Nogier impressed by Räikkönen improvement

Kimi Räikkönen's performance on day two of Rally Sweden compared favourably to Sebastien Loeb, according to Benoit Nogier, the man responsible for managing Räikkönen's ICE 1 Racing team

Räikkönen is seventh, one place behind Sebastien Loeb, in the overall standings after 15 stages. Nogier revealed that he even sent Loeb’s split times to the ex-Formula One world champion on Saturday afternoon so the Finn could compare his performance with the seven-time WRC title winner.

“We are very happy because it is the first time I sent him the split times to the car compared to Sebastien Loeb so it is good news,” Nogier said. “It was very interesting, especially this afternoon because he improved himself and was five-tenths of a second per kilometre [slower than] Loeb, which we are pleased with.”

When asked to explain Räikkönen’s increased pace, Nogier said: “It’s the second time for Kimi here in Sweden and we have already seen yesterday it was much easier for a second time. I think it’s also easier for him in the Citroen DS3 WRC.”

Nogier continued: “We plan for him to be in the points tomorrow and a top six would be great. It is our goal and we are not so far away now. We have a chance tomorrow.”

Source: WRC
Courtesy: sleenster

Citroën waiting for Räikkönen's F1 decision

Citroën is waiting for Kimi Räikkönen to decide whether to stay with the French marque in the world rally championship next year

The Finn is reportedly considering returning to Formula One in 2011 with Renault, while some insiders believe he is much more likely to stay at least another season in his new discipline.

Benoit Nogier, team manager at the Citroën Junior Team, said the door is open for the 30-year-old.

"At the moment there is no commitment from Kimi for next year," he told French radio RMC.

"Up to now he has showed appreciation for what he is doing and the desire to continue.

"He is the master of his destiny so it's up to him to tell us if he wants to be with us next year or not. I will be very happy to welcome him if he wants to continue," added Nogier.

He said there is no great rush for Räikkönen to decide.

"We're not talking about a deadline because it's too early. As the days go by you eventually reach the time to make a decision," he explained.

Source: Motorsport.com

The boss is praising Kimi's heroic deed: A real spirit-lifter!

Kimi Räikkönen put strongly his name in rally's history books on Sunday.

He set the fastest time on the last stage Circus Maximus.

- We are all pleased over Kimi's fastest stage time. It was a real spirit-lifter! Benoit Nogier said in Citroen's newsletter.

Räikkönen was pleased himself too.

- In general this was once again one more really positive experience. And winning the super stage was of course great too, Kimi commented.

Lindström believes that the duo is going into the right direction.

- We are on the right way here. We improve rally by rally but the hill we are climbing up is still very steep, he reminded.

He was especially happy over the notes that worked.

- The notes were really good. When thinking that we were here for the first time we can be really pleased. And winning a super stage is something that is worth celebrating!

Kalle Takala

Source: Ilta-Sanomat
Courtesy: Nicole

Ogier's fast development is a too big challenge for Kimi

Sebastien Ogier became during his second season in Citroen a WRC-winner and redeemed at once his promotion to drive beside Sebastien Loeb next season.

It is very obvious that Kimi Räikkönen will drive next year his second season in Citroen's Junior team. Team manager Benoit Nogier doesn't yet promise Kimi the same speed in development as Ogier has had.

– One has to remember that Ogier drove three years on Junior-level before he came to WRC. This weekend is Kimi's whole life's 12th rally, Nogier reminded in Turun Sanomat's interview.

– Even though Ogier learned quickly his situation can't be compared to Kimi's development in rally. Kimi has started from zero whereas Sebastien's basic work was already done.

– The only way to compare is that Sebastien was about 1,2-1,3 seconds per kilometer behind the lead during his first WRC-season whereas Kimi has been pretty much the same behind the lead.

Kimi's potential has not yet taken form

How big thing would it be for Citroen Junior Team if Räikkönen would want to continue his rally career in 2011?

– Whatever Kimi is going to do is his own decision. Let's just wait for his final decision but at least he looks like he is happy here in the rally-world. Of course it would be a great thing for us if Kimi would decide to continue in rally next year, Nogier says.

Since Räikkönen has this year learned everything from scratch, how much better could he be next year?

– It's always very difficult to estimate these kind of things beforehand. Probably Kimi will then be less than a second behind the top in speed/km. But we can get an image of what Kimi could do at his best only after Kimi gets even close to his own limits.

– At this moment everything is purely learning for Kimi and we can't know his real potential. This is only the beginning of the story but we can already see that the potential is big. That's for sure, Nogier says.

Both teams get same cars next year

Nogier tells that Citroen's Junior team gets to start working with the new DS3-car at the same time as the main team.

– This year regulations ordered that the main team has to use a newer model. Next year that regulation is gone and the cars in both teams are classified equally, Nogier clears up.

– We don't yet know more specifically but the new cars should be ready in January when we start testing for Rally Sweden.

Räikkönen doesn't believe that switching to S2000-cars would devastate anything if he would drive rally next year.

– It's not any big change. Those new cars are sort of a combination of these WRC-cars and the S2000-car I drove last year. They just have a different engine and power transmission.

Will the change in car require some more learning again?

– I don't know but they are a bit different and at least a little smaller than these current one, Räikkönen thinks.

Manager isn't yet negotiating

Kimi Räikkönen's manager Steve Robertson is on the paddock-area in Trier. He denies that he is there to negotiate.

– It's best to follow the situation on different frontiers rather than seal a deal at this stage, Robertson tells Turun Sanomat.

HEIKKI KULTA

Source: Turun Sanomat
Courtesy: Nicole

KIMI'S WILL TO LEARN PLEASES THE TEAM MANAGER

Turun Sanomat

Citroen's Junior Team will continue in WRC next year also so it wouldn't be any big wonder if Kimi Räikkönen would stay with the gang.

Team manager Benoit Nogier praises that Räikkönen went to rally with an honourable attitude.

– Kimi is aware of his level and completely understands that he has to improve. He has to learn to know everything and it succeeds only through experience. All Kimi lacks is experience. He can be very fast but when he doesn't have experience he easily takes risks without even realising it since one wouldn't think they would be risks. Only experience helps, not anyone's advice.

What kind of a rally driver is Räikkönen at the moment?

– In the beginning Kimi let the car slide on gravel. The topdrivers take the corners more straightly and save time. Maybe Kimi is driving in the old Finnish style but that style isn't good anymore. You lose a lot of grip and time when the car is rolling like that.

Kimi is one second behind the topdrivers.

– All topdrivers are extremely fast. One mustn't forget that. Kimi has greatly improved his performance during the season. Like I said, it's first and most about experience.

– In Portugal's rally Kimi was 1-1,7 seconds behind the lead. In Turkey he felt more at home and there the difference was under one second, Nogier clears.

Can Räikkönen already setup a rally car?

– Yes he can but you never know if it's going in the right direction, Nogier estimates.

What feature does the team manager appericate in his Finnish driver?

– Temperament and straightforwardness.

At the eve of Bulgaria's rally Nogier assures that he is interested to see what Räikkönen is capable of in his first WRC-rally on tarmac.

– I'm eager to see Kimi's pace especially after seeing how well he drove in Lanterna's rally in Italy.

Kaj Lindström was grateful that the race gave a lot of selfconfidence to Räikkönen who according to him felt in Italy for the first time that he is a real rally driver.

– I have been waiting to get to tarmac ever since the beginning of the season. I got a good feeling in the car right from the first tests. The feeling only got better in Lanterna's rally. I really enjoyed that rally even though I lost the victory in the end. The whole team has been helping me a lot and the hard work in the beginning of the season has started to pay back, Räikkönen thinks.

– My goal is to finish the rally and start finally to completely understand my car.

What kind of results does the team manager expect from Räikkönen in the end of the season?

– It's very difficult to say. Apart from Finland's rally all places have been new to Kimi. For example Japan's and Britain's rallies are very tricky for a driver who hasn't drove there before.

Nogier feels certain pride over having a F1 World Champion driving in his team.

– It's a great honour for us when a topdriver who has been driving for Ferrari and McLaren made a choice like this. No other F1-driver before Kimi has ever came this seriously into rally.

HEIKKI KULTA

Source: Turun Sanomat
Courtesy: Nicole

Raikkonen set for more points, says team chief

Kimi Raikkonen’s team boss believes the ex-Formula One star’s points’ finish on the Jordan Rally will be the first of many in this year’s World Rally Championship.

Raikkonen finished eighth on the gravel event last weekend in his Red Bull-backed Citroen C4 WRC. He is now 11th in the drivers’ standings, one place behind Super 2000 World Rally Championship pacesetter Xevi Pons.

Benoit Nogier, who runs the Citroen Junior Team, said: “I am very happy for Kimi to finish with this result. He drove very well on this rally and getting the car to the finish in one piece was very important. The fact he scored points was the cherry on the cake and I believe this will be the first of many occasions when he is in the points this season.”

Source: MaxRally
Courtesy: TaniaS

Team-mates Ogier and Raikkonen under starter's orders

One of the most intriguing team driver line-ups ever seen in the WRC will debut on the forthcoming Rally Sweden, when one of world rallying’s brightest young stars, Sebastien Ogier, pairs up with former Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen at the Citroen Junior Team.

And in contrast to a low-key, learning year in 2009, the team's inaugural WRC season, this year's blend of upcoming talent and frenzied media interest is sure to keep Citroen's 'B' team in the spotlight.

In 2009 Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia lived up to their billing as stars of the future in their first full season at the wheel of a Citroen C4 WRC, and they start the 2010 season with the same motivation - and a year’s worth of extra experience under their belts. “I just can’t wait to start driving the Citroen C4 WRC in the heat of competition again,” said the Frenchman. “It seems a very long time now since the 2009 season ended!”

Having contested the Monte Carlo Rally at the start of the year, Ogier was in Finland last month to prepare for Rally Sweden with a day of testing close to Rovaniemi. “We covered around 200 kilometres in order to get to grips with the car again and work on the set-up of the car,” he reported. “I’m very pleased with the way that the car is handling. I quickly felt comfortable again and I love driving in these conditions.”

Rally Sweden will be a brand new experience for Ogier. Nonetheless, he hopes to put the experience he gained on Rally Norway last year to good use. “Actually, we’re getting rather used to driving on rallies for the first time,” added Sebastien. “I hope that we can show what we are capable against what is always very strong opposition on these winter rallies. Our objective on this first event of the year is just to continue to progress.”

Making his debut alongside the 2008 Junior World Rally Champions is Kimi Raikkonen, who, after 18 Grand Prix wins and 62 podiums, becomes the only former F1 World Champion to make the switch to rallying.

Following some test sessions in France and a run on the Arctic Lapland Rally last month, Raikkonen has covered nearly 600 kilometres with the Citroen C4 WRC. “I’m just really keen to get to the start of Rally Sweden now,” he said. “With Citroen, we have made some good preparations for this event. All the kilometres I already have behind me will allow me to begin the rally with no particular worries. I know that I still have many things to learn though and plenty of experience to accumulate.

"My goal is simply to do my best with the Citroën C4 WRC. My debut in the World Rally Championship is an enormous challenge but any driver who has competed in motorsport at a certain level always maintains the same way of working and the same desire to push themselves. I feel that I’m ready to take on this challenge now.”

Citroen Junior Team manager, Benoit Nogier, explained that he had different goals for his two drivers this season. "We’re hoping that Sebastien starts in the same way that he finished 2009, with the same commitment, hard work and speed. In due course he should be in a position to finish on the podium. The final few steps are always the most difficult ones to take though - and this is a fact that both he and ourselves are well aware of. Nevertheless, this is the target we need to bear in mind for him throughout the season.

"As for Kimi, he’s obviously just starting. So his goal is simply to make progress on each rally. Kimi is taking his first steps in the sport and there is a steep learning curve for him to climb. But his natural talent behind the wheel clearly needs no introduction!"

Source: WRC