi Räikkönen's Independence Day: Finland enduro race

Kimi Raikkonen explained enduro debut in style

Source: iltalehti
Courtesy: Verena and Julia

Heikki Kovalainen: Bear spotting in Pirttivaara

We had a nice opportunity to spot a wild bear family with four cubs in the nature. This video was shot in Pirttivaara, Finland, close to my home town Suomussalmi.

Source: OfficialKovalainen

Heikki Kovalainen: Hiking the Karhunkierros trail in Finland

Source: OfficialKovalainen

Heikki Kovalainen - Fonecta TV Spot (HD)

This new ad is one of the biggest TV spots ever made in Finland. If features my dad, Seppo, digging the telephone cable to find out who called him from unknown number ;)

Source: OfficialKovalainen

Grandprix: Kimi Räikkönen Interview at Finland

Courtesy: _TaniaS_

Kimi didn't care for fish stories* - except for eating

Citroen's rally drivers spent a nice afternoon in traditional Finnish scenery.

The visit was especially exotic for the French drivers since it looked like using a spinnig rod or a fishing pole isn't everyday action for them. Kimi Räikkönen on the other hand just watched his French colleagues' fishing and seemed amused.

Five-time world champion Sebastien Loeb was eager to grab the spinning rod but unfortunately he didn't catch any fish in the hot weather. Citroen's new super talent Sebastien Ogier had better luck, the fish stole his worm bait several times. Eventually a few centimeter long perch got caught in the hook but it managed to escape before Ogier had time to grab it.

Räikkönen wasn't interested in the fishing equipment and watched the action from the side.

Smoked salmon was on the menu

Loeb got exited over the other available activities as well. He tested his accuracy in throwing both darts and horse shoes.

The afternoon was crowned by smoked salmon whose preparation the rally men got to follow. The French seemed to enjoy the Finnish delicacies. And Kimi especially liked the salmon since he got up for round two before the others had hardly even sat down to eat.

On Monday the drivers still had time to enjoy the beautiful hot weather and Mid-Finland's gorgeous lake scenery but in the end of the week there will be less of that going on since the men will be speeding through gravel routes in Jyväskylä's WRC rally.

Source: MTV3 – Leena Lepistö, Jämsä
Courtesy: Dracaena

Kimi Räikkönen will be joined by Dani Sordo for Rally Finland

Following the asphalt of Bulgaria, the FIA World Rally Championship gets back to gravel with the legendary Rally Finland. For the first time this year, Dani Sordo and Marc Marti will drive for the Citroën Junior Team. The team’s second Citroën C4 WRC will be in the hands of Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström, who are competing in front of their home crowd.

For 60 years now, the 1000 Lakes Rally – which then became the Rally Finland – has been a classic fixture for all the crews. The event is often nicknamed the ‘Jyväskylä Grand Prix’ and it has featured seven times in the top 10 fastest rallies ever held in the history of the World Rally Championship. The quickest Rally Finland took place in 2005, with an average speed of 122.86 kph recorded on the event.

For the eighth round of the season, Citroën Racing has made some adjustments to its team nominations. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia join the Citroën Total World Rally Team for the first time, while Dani Sordo and Marc Marti form part of the Citroën Junior Team as team mates to Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström. The Spanish crew will also be nominated to score points for the Citroën Junior Team in Japan and Great Britain this year.

“The objective of the Citroën Junior Team is to allow young drivers to perform to the best of their abilities at the highest level,” pointed out Team Manager Benoit Nogier. “We have seen this goal being achieved with Sébastien Ogier and we are very happy for him. His results reflect the hard work that the entire team has put in since the start of the season. We hope to be at the same level with Dani, so that he too can show what he is capable of.”

Dani Sordo, aged 27, is currently sixth in the World Championship standings and has finished on the podium twice this year, thanks to third place in Portugal and second in Bulgaria. The Spaniard looks upon his new association with the Citroën Junior Team as a fresh opportunity. “I’ll be feeling less pressure,” he said. “By switching teams, I won’t always have to drive with the fundamental need to score manufacturer points for Citroën at the back of my mind. I’m going to concentrate on just doing my own rally and delivering the best performance possible.”

For the first time in his short World Rally Championship career, Kimi Räikkönen will be starting an event that he has already contested last year. In 2009, the 2007 Formula One World Champion showed some highly impressive pace before unfortunately going off the road.

“We were able to get back up to speed on gravel thanks to a good pre-Finland test,” said Kimi. “Those testing kilometres are absolutely vital on a rally like this one. The experience from last year is certainly going to help, but there is such a performance gap between a Super 2000 machine and a World Rally Car that it’s almost like driving a different rally. I’m really looking forward to getting started. When I was in Formula One, I never got the chance to race in front of my home crowd. I know that there are going to be loads of fans out in service and by the side of the stages. For me, this is a real highlight of the season!”

Source: RallyBuzz
Courtesy: Julia

Kimi Räikkönen Testing for Rally Finland 2010

Source: Iltalehti.fi

Kimi prepares for his return to Finland

They say practice makes perfect, whether it’s tightrope walking or Rachmaninov’s second piano concerto. So it follows that the same is true in rallying: particularly if you happen to be a beginner like a certain Kimi Matias Räikkönen.

Over the years, Kimi’s proved that he’s game for most things, such as dressing up in a gorilla suit and calling himself James Hunt. He’s that increasingly rare animal: a racing driver with a life.

But one thing he’s not had that much practice of yet is rallying. Next weekend Kimi takes on what will be only his seventh World Championship Rally at the wheel of his Red Bull-backed Citroen C4 WRC, but it’s possibly his biggest one yet: Rally Finland.

Known as the ‘Finnish Grand Prix’ and famous for its trampoline-like crests that launch cars into the air for up to 100 metres, Rally Finland is the Monaco of the World Rally Championship; the one that all the drivers want to win.

Particularly, if like Kimi, they happen to be Finnish and blessed with the trenchant quality of sisu: that untranslatable Finnish word that means something between fire in the belly and strength in the face of adversity.

We caught up with Kimi as he tested for two days close to Jyvaskyla this week: the base for the Rally Finland from July 29-31. He comes to it with an important ace up his Nomex sleeve: of all the rallies this year, Finland is the only one he’s done before.

But as the Iceman explains, the circumstances are somewhat different…

Redbull.com: You’ve already done Rally Finland last year. Is that going to help?

Kimi Raikkonen: “It helps a bit, for sure. But last year I did it in a Fiat Punto Super 2000, which is quite a lot slower than the Citroen C4 WRC that I have now. It’s almost like driving a different rally. The speed is so much faster in the Citroen that we will have to make a completely new set of pace notes. And then I didn’t finish the rally last year because unfortunately we went off. So while some things are going to be a bit familiar, other things are going to be very different as well.”

RB: What were you testing in Finland this week?
KR: “Everything basically. That’s the thing for me this year: because every event is new to us, we’re starting from scratch with the set-up every time. I really don’t know what to expect. For example, our last rally was Bulgaria. I hadn’t even set foot in the country before we started the recce there. But in Finland it’s very fast, with lots of big jumps. So the main thing we are concentrating on there is getting the suspension and dampers right. Like all these things it is a compromise. You need to make the car stiff enough to cope with all the crests but soft enough to get good traction. That’s why we go testing.”

RB: Do you feel a lot of extra pressure at home?
KR: “Not really. I’ve been used to pressure in Formula One and in rallying there’s a little less pressure, because the atmosphere is more relaxed generally and also because it’s unrealistic for people to expect us to win in our first year. Even a podium would be a lot. Being at home means that there are even more crowds and people wanting autographs than usual but I’m certainly used to that as well. The way I look at it is that it is nice to get to drive at the top in my home country: that’s an opportunity that I never had in Formula One.”

RB: How difficult is it to cope with challenging for a win at every Grand Prix to just trying to score points on every rally now?
KR: “These things are only difficult if you are disappointed by your results and I’m not disappointed. I came into this year with my eyes open and no real expectations apart from the fact that it would be difficult to switch. And I was certainly right about that. Don’t forget that I had options in Formula One and I still have them: this is what I chose for myself. So it’s not a problem.”

RB: Finally the killer question: are you going back to Formula One?
KR: “Good question. I’ve never been asked that before. Seriously? OK, I’ll tell you: I don’t know.”

And some people say that Finns have no sense of humour…!

Source: RedBull.com

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN GETS TO GRIPS WITH FINNISH GRAVEL

Red Bull driver Kimi Räikkönen has enjoyed a successful two-day test close to Jyvaskyla, a week before starting his first Rally Finland at the wheel of the Citroen Junior Team C4 WRC.

Kimi took part in the Rally Finland last year - but he was driving a less powerful Super 2000 car. This time, he will take the start in a car similar to the one that won the Rally Finland last year in the hands of Sebastien Loeb. After running consistently within the top three of his class last year, Kimi faces a much bigger challenge in 2010 thanks to the extra speed of the Citroen C4 WRC.

The 2007 Formula One World Champion tried out two different roads during the test, in order to experience the range of conditions that he will find when the rally begins in just over a week's time. Weather conditions were cool and cloudy on Tuesday, but much warmer on Wednesday.

He tested all the parameters needed for success on Rally Finland: in particular suspension and damper settings, which are vital for ensuring that the car flies accurately over the huge rollercoaster crests that Rally Finland is famous for.

Kimi said: "The test went really well, and it was great for us to have this experience before starting Rally Finland. Of course it helps a bit that I have done the rally last year, but the World Rally Car is such a step up from the Super 2000 car that it is like driving a completely different rally. We tested everything that we wanted to, and it was also useful to have the experience of preparing pace notes on these fast and technical roads. I'm really looking forward to Rally Finland: as a Grand Prix driver I never really got the chance to compete in the top class at home before, so I think that it's going to be a lot of fun. We made a few adjustments to the car during the test but nothing major: I think we are in a good position to start the rally now."

His experienced co-driver Kaj Lindstrom, who has competed on the Rally Finland 10 times, is also looking forward to the eighth round of this year's World Rally Championship. "I have been lucky enough to have had some great memories of competing on the Rally Finland, but I'm sure that this is going to be a very special one too," he said. "It's always a huge pleasure for me and for Kimi to drive in front of our home crowd, and we hope that we can give everybody something to remember. The pre-event test went very well and we have a good feeling with the car and the pace notes. But of course the real action starts a week on Friday!"

Kimi and Kaj will now have a few days off before the recce for the Rally Finland gets underway on Tuesday 27 July. The rally starts in the evening of Thursday 29 July and finishes on Saturday 31 July: an innovation for the 60th anniversary of the event.

Source: RedBull Rallye

Pics from test of Kimi Räikkönen at Finland

Some pics from test yesterday!

Source: MTV3

Courtesy: Vers

Seiska article: Kimi has lived in Switzerland already for 10 years

HERE'S MY HOME SCENERY

- 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

THE MEETING OF ALL DREAMS IN FINLAND: RÄIKKÖNEN VS VETTEL

They are putting up a duel between Kimi and Sebastian Vettel in Finland.

It would take place in Helsinki Motorsport Weekend during 7.-8. August. Neither one of them has given an official confirmation yet but Vettel has already given his personal 'yes', therefore it's only up to Red Bull's permission. The organizers believe strongly that Räikkönen will also participate. What makes it easier to happen is that Red Bull is the sponsor for the event and also the employer of both stars.

Räikkönen's co-driver Kaj Lindström has already promised that he is in the competition for co-drivers so it's a sure sign that neither one of them is doing any rally work that weekend.

In the competition star drivers from different genres compete against each other with the similar vehicle, meaning Legends-cars, Bullspeed Cross Karts and KTM X-Bows. Two drivers will drive at the same time on the track that has been built in Helsinki's Fish harbor. If they get both Räikkönen and Vettel, they will put them both to drive at the same time against each other á la Race of Champions.

From former F1-drivers Mika Salo has already promised to participate. Jacques Villeneuve is probably coming too.

Source: MTV3
Courtesy: Nicole

KIMI: I'VE NEVER BEEN INTERESTED IN OTHER PEOPLE'S OPINIONS

Kimi Räikkönen visited his sponsor's event in Finland where they showed the Iceman DNA-commercial.

Kimi's unique sponsor-event brought a handful of media people and a full hall of eager DNA-partners who got to see Finland's most famous celebrity in flesh.

Kimi was in a good mood and he answered with a smile to Anette Latva-Piikkilä's questions. He also compared himself to other f1-drivers and pondered what made him different from other talented drivers.

– Of course there's a lot of things, everyone is a different person. Of course a lot depends on who looks and who thinks whatever but I have never thought about what they think about me. And I haven't been interested in what they do, I've always tried to do just my own thing, Kimi revealed.

According to Kimi this strategy has always worked for him but the same recipe isn't necessarily the right one for others. Kimi reminded that a good car makes a big difference when thinking of success.

– You have to have a good car and a good team. The top drivers are yet quite even although there might be some small differences in some things. But the top drivers don't differ much from each other if you would put them in the same car, Kimi confessed.

Source: MTV3
Courtesy: Nicole