Räikkönen returns to rallying

Kimi Räikkönen will return to World Rally Championship duty in Greece next week, almost two months after he made his last appearance in the series in Jordan, where he finished sixth in his Ice 1 Racing Citroen DS3 WRC

Since then the ex-Formula One world champion has made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut, finishing 15th at Charlotte, a result he followed up by claiming 27th on his first appearance in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at the same venue one week later.

Räikkönen has yet to compete on the Loutraki-based Acropolis Rally and will be braced for a tough test on the punishing gravel stages. He spent today (Wednesday) reacclimatising to the rigours of driving his turbocharged Citroen on gravel roads during a test near Marseille in the south of France where he covered approximately 150 kilometres.

Benoit Nogier, who manages the Citroen Racing Technologies operation, the company responsible for running Raikkonen’s DS3 WRC, spoke to Wrc.com following the test. He said: “We were very happy with his performance in Jordan and he has a good opportunity for Greece. We found a road with a condition as close as possible to Greece and Kimi was quite happy. It will be a tough rally, not necessarily for the drivers but for the cars. The first day is very long with only a remote service but Kimi is not a rookie anymore and will be able to manage this situation.”

Räikkönen, who is co-driven by fellow Finn Kaj Lindstrom, will be anxious to kick start his promising 2011 WRC campaign in Greece after skipping the last two rounds in Italy and Argentina. He had described his performance on the Jordan Rally in mid-April as his best in the series so far and would have equalled his career-best fifth place but for a late puncture.

“The driving has been better and we’re pushing harder now,” Räikkönen was quoted as saying recently. “My only target really is to improve in the WRC.”

The Acropolis Rally will mark the fourth of Räikkönen’s planned 10 appearances in the WRC. He’s currently ninth in the drivers’ standings on 18 points. Ice 1 Racing is sixth in the manufacturers’ standings with 26 points.

Source: WRC

Kimi Räikkönen: F1 Misses the Iceman

As Mika Hakkinen’s illustrious career was coming to an end, another Flying Finn was ready to take his place on the grid and in the McLaren F1 team. Kimi Raikkonen of Finland had completed a mere 23 races apart from go-karting before he was drafted by Peter Sauber in his Formula 1 team. The FIA reluctantly granted this unknown Finn a super license to compete in the 2001 season.

Despite being numerically outperformed by his team mate Nick Heidfeld, his cool head behind the wheel was not unnoticed. Much to the annoyance of the German, Kimi was chosen over him to replace the ‘on sabbatical’ Hakkinen in the McLaren hot seat.

McLaren

2002 was Kimi’s first season in McLaren and it was another year of Schumacher-Ferrari domination. The ‘Iceman’ almost won his first race in the French GP, only to slip on a patch of oil on the track and let Schumacher pass him for first. Someone like a Hamilton or Vettel may have wallowed at the Podium or press conference, but Kimi was poker-faced and monotonous as usual.

In his frustrating stint with the Woking team, Raikkonen mounted credible title challenges in 2003 and 2005. The first of these was a three way battle between himself, Juan Pablo Montoya and Michael Schumacher. Eventually, Schumi edged the young Kimi by 2 points. Reliability cost Raikkonen the title in 2005, where he actually won the same number of races (7) as the eventual champion Alonso. On two occasions, his McLaren let him down while he was in the lead and on both occasions, Alonso took advantage to win the race.

Twice in the 2005 season, Raikkonen started the race dead last (due to engine failures in Qualifying) and finished on the podium. In one of the most memorable races of his career, Raikkonen starting from 17th place, won the Grand Prix in Suzuka Japan. He hunted down his rivals one by one, stormed past the likes of Alonso, Schumacher and passed the race leader Giancarlo Fisichella on the last lap of the race! It is doubtful if the modern day punks like Hamilton and Vettel can match that.

Ferrari

Sadly, Kimi’s McLaren was much too fragile to win him World Championships and he made the switch to Scuderia Ferrari in 2007 to fill the boots of Michael Schumacher. It can be an intimadting task for anyone to replace a legend of the sport. It didn’t seem to affect Raikkonen. He was notably absent in a media event where Schumi would ‘hand over’ his place to Kimi. When asked about it, Kimi replied in his typical monotonous tone – “I had gone to take a s***”. He never gives any, that’s for sure.

In Ferrari, he won his first race and made a strong start to the season. The 2007 season was a four way tussle between Kimi, Massa, Hamilton and Alonso. Massa fell away and it came down to the other three in the last race of the season. As things stood, Hamilton had 107 points, Alonso 103 and Kimi 100. So, for Raikkonen to win the Championship, he had to win AND hope that Alonso finishes 3rd or below AND Hamilton finishes 7th or below.

Kimi qualified 3rd behind teammate Massa with Hamilton in 2nd place. In a clever opening move, Massa pulled ahead of Lewis Hamilton and slowed down, allowing Kimi to pass both of them on the first corner. Hamilton then lost his bearings and though he will never admit it, accidentally pressed the Pit Lane speed limiter button. When he finally realized it, he was in last place. Hamilton could only finish 7th, and the Ferraris finished one-two. Thus, Kimi became World Champion in the most dramatic fashion, finishing a mere 1 point ahead of Alonso and Hamilton.

Driving Style

Kimi liked adventure in his driving. He never fussed much about the car setup with his mechanics and engineers, choosing to simply drive what he got. His only preference was to have a slight understeer, which enabled him to make a wide swinging turn out of the corners. Perhaps he got a kick out of the extra acceleration. Naturally, he enjoyed the ups, downs and twists of Belgium Spa Francorchamps the most, and was rightly called the ‘Spa Master’.

Apart from this, Kimi was a smooth driver, easy on the tires, brakes and good at overtaking (Fisichella can testify). He was as brief and monotonous on the car radio as he was in press conferences and as cool as ever. This sometimes led to criticism over his motivation levels by some commentators. But of course, he never gave a s**t.

Personality and Legacy

In 2009, Raikkonen left Ferrari and F1 itself to join rally car racing. With a solitary championship to his name, he wont be considered one of the ‘greats’, but he will never be forgotten either. Raikkonen was a man who thoroughly enjoyed racing and didnt care about the rest. While drivers like Schumacher and Hamilton obsess about rivals, car setup and so on, Raikkonen simply turned up, set the track on fire and left in the evening without a fuss.

Behind his ice-cold face and monotonous voice, was a colorful personality. No wonder he entered a snowmobile race under the pseudonym “James Hunt”, a party loving personality from the 70s. While many of the drivers nowadays are PR stuntmen, Kimi lived his life for himself. He celebrated his championship by getting drunk, being thrown out of the bar and sleeping on a public bench with an inflatable dolphin. He also once, fell headfirst in a yacht while being drunk.

He never apologized for any of it, he didn’t have to. Kimi never kept any pretenses, preferring to speak little, let his driving do the talking and enjoy himself off the track. With his retirement (doesn’t look like he will be back), F1 has possibly seen the end of an era.

Source: Sportskeeda
Courtesy: Sleenster

USA's elite motorsport cherishes traditions and makes money

Turun Sanomat made a pioneer trip to Nascar-races during Charlotte All Star -weekend. There we also saw Kimi Räikkönen for the first time in Camping World Truck -class.

The reporter and photographer arrived early on Friday morning in order to avoid traffic. The castle-like Motor Speedway -complex is a mighty entity surrounded by camping-areas. Yet the traffic was almost non-existing in the morning and the audiences were all empty although the practice sessions were about to begin.

Where is the audience when you expect over 100.000 spectators for the weekend?

– It's Friday, people are still at work. The race is in the evening, that's when the local people's freetime begins and the audiences are filled. Don’t worry, ESPN -channel's longtime motorsport reporter Lewis Franck told the Finns.

Each oval is different

We got to experience what it's like to drive on this 1,5 mile oval first hand when we got a ride with the pace car. It really has nothing to do with an European track race. On top of that each oval is different although they look similar. Their lenghts wary from half a mile to 2,5 mile.

Charlotte track's inclinations are 24 degrees in the corners and 5 degrees on the straight.

– The track has only one ideal driving line which is faster than the others. Since everybody can't take it they have to take the 2nd fastest line and those behind again the next best driving line. It takes time to learn how to manage on an oval when several cars go flatout side by side, the pace car driver explained to us.

Then the practice begins. There are more people than usual in the media center and every interesting driver is interviewed by the media one by one. The atmosphere is very open all the time like when old buddies meet each other. Even Räikkönen who trembled in practice talks on and on and he is remarkably laidback.

After Jim Clark, Mario Andretti and Jacques Villeneuve, Räikkönen brings breath of fresh air from F1-champion -level. It is revealed that he isn't even the serie's first Iceman.

When Räikkönen started karting as a little boy, a driver called Terry Labonte who had an exceptionally cool attitude was driving on Nascar-tracks, he was the one and only Nascar-Iceman.

The evening comes. Drivers are presented to the audience one by one on an estrade built in front of the main stand. A male choir sings USA's anthem, which the locals listen to holding their right hand on their heart.

Easy to supervise easy rules

Nascar is a package that functions well. There has been no need to change rules every year like in F1.

– The more simple rules, the easier it is to supervise them. That's why the rules haven't much been changed since the beginning. And because the pits and cars are so out in the open everyone sees immediately if the neighbor is trying to cheat in some way, reporter colleague Franck emphasizes.

When a Finnish world champion competes somewhere around the world, you usually see automatically supporters waving Finland's flag.

In Nascar you had to search and search in order to find Finland's flag. There were two of them. The duo from Hyvinkää carried their flag on the track-area and the other one was in the stand.

Columbian reporter Diego Mejia reminds that you don't really see Columbia's flags either.

– When Juan Pablo Montoya drove in the Indy-serie hundreds of Columbian fans with flags travelled to the spot. When Juan drove in F1 you could see Columbia's flags all over the world. Then when he came to Nascar in 2006 you didn't see the flags anymore. They have started to come back slowly, Meija tells.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Where will Kimi Räikkönen race next?

Kyle Busch dispelled the notion that a lack of funding played a role in Kimi Räikkönen's brief stint with the NASCAR star's racing team, but Busch couldn't clarify the former Formula One champion's future in NASCAR or with Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Busch said Friday before practice at Kansas Speedway, site of Sunday's Sprint Cup race, that money wasn't an issue with the Finn, who signed a deal with Kyle Busch Motorsports in April to run three to five Trucks Series races.

Räikkönen ran one Trucks races, then decided to run the Nationwide event last week in Charlotte, finishing four laps down in 27th.

"They paid for the Truck races, but then he said, 'OK, let's do a Nationwide race.' So, we took those funds from the end of the year and put them to that Nationwide race. So, they are paid in full for the races they've run," Busch said.

Busch said he hasn't discussed future NASCAR plans with Räikkönen, though he's open to talking with him about running more Trucks or Nationwide races, mentioning venues such as Atlanta, Martinsville and Homestead.

"I like Kimi. I liked working with him and talking with him and developing a little bit of a relationship there," Busch said. "I feel like he had a good time while here and working with us."

Räikkönen spent nine years in Formula One, driving for Sauber, McLaren and Ferrari. He had 18 wins and won the 2007 championship, and his decision to give NASCAR a go created buzz around the circuit.

He is currently racing for the World Rally Car Championship with his own team, ICE 1 Racing, but is not scheduled to compete in that series again until later this month in Greece.

"He's got Rally and other stuff that he's worried about. We're not mad whatsoever. We knew things would change so that's why contracts are always kind of weirded out anyway," Busch said.

Source: ESPN - The Associated Press

Räikkönen refused entry to Briatore club in Monaco

Flavio Briatore addressed the media, proudly strolled the paddock and grid and appeared for the popular British motoring show 'Top Gear' as F1's most prestigious grand prix took place last weekend in Monaco.

But also in the Principality, another former member of the F1 circus was making a much lower profile visit.

Kimi Räikkönen, the 2007 world champion and now rally and NASCAR driver, rushed from a Nationwide race in the US late on Saturday to be harbourside in his yacht in time for Sunday's Monaco grand prix.

In his entourage were 'The Dudesons', a ramshackle group of friends known on Finnish television for their highly popular and extreme Jackass-style show.

Räikkönen, 31, was seen with the group as they relaxed in his yacht's open spa, and they also ventured to Briatore's 'Billionaire' nightclub -- but were refused entry.

The bouncers, apparently, failed to recognise the winner of 18 grands prix, and - enjoying his anonymity - Räikkönen failed to rebuke them and the party moved elsewhere.

"Maybe it was just time to sleep," Spanish AS newspaper reporter Rafa Paya speculated.

Source: F1Zone

TRUCKS: Räikkönen Has Paid In Full For Races He’s Run Says Ren

Kyle Busch Motorsports general manager Rick Ren insists Kimi Räikkönen doesn't owe the team money...

Kimi Räikkönen has paid for the races he has run for Kyle Busch Motorsports and does not owe the team money, KBM general manager Rick Ren said Saturday.

The question over whether Räikkönen had paid for his races was raised Thursday after team owner Kyle Busch said that the original plan of doing three to five Camping World Truck Series events with Raikkonen had changed because Raikkonen had not yet paid for future events.

"What's changed is the payment schedule,” Busch said Thursday. “The contract states that we're supposed to receive so much and we have not. We've only received enough for these two races.

“It's either up to Kimi or up to the financial people that run Kimi's business side of things and decide that they need to find the sponsorship funds in order to carry the experience for him further."

Those comments were interpreted that the former Formula One champion might still owe Busch money. Ren said prior to Räikkönen’s Nationwide Series debut Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway that that is not the case.

“Reports circulating that Kimi has not paid for the races he is running at KBM are untrue,” Ren said. “As Kyle Indicated Thursday, we have received payments from Kimi for both last week’s truck race and today’s Nationwide Series race.

“When Kyle stated that the payment schedule has changed, he was referring to plans for future truck races for Kimi at KBM.”

Ren reiterated there is no disagreement between KBM and Räikkönen’s management over payments.

“Since the original announcement, the plan changed and all parties agreed to take the funding for future truck races and put it towards running today’s Nationwide Series race,” Ren said. “After today’s race, if Kimi is interested in running more NASCAR events this year, we’ll be happy to discuss that with him.”

Source: Nascar.SpeedTV

Räikkönen at wild party at Monaco GP 2011

Kimi Räikkönen made his NASCAR Nationwide debut on Saturday, but showed up already the next day at the Monaco Grand Prix. He hosted there a wild party for the "Finnish Jackass" The Dudesons.

So we can almost say that Kimi was with his performance even faster than Monaco GP winner Sebastian Vettel...

Räikkönen did not miss any speed and dangerous moments when hosting his guests. Jukka from The Dudesons made everybody laugh by dressing in Kimi's NASCAR-overall:



Source: RacingNewsFlash

Nationwide-race barbequed Kimi's driving pleasure

Kimi Räikkönen's feelings in his debut-races World Camping Truck- and Nationwide -classes were completely different. He enjoyed fully the Truck-race whereas the Nationwide-stunt mainly brought him pain, sweat and a disappointment in driving pleasure.

– The race started well and Kimi was driving towards a TOP-15 during the first 40 laps. After that the setbacks began and the joy of driving stopped immediately, Todd Hirschfield who conveys Kimi's feelings from the American tour, reported to Turun Sanomat after the race.

– Kimi showed his speed. It speaks for itself when you look at who he had already left behind him when his car worked the way he wanted.

The weather in North-Carolina was considerably hotter than a week ago. There were also problems in heat isolation. The driver who climbed out of Toyota Camry looked like a racer who was remarkably worn out.

– It was incredibly hot in the cockpit. That's why the race felt more longer than it was in reality. The floor burned my sneakers and my soles, Räikkönen sighed.

Räikkönen started from 22nd position and finished in 27th position 4 laps behind. The Truck-race went the other way around when Räikkönen started from 31st position and climbed up to 15th in the race, driving on the same lap as the winner.

– The goal was the same in both races - to drive all laps and finish at the same lap with the top. It was a completely realistic goal but succeeded only in the first race. Kimi drove really well all the time, team manager Rick Ren praised.

Räikkönen proved once again that he can quickly learn a new car and the style of a new racing class and could already in Saturday's race take advantage of the re-starts improving his position all the time.

– It was cool at first when I could overtake and it felt good when the car turned decently. Then everything just went wrong. I couldn't control the car. I couldn't turn it anymore and felt that I had to stop in corners when it was ramming so badly all the time.

– I had the same problem in practice already. We got it better but in the race the problems came back. It's nasty to experience something like that because the car felt so good at times. I even hit the wall a few times because the car didn't turn. I got hits from behind and almost spun. When it gets that tricky you just can't race. You only try to make it through the corners and don't enjoy it one bit, Räikkönen reported.

When pitting around lap 139 Räikkönen moved on too fast and got a penalty for speeding. After that he was 2 laps behind the lead.

On track he got more troubles. A front piece from some car had fallen off and it got stuck on the bottom of Räikkönen's Toyota and after that turning the car became almost impossible.

– I had no grip in the front anymore. Some junk got stuck on the bottom of the car and it didn't come loose until it was pulled off in the pit, Räikkönen cleared.

The rest of the race Räikkönen used mainly to get experience.

Matt Kenseth won before Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch. It was Kenseth's 26th victory in Nationwide -class.

Räikkönen left for Europe on Saturday-night. His plans of continuing in Nascar are now pending.

– Kimi sits down to think what he wants. I hope that these races lit the spark to drive more Nascar-races in the future. I am extremely pleased with his performances. Kimi showed very quickly that he can drive in the same speed as the experienced men in these classes, Hirschfeld says.

If Räikkönen finds himself a competitive car to Sprint Cup -races to so called normal tracks like Sonoma and also Watkins Glen, then it will most definitely decide Räikkönen's will to continue.

Juan Pablo Montoya snatched his first Sprint Cup -victory in Sonoma 2007 and his second one in Watkins Glen 2010.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Results

300 laps/200 miles:

1. Matt Kenseth Ford
2. Carl Edwards Ford
3. Kyle Busch Toyota
4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford
5. Reed Sorenson Chevrolet
6. Brad Keselowski Dodge
7. Steve Wallace Toyota
8. Brian Scott Toyota
9. Aric Almirola Chevrolet
10. Elliott Sadler Chevrolet
11. Joey Logano Toyota
12. Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge
13. Justin Allgaier Chevrolet
14. Michael Annett Toyota
15. Cole Whitt Toyota
27. Kimi Räikkönen Toyota
28. Eric McClure Chevrolet
29. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet
30. Derrike Cope Dodge

Courtey: Nicole

Photos: Kimi Räikkönen in Monaco Grand Prix 2011

After his debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series category Kimi Raikkonen relaxes on his yacht in the prince of Monaco 2011




Courtesy: Miezicat

Kimi Räikkönen is 27th in challenging Nationwide debut

"The Iceman" made his debut in Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and things got hot all over for Kimi Räikkönen (FSY).

The 2007 Formula One champion battled extreme heat in the cockpit that scalded his feet, a pit miscue that resulted in being handed an empty water bottle and an ill-handling Toyota that had the Finn cursing like an American sailor.

Coupled with a speeding penalty exiting the pits on a green-flag stop and the impact of a chunk of another driver's splitter, Raikkonen's 27th-place finish (four laps down) in his Nationwide Series debut could be regarded as inauspicious.

But considering it was his second start in a NASCAR national series and his first — ever — in a stock car on an oval, crew chief Rick Ren took another view of his driver's performance.

"Kimi did a great job," said Ren, who had set a goal of lead-lap finishes for Raikkonen's first two NASCAR races (he achieved it last week with a 15th in the Camping World Truck Series). "Everyone needs to understand that Charlotte is a very difficult racetrack. There are really good, famous race car drivers that have never won at Charlotte.

"For him to finish on the lead lap in the truck, qualify good in the Nationwide cars, run great in the second practice.. .. He's got good feedback for having never driven these types of vehicles. Enough feedback to help me realize what it's doing. I call it a success. The results don't really show how good he really did. If you look at the finishing order, guys in 10th-12th we ran ahead of them a good lick of the day. I think it was all positive. No negatives out of it."

No one is positive, though, of Raikkonen's next move. The enigmatic driver, who notched 18 victories and 62 podiums in F1 while racing for Sauber, McLaren and Ferrari from 2001-09 and now races in the World Rally Championship, was being typically coy after Saturday's race would be his last in NASCAR.

"I don't know that," said Raikkonen, who departed Charlotte immediately for a WRC event in Greece. "For now, I go back to Europe and to some rallies and see what happens."

There are no races scheduled beyond Charlotte for Raikkonen, but Kyle Busch (FSY) Motorsports would be willing to work with him again after supplying a car and truck the past two weeks.

"It's up to him to decide if he wants to come do this again," said Ren, the general manager for KBM. "Hopefully, we did our part, and it was a pleasant experience for him."

Raikkonen, who thanked the team after the race despite filling his radio channel with vulgarities for much of 300 miles, has said he would like to race Sprint Cup and is interested in the June 26 race at Sonoma, Calif. Infineon Raceway is a road course that would suit his background in F1 (which races exclusively on road and street circuits).

But Ren cautioned that Sonoma would be another very hot race, and that KBM (which runs primarily in the truck series) wouldn't be able to secure a Cup car from a front-running team (a Camry was obtained from NEMCO Motorsports for Saturday's Nationwide race).

"We'd have to do (Sonoma) with a Cup team," Ren said. "The Cup teams that could go do that are very, very limited. I have something that maybe could develop if he wanted to do that, but it's cutting it close to go to Sonoma. Engine builders plan engines six to eight weeks out, so it'd be really tough."

Raikkonen tested a car this past week on the Virginia International Raceway road course for Robby Gordon (FSY) Motorsports, which would seem an obvious choice for supplying a Toyota for Cup.

He'll have a lot to mull after a race that didn't go nearly as smoothly as his NASCAR debut a week earlier. Raikkonen qualified 22nd and was satisfied with the handling of his car for the first half of the 200-lap event.

But it began growing uncomfortable quickly. During the first yellow on Lap 26, Raikkonen radioed his feet were "burning" from heat emanating from the floorboards. After joking he might hang his feet out the window, he declined an offer from Ren to stop to put heat shields on his heels — though he demanded more water.

Shifting the position of his feet, though Raikkonen still radioed late in the race that "everything is just burning up, my legs and my (butt)." He seemed to be in no pain walking through the garage in street clothes about 20 minutes after the checkered flag.

"It was hurting on the heels but didn't really do anything," he said. "Just try to keep my foot off the floor and hold them up."

He also was fighting through more discomfort. With Raikkonen demanding water on each stop to manage the heat, Ren said a jack man handed him a mostly empty bottle during a stop under a Lap 74 yellow.

But the car came to life on a Lap 78 restart, picking up three spots in five laps under green, and he was in 15th for a Lap 91 restart. He smacked the Turn 4 wall on Lap 100. As the handling on his car faded, the team held him out longer during a green-flag pit stop sequence. He sped exiting the pits and then ran over a bright orange chunk of a splitter that came off another driver's car. He had to pit again for damage and fell three laps down, losing another later under green.

"That just took us out of the day," Ren said. "Now it damaged the front of the car, took the downforce out, and now it really won't turn. It pretty much ended our day."

Raikkonen said he still managed to have fun until the car went away and seemed to show improvement on restarts.

"It was nice in the beginning," he said. "I could overtake on the restarts, and it felt really good when it turned. But it turned out to be really bad, the handling. It felt I had to stop in the corner, just pushing all the time. But it's the same thing happened in the first and second practice. We could improve it in the second practice, but somehow it came back for me. Anyhow, it's a shame because at some points, it felt quite good.

"Once it got difficult, it's because you cannot race, and it's just trying to survive through the corners, and it's not so much fun. Until that point, it was good."

That might have been hard to discern from Raikkonen's radio, which often was littered with the same vulgarities used by NASCAR champions having rough days. But Ren didn't think the frustration necessarily impacted Raikkonen's performance or his ability to tune on the car.

"Someone else is passing you, or you drive in corner and it won't turn, there's nothing more frustrating," Ren said. "It's easy for a guy to get upset. Especially a guy who's won grand prix events and is an F1 champion and runs rally cars and is a very experienced race car driver.

"But he's not any different from Kyle (Busch), Carl (Edwards), Jimmie (Johnson) or Kevin Harvick (FSY). If they have a bad day, they get upset. We listen and try to cheerlead and do the best we can with cards we've been dealt."

Though Raikkonen radioed repeatedly that something was "wrong" with the car, Ren said it's just a matter of learning to adapt to a car that weighs twice as much as an F1 car and has much skinnier tires.

"The front-running guys are saying the exact same thing (about handling)," Ren said. "These things just do not handle very well. You'll hear drivers say the tires feel like they're basketballs. It's just a new feel to him. I'm sure he's never raced cars with that much air pressure in the tires. It feels abnormal, but it's part of how these cars react."

So how will Raikkonen react after his second NASCAR start and what will it mean for his future? Like much of his racing career, it's a mystery.

"I don't personally know what his expectations were when he came to the United States," Ren said. "I have no idea what his real goals are. We just tried to prepare the best vehicle we could and put him in good, quality equipment and try to have a really good day.

"We had a really good day going. I still look at it as positive: 43 started, he still finished 27th. It wasn't a disastrous day. There was no doubt he was a top 15 guy again."

Source: USA Today

Räikkönen and Busch to part ways?

Kyle Busch may have been looking at Kimi Räikkönen as a way of expanding the Truck Series team he owns, but Kimi's ambitions are taking him in other directions

When Kimi Räikkönen announced that he was going to try his hand at NASCAR, it seemed only right that he would pair with Kyle Busch Motorsports: who else but the Wild Thing would dare something as audacious as teaming up with the Iceman to bring a former F1 world champion to the States?

But despite a solid début with the team in the Truck Series race at Charlotte last week that saw him finish in 15th place and on the lead lap, plus KBM arranging an alliance with Joe Nemechek's NEMCO Motorsports to put Kimi in a Nationwide car this weekend, it seems that the budding alliance between Busch and Raikkonen may already have run its course.

The original plan had suggested up to five Truck races with KBM this year, with Raikkonen investing a chunk of his own change into the endeavour as well as bringing some big name, high value personal sponsors with him. But according to Busch, the money's not coming through as planned.

"What's changed is the payment schedule," Busch said. "The contract states we're supposed to receive so much, and we have not. We've only received enough for these two races.

"It's either up to Kimi or to the financial people that run Kimi's business side of things and decide they need to find the sponsorship funds in order to carry the experience for him further."

Rather than a lack of money, it's probably more a case of Kimi having to decide exactly what he wants to do next. Five Truck races might have seemed like a grand plan back when he started his Great American Adventure back in March, but now staying in trucks seems a little ... dull, especially to a former world champion who just wants to have some fun.

If Kimi decided he'd rather race in Nationwide - let alone Sprint Cup - instead of "wasting his time" down in Trucks, then he would have immediately outgrown KBM. Busch's team is an exclusively Truck Series operation at present, although it had eyes on expanding into Nationwide in due course - perhaps via tracking a more measured career progression for Raikkonen

For that reason, extending himself to put Raikkonen into Joe Nemechek's #87 in the Nationwide Series just about fitted Busch's plans, albeit at a stretch. What doesn't fit in at all is Raikkonen eyeing up a Sprint Cup ride.

"It would be nice to go and do it, but I don't know if it's going to happen or not," said Raikkonen, talking about the possibility of running the June 26 Sprint Cup Sonoma road race.

"As far as the Sonoma race, we've had no discussions about Cup stuff at all," said Busch, succinctly. "As far as I know, this weekend is the last hoorah with Kimi unless he wants to come back to do further races in NASCAR."

Räikkönen tried out a Sprint Cup ride on Tuesday on the road course at Virginia International Roadway commonly used by Sprint Cup drivers to repare for Sonoma events. Kimi got the loan of the Robby Gordon Motorsports #7 for the day, but it did not go well.

"Obviously it's what our goal was, to have a good test and see how it went," Gordon said. "Unfortunately, the test went bad." Raikkonen ran off road and severely damaged the nose of the car, resulting in an estimated two weeks' worth of damage. "That was the car that finished second last year at Sonoma. So that was our primary. We've got our work cut out for us."

Did the experience sour Kimi's taste for further NASCAR adventures? Despite the cost and inconvenience for Robby Gordon, he's still open to taking discussions with Raikkonen further, if the Finn is so inclined: "That doesn't mean we wouldn't do it still," said Gordon.

Räikkönen certainly has no shortage of opportunities in NASCAR if he wants to take them up. His initial hook-up with Kyle Busch has given him an entrée into the NASCAR scene and set him up with connections with Nemechek and Robby Gordon if he wants to pursue them. His track outings even caught the eye of the NASCAR man of the moment, Carl Edwards, who was on track for Raikkonen's Nationwide practice session début

"Who is that in the #87?" he enquired over the radio, suddenly aware of an unfamiliar driving style. "He was driving the wheels off it ... Then I saw Perky Jerky on it. He definitely has some car control for sure. That's not lip service."

So the doors to NASCAR are open - or at least ajar - for Kimi Raikkonen; but perhaps NASCAR isn't falling over itself to usher him in to quite the extent that Kimi hoped and expected? Or perhaps it's just not proving as much fun as he hoped it would be.

Either way, Kimi Raikkonen will return to Europe next week to consider his next move - whether to carry on the appearances with (and payments to) Kyle Busch Motorsports for some more Truck outings, or more likely whether to pursue something in Sprint Cup or Nationwide. Or maybe, nothing at all; maybe the land of the Perky Jerky just isn't to his taste after all.

Räikkönen's US manager Todd Hirschfeld put it best and most accurately earlier this week, when he said: "This is the truth: Kimi does what Kimi wants to do."

Source: Crash.net

Räikkönen hopeful for Sprint Cup start at Infineon

Kimi Räikkönen's relationship with Kyle Busch Motorsports may be over, but the former Formula One champion may continue his NASCAR adventure in a Sprint Cup car at Infineon Raceway.

Räikkönen, who makes his Nationwide Series debut Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, tested Robby Gordon's Sprint Cup car one day earlier this week at Virginia International Raceway, and said he'd like to attempt the June 26 event in Sonoma, Calif.

"It would be nice to go and do it, but I don't know if it's going to happen or not," said Räikkönen, who also competes on the World Rally circuit. "We'll see what happens really after this weekend. I have to go and do my rally stuff, so we'll see if I come back."

Any effort at Infineon isn't likely to be backed by Kyle Busch Motorsports, which fielded a Camping World Truck entry last weekend for the Räikkönen, who placed 15th in his NASCAR debut. Busch's team is also overseeing Räikkönen's Nationwide effort this weekend, although the Finn is racing a No. 87 car technically supplied and owned by the organization owned by Joe Nemechek.

"As far as the Sonoma race, we've had no discussions about Cup stuff at all," Busch said. "As far as I know, this weekend is the last hoorah with Kimi unless he wants to come back to do further races in NASCAR."

That's something of a change from the original plan, which was slated to be three to five races with KBM. The reason? "What's changed is the payment schedule," Busch said. "The contract states we're supposed to receive so much, and we have not. We've only received enough for these two races ... It's either up to Kimi or to the financial people that run Kimi's business side of things and decide they need to find the sponsorship funds in order to carry the experience for him further."

That doesn't rule out the possibility that Raikkonen could run the Sonoma race for Gordon, whose No. 7 car he tested at VIR. "Obviously it's what our goal was, to have a good test and see how it went," Gordon said. "Unfortunately, the test went bad. That doesn't mean we wouldn't do it still."

Any Robby Gordon Motorsports entry for Raikkonen at Sonoma would be a second car, although Gordon isn't sure whether it would be the No. 7 he usually drives -- which is locked into the top 35 in owners' points -- or a No. 77, which would have to make the race on speed. Although Gordon said he believes Räikkönen has sponsorship for a Sonoma effort, he added the car suffered damage in the test and would require about two weeks' worth of repair work.

"So we'd be two weeks out," Gordon said. "That was the car that finished second last year at Sonoma. So that was our primary. We've got our work cut out for us."

Räikkönen held his own in Nationwide practice, posting the 18th-fastest lap Thursday in the final session before Saturday's 300-mile race at Charlotte. He even caught the attention of Carl Edwards, who at one point radioed his race team and asked, "Who is that in the 87?"

"He is loose," Edwards said. "He was driving the wheels off it. I was just surprised. I didn't know who was in that car. Had no clue. Then I saw [sponsor] Perky Jerky on it. He definitely has some car control for sure. That's not lip service."

Source: Nascar.com

Kimi is Montoya multiplied with 10

Justin Wilson raced with Räikkönen in formula during 2003. After that the Brit moved to USA and drives in ChampCar- and IndyCar-series.

Wilson sees that Kimi is in a completely different league as the other F1-driver Montoya is.

- Kimi didn't care one bit about anything or anyone. He just wanted to drive fast. At the same time his attitude is interesting. When you take Montoya and multiply him with 10, that's where you find Kimi. Will they like him or throw him out immediately?

Wilson believes Räikkönen will adjust to any serie.

- Kimi never cared about his surrounding. Many would feel a change like this practically crushing but he doesn't care about that. He just jumped into the car and drove. Other worry over their doing and what other think. Kimi was able to concentrate on this moment and use it to his advantage, Wilson analysed.

Source: MTV3
Courtesy: Nicole

Kimi Räikkönen making Nationwide debut but uncertain about NASCAR future

Kimi Räikkönen does not know when or if he will return to NASCAR following Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Kimi Räikkönen will make his Nationwide Series debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend, but as far as his future plans, the former Formula One champion said he was unsure whether he will return to NASCAR and when that return might come.

Räikkönen, who drove a truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports last week at Charlotte and then tested a Sprint Cup car for Robby Gordon Motorsports on Tuesday, will drive for Nemco Motorsports in a KBM-prepared Nationwide car this weekend in the Top Gear 300.

Whether the 31-year-old Finnish driver goes Cup racing remains to be seen.

“You always have in mind to try to do [Cup],” Räikkönen said Thursday prior to Nationwide practice. “Another thing is it going to happen or not. I don’t know.

“Of course I am probably more keen to the road courses than anything else. I leave Saturday as soon as the race is over back to Europe. I have other things to do. After that, I don’t know when I will be back.”

Räikkönen, whose primary racing job is competing for his own team in the World Rally Championship in Europe, crashed during his Cup test Tuesday at Virginia International Raceway. It didn’t give him much of a feel for whether to return to NASCAR to compete in the Cup event at Infineon Raceway next month.

“I just ran a bit wide and decided to go with the grass, but unfortunately there was a big hole or something in the grass so it destroyed the front end a bit,” Räikkönen said. “It was fun to drive it. … I probably ended up doing only 20 laps.

“We just put tires on the car. We didn’t do any changes. We didn’t have time. Like I said, it would be nice to go and do [that Cup race at Sonoma] but I don’t know if it is going to happen or not. I do this week and then I have to go back to do my Rally stuff and we’ll see if I come back.”

The original plan for Räikkönen, who has sponsorship from Perky Jerky and is being represented by the HMS Worldwide sports agency in his NASCAR effort, was to do three to five races for KBM in a truck. But team owner Kyle Busch said Friday that Raikkonen and his sponsors have only paid for the truck race last week and the Nationwide race.

“It's either up to Kimi or up to the financial people that run Kimi's business side of things and decide that they need to find the sponsorship funds in order to carry the experience for him further [with us],” Busch said.

Busch said he was pleased with Räikkönen’s debut last week – a 15th-place finish in the truck race.

“Certainly, he gave the truck a good ride,” Busch said. “It was really loose and he did a nice job with car control and everything else.”

Räikkönen said racing in traffic last week was fun and he enjoyed the NASCAR-style racing. He hopes that this weekend is a little easier for him.

“Once you do it once, you know much more how things go,” Räikkönen said. “I had no idea what we should do during [the race]. I know how to do restarts, but I didn’t know exactly how it goes because I haven’t really seen it or done it before.

“All those things I know now. It’s much easier to go for the second time.”

Source: SceneDaily.com

CUP: Räikkönen May Run Sonoma

Two-time Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen said Friday he might run next month’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Infineon Raceway.

But Kyle Busch, who is providing two vehicles for Raikkonen’s NASCAR debut, said he is still owed money from the Finnish driver and will not be working with him going forward after this weekend unless and until he receives additional funding.

Raikkonen made his NASCAR debut last Friday night, finishing 15th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He is entered in the Top Gear 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at CMS this weekend, piloting a Nemco Motorsports-owned Toyota built by Kyle Busch Motorsports. KBM also provided his truck last weekend.

Thursday afternoon at CMS, Raikkonen briefly met the press in a session that was announced at the last minute and lasted just 6 minutes and 29 seconds, less than half the customary time for NASCAR media availabilities.

Earlier in the week, Raikkonen tested with Robby Gordon Motorsports at Virginia International Raceway, leading to rumors he would enter the Infineon road race.

“Of course you always have it in mind to try to do it,” Raikkonen said of competing in the Cup Series. “The other thing is, is going to happen or not? I don’t know. Of course, I’m probably more keen to do road courses than ovals.”

Asked if we could consider Sonoma, Raikkonen added, “It would be nice to go and do it, but I don’t know if it’s going to happen. We’ll see what happens after this weekend. I have to go back (to Europe) and do my rally stuff.”

Busch initially said the plan was to run three to five races with Raikkonen, but that’s changed. “As far as the Sonoma race, we’ve had no discussions about Cup stuff,” Busch said. “As far as I know, this weekend is the last hurrah with Kimi.”

Asked what changed, Busch was blunt.

“What’s changed is the payment schedule,” Busch said. “The contract states we’re supposed to receive so much (money) and we have not. We’ve only received enough for these two races.”

That said, Busch has been impressed with Raikkonen’s on-track performance to date.

“I thought Kimi did a nice job last week,” Busch said. “Certainly, he gave the truck a good ride. ... He did a nice job with car control.”

As for the forecast for this weekend, Busch said, “What’s to be expected of him this weekend is certainly just to, again, try to run all the laps, try to make 300 miles in a Nationwide Series race, get a feel for what the car is like.”

Raikkonen said he will leave after the NASCAR Nationwide Series race and return to his home in Europe.

Source: Nascar.SpeedTv.com
Courtesy: miezicat

Kimi Räikkönen NASCAR's Venture Turns To Nationwide Series At Charlotte

Former Formula One champion Kimi Räikkönen said he will indeed race in Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway – and left the door open for a Sprint Cup start at Sonoma next month.

Räikkönen, the "Ice Man" whose cool demeanor matches his nickname, said he's still undecided on his NASCAR future after making one Truck Series start last week and the impending Nationwide start for NEMCO Motorsports on Saturday.

Wearing a backwards Red Bull hat, a black Perky Jerky T-shirt and shorts, Räikkönen acknowledged he's thinking about running a road-course race in the Cup Series – but hasn't decided for sure.

"It would be nice to go and do (Sonoma), but I don't know if it's going to happen or not," he said. "We'll see what happens this weekend. I have to go back and do my Rally (car) stuff and we'll see."

Räikkönen said he's yet to drive a Nationwide car – today is the first time – but feels somewhat confident because "at least I know the circuit and how the weekend goes."

In talking with other drivers, he said, he was told there was "not an awful difference" between Trucks and Nationwide cars.

He does have 20 laps of experience in a Cup car – but not on an oval.

Räikkönen said his test last week – driving a Robby Gordon Motorsports car at the Virginia International Raceway road course – wasn't all that helpful. Before he got a chance to run many laps, he took one turn too wide and tried to run through the grass.

"I went out and just ran a bit wide and I decided to go in the grass, but unfortunately there was a big hole in the grass and it destroyed the front a bit," he said.

Still, that wasn't enough to dissuade him from driving in Nationwide this weekend after reports said he was unsure about it earlier in the week.

"The Nationwide, we are here, so what's the most easiest thing to get more experience?" he said. "It was the easiest thing for me to do."

Source: SBNation
Courtesy: Sleenster

Video: Kimi Raikkonen testing Sprint Cup car at Virginia Raceway

Source: Formula1Arab - Credits to Dan Zipkin for the orignal video

Montoya: Räikkönen has promise in NASCAR

Juan Pablo Montoya thought former Formula 1 teammate Kimi Raikkonen did a good job in his NASCAR debut, and expects to see him in a Sprint Cup Series race this season.

But if Raikkonen is serious about NASCAR, Montoya said the former world champion will have to move to the United States and race as often as possible.

"If you are going to do it, you've got to do it properly," Montoya said Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "It will bite you if you don't do it properly."

Raikkonen made his NASCAR debut in Friday night's Trucks Series race, finishing 15th driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports. The Finn has not officially announced his next race, but Busch admitted after the race there's a car ready for Raikkonen to use in next week's Nationwide Series event at Charlotte.

Busch insisted KBM does not own the car, and it's believed Raikkonen will be officially entered by Nemco Motorsports, the team owned by Joe Nemechek.

Montoya believes Raikkonen will quickly make the move through Nationwide and into the elite Sprint Cup Series to see if he likes driving stock cars. Montoya, a Colombian who lives full-time in Miami, is in his fifth season driving for Chip Ganassi. He's won two Sprint Cup race, both on road courses, and qualified once for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

"He's got to get to Cup," said Montoya, who added he thinks Raikkonen can make the transition. "He needs experience. He's been around, he's done Formula 1, he's done it all. So for him, he's got to understand the ovals and he's got to get a Cup ride.

"But I think if he had a decent car, he'd be fine."

Raikkonen spent nine years in F1, driving for Sauber, McLaren and Ferrari. He totaled 18 wins, 62 podium finishes and won the 2007 championship.

He's currently racing for the World Rally Car Championship with his own team, ICE 1 Racing, and is ranked eighth in the overall standings. He's not scheduled to compete again in that series until next month in Greece.

Raikkonen said after the race it went better than he expected after struggling through two practice sessions earlier in the day, but he wished he'd finished higher and thought the 10 cautions slowed his rhythm.

"The racing was fun," Raikkonen said. "Too many cautions. Every time when I feel the car starts to work better then you have a caution and it takes a long time before the handling comes back."

Raikkonen twice hit the wall, and missed his call to pit the first time crew chief Rick Ren tried to bring him in. Ren, who is also the general manager of KBM, blamed it on the team chatter.

"There was too much talking going on the radio," Ren said. "I wanted to pit but everybody was on the radio. I've had experienced Cup guys do the same thing. It was no big deal."

Although Raikkonen wasn't sure of the rules for passing before the start/finish line on a restart, and was warned early in the race by NASCAR, Ren praised the driver.

"What impressed me more than anything was restarts, he didn't spin the tyres and was pushing people," Ren said. "I am wondering if F1 cars, they put down so much power that he's got a really good feel for when the tyres are slipping."

Overall, the experience was good, Raikkonen said, and he enjoyed all the interaction with fellow drivers who made a point to speak to him. There's no camaraderie in F1, and Montoya joked he probably spoke to Raikkonen more on Friday than he did the entire time the two were teammates.

"I just went to say 'Hi' and see how he was doing," Montoya said. "People did it to me here and I was really shocked, so if I can help, I will lend a hand."

It was the first time Montoya said he'd spoken to Raikkonen since Montoya walked away from his F1 ride in July, 2006. Montoya thought he was able to give KBM team members more assistance than he was Raikkonen.

"More the team than him, telling them why he's so loose and why he is struggling," Montoya said. "Our driving styles were a little bit different in Formula 1, but I know what he would like out of a car."

Source: F1Pulse.com

Räikkönen takes No. 7 Cup car for test at VIR

Finn runs laps in Gordon's car, his first in a Sprint Cup Series vehicle

Kimi Räikkönen took his first laps in a Sprint Cup vehicle on Tuesday when the former Formula One champion tested Robby Gordon's No. 7 car on the road course at Virginia International Raceway.

Gordon confirmed the news on his Twitter account. He turned the car over to Raikkonen because he was in Mexico City for a sponsor meeting, but planned to be in the No. 7 himself to test at VIR on Wednesday.

Räikkönen made his NASCAR debut last Friday with a 15th-place finish in the Camping World Truck Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and is on the entry list to drive Joe Nemechek's No. 87 car in the Nationwide Series at the same track this Saturday. The Finn has expressed interest in wheeling a Sprint Cup car since April, when he first tested a truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports, the team he competed for last weekend.

VIR is often used as a testing ground for the Sprint Cup road race in Sonoma, Calif. Last week Räikkönen reiterated his hope to "run some Cup races," but there are currently no announced plans for the former F1 driver beyond Charlotte

Source: NASCAR.COM

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN RETURNS TO NASCAR THIS WEEKEND FOR HIS DEBUT IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES AFTER A SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE IN THE CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

Perky Jerky Reveals Paint Scheme for Kimi Räikkönen’s No. 87 Toyota

Perky Jerky, the ultra-premium jerky flavored with a hint of guarana that’s quickly gaining fame around the world, unveiled today the paint scheme set to adorn the No. 87 Toyota Nationwide Series race car that Kimi Räikkönen will race in his return to NASCAR this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This race will mark Räikkönen’s second NASCAR performance in as many weeks, with Perky Jerky as the primary sponsor.

On May 20th, Räikkönen made his first appearance in NASCAR when he competed in the Camping World Truck Series. Amidst a crush of media and international fans, the Finnish racer qualified 31st in the field and piloted his truck to complete the race in 15th position, an epic performance for his first time in a NASCAR truck and on a speedway. Räikkönen described his first NASCAR experience as “fun”, and commented that he’s looking forward to another NASCAR performance, where he can put his first education into practice.

The NEMCO-owned No. 87 Perky Jerky Toyota will be assembled, managed and fielded by Kyle Busch Motorsports on behalf of Perky Jerky.

“Last week, Kimi put on an incredibly impressive performance at Charlotte Motor Speedway by powering his Perky Jerky truck through half the pack”, said Brian Levin, Perky Jerky founder and chairman of the herd. “Now with one speedway race under his belt, the world will be watching as Kimi Räikkönen brings the No. 87 Perky Jerky Toyota to the finish line in first place.”

Already entrenched in NASCAR as the official and exclusive jerky of the Daytona 500, Perky Jerky has developed a marketing strategy that includes consumer sampling via Velcro suits, better known as the “jerk suit” and tasting opportunities via the “jerk bar”, a traveling sampling display, which has become a must-stop at many NASCAR events around the country.

Kimi Räikkönen’s first Nationwide Series appearance will be this Saturday, May 28th in the Top Gear 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast live on ABC at 2:30 ET nationwide.

About Perky Jerky: Four years ago during a ski lift calamity, Perky Jerky’s founders spilled energy drink all over their stash of beef jerky. Stranded, hungry and 40-feet off the ground, they ate the soaked jerky and realized they were on to something. Three years in the kitchen and hundreds of homemade jerky recipes later, Perky Jerky was perfected and launched in 2009. In less than two years, Perky Jerky has quickly reached stratospheric levels of popularity amongst athletes, moms, students, troops and truckers alike. Perky Jerky can be found at many retailers across the country, including Home Depot, 7-Eleven, Publix, Target, Sports Authority and many other fine retailers. Keep up with Perky Jerky on Facebook and on Twitter

To learn More about Perky Jerky, visit www.perkyjerky.com

To learn more about Kimi Räikkönen, visit www.kimiraikkonen.com.

Source: Perky Jerky.com
Courtesy: Sleenster