Kimi Räikkönen, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton at the Bercy Kart Masters 2011

Karting: The Paris indoor race to use electric karts

The karts will be back at the Bercy sports centre in Paris next December, and this time the drivers will compete aboard the newest generation of electric karts.

The return of the event was expected for years. The official press conference announcing it was held this morning in Paris, unveiling the date of the ERDF Bercy Kart Masters 2011.

The first international races in the world for electric karts will take place on Saturday December 10th (evening) and Sunday 11 (afternoon) with the participation of several of the best drivers in the world.

Philippe Streiff, a former Grand Prix driver and organizer of the Masters in Bercy in the ‘90s, is heading this new project with ERDF, the provider of electric power in France.

While Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna contested the Bercy event behind the wheel of gasoline-powered karts, the next races will take place with fully electric machines.

The French manufacturer Sodikart has been selected to supply the chassis. The electric motor is developing about 30 horsepower at 11,000 rpm, and the full weight of the machine is 114 kg (with 2 batteries located in the sidepods).

Jean-Eric Vergne, the Formula Renault 3.5 driver, tested the kart Electric SODI STX and declared he was fully enthusiastic. "The Sodikart electric kart is fantastic; its power is impressive, proving a vigorous and continuous kick. Since the weight is relatively low, the machine is also quite nimble. I am delighted to contest the Bercy event with this kart,” said Vergne.

Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastien Ogier have already confirmed their participation in December. Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are also very interested to compete, but Philippe Streiff has yet to convince their teams and managers.

Source: Auto123.com
Courtesy: Sleenster

PREVIEW: CITROËN JUNIOR TEAM AT RALLYE DE FRANCE

After a year’s absence, the Rallye de France returns to the FIA World Rally Championship calendar

Now based in Alsace, this new rally will allow the Citroën Junior Team to perform in front of its local crowd on home territory. Two Citroën C4 WRCs will be entered for Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia and Kimi Räikkönen/Kaj Lindström.

Following 35 World Championship events in Corsica, the Rallye de France now heads for Alsace. Based in Strasbourg, this all-new rally covers the whole region, visiting Mulhouse and Colmar (day one), Obernai (day two) and Haguenau (day three).

Although the event takes place in France, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia only have limited knowledge of the route. “I’ve not been back here since taking part in the Alsace-Vosges Rally three years ago,” pointed out Sébastien. “At the time it was just my second season in rallying, and I eventually finished second in my class after having to work my way back up through the order at the end of the event. All that feels like an age ago now!”

Having won in Portugal and Japan so far this year, Sébastien intends to use the Rallye de France to demonstrate his capabilities on asphalt. “With a new rally like this we start on an equal footing with everyone else in terms of experience,” he said. “That was the case in Bulgaria earlier this year as well, where we managed to set some good stage times. We need to make sure that we do a good job during the recce so that we are right on the pace from the very first run through the stages. I’ve got every confidence that the team will soon find the right set-up for the Citroën C4 WRC in these conditions. The goal for us is to be as close as possible to the very best…”

Kimi Räikkönen is becoming more and more competitive with every stage that he drives in the Citroën C4 WRC, and he was able to take the wheel of the car again recently at the Rallye Vosgien. The 2007 Formula One World Champion claimed his first rally victory on this former round of the French Rally Championship.

“We came to the rally to accumulate more kilometres of experience on asphalt,” explained Kimi. “It was more useful than a straightforward test, as it allowed us to try out quite a variety of special stages. The level in the World Rally Championship now is so high that you cannot afford to lose a single second. So you have to be completely ready from the very start. From what I have heard, the roads we have driven on during that practice event will be very similar to what we will find on the Rallye de France itself. It’s very positive to be able to prepare for a rally in this way.”

The Finn usually feels comfortable on asphalt, having set his first fastest stage time on the World Championship at the Rallye Deutschland. He will also have the advantage of competing on a rally that is brand new to everyone.

“This was the case in Turkey and in Bulgaria, both of which went well for us,” he added. “When we have the same amount of experience as the other crews, it’s definitely easier for us to be on the pace. Once again, this is proof that the key to it all is to stay patient and build up as much experience as possible.”

Source: Red Bull Rallye

Friday wrap: Solberg battles illness to lead in Japan

Petter Solberg has not won a round of the world championship since Rally GB in 2005 but all that could be about to change after the Norwegian completed the opening day of Rally Japan with a lead of almost 10 seconds in his privately-run Citroen C4 WRC.

While that might not represent a huge advantage, Solberg has battled a fever throughout the day, which he admits has masked some of his pace.

“It has not been easy at all today,” said Solberg. “I am feeling a lot better than I was but it’s very strange when you don’t feel okay and don’t have the energy you need. Now I need a good night’s sleep to sweat out the last bit [of fever]. The car is working very well and we have had a good pace and a good performance today so I am happy. I know there is more to come from me.”

Mikko Hirvonen completed the opening loop of three stages today in fourth overall but an upturn in pace in the afternoon has enabled the factory Ford Focus driver to leap to second, 9.4s behind Solberg, courtesy of two stage wins.

“It’s worked really for us today,” said Finn Hirvonen. “I didn’t want to go too fast too early so I’ve been building up my speed slowly and it’s starting to be pretty good. We have to see what we can do tomorrow. I didn’t change anything at midday service, I just went for it because the others were doing that too.”

Sebastien Ogier is third on his first Rally Japan. He is also the leading works Citroen driver after team-mate and title leader Sebastien Loeb lost significant ground cleaning the road of the loose surface gravel on Friday morning.

Ogier, who held the overnight lead after going quickest on both of Thursday evening’s superspecial stages, said: “To be racing to be in the lead is very good for my first visit to Japan. The road has been very bad this afternoon so it has not been easy. For this reason I am very happy. The car has been perfect but we made some changes to the set-up to adapt it for the rougher stages in the afternoon.”

Loeb, meanwhile, suffered a broken front damper to add to the delay he suffered running first on the road. His road position remained a hindrance for the afternoon tests due to the ruts that had formed following the first pass of the three gravel stages.

Jari-Matti Latvala, who is fourth in the second works Focus, reported making two small mistakes on stage seven. “I just got confused with my notes on a few occasions and ended up braking too early,” he said after completing day one 15.4s off the overall lead.

Dani Sordo completes the top five in his Citroen Junior Team C4 but was left to bemoan a gearbox glitch that struck during the afternoon.

Henning Solberg is seventh with Stobart M-Sport team-mate Matthew Wilson completing the top eight. Federico Villagra is ninth in his Focus, 16.6s clear of ex-Formula One world champion Kimi Räikkönen, who spent the day adapting to the challenging gravel roads around host city Sapporo.


Source: WRC

CITROËN JUNIOR TEAM, ADAC RALLYE DEUTSCHLAND – DAY 3

At the end of a perfectly-controlled Rallye Deutschland, the Citroën Junior Team scores a podium for the first time on an asphalt FIA World Rally Championship event. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia are third behind the two factory Citroën C4 WRCs. Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström finish seventh, having claimed their first fastest stage time in the WRC!

On the third and final day of the rally, there were 85.69 competitive kilometres on the menu. As the cars were getting underway, at 0615, some light rain fell on Trier. Nonetheless, the roads remained dry throughout the morning.

“We had to go quickly in order to keep Jari-Matti Latvala behind us,” reported Sébastien Ogier after the first two stages of the day. “With just a 16-second cushion, third place is far from won. We managed to slightly increase that gap though by following the split times.” Co-driver Julien Ingrassia added: “We still have plenty to do today. These are very tricky roads and there was a huge amount of pace notes to get through. We couldn’t relax for a single second on the stages!”

On the second loop, Sébastien Ogier reinforced his position to claim his very first asphalt podium at the finish and his fifth podium of the season. “This was an excellent result,” he concluded. “Our objective was to finish behind the two factory Citroën C4 WRCs and now we have achieved our goal. So this was a very positive way to finish. I’d like to thank the entire team for a brilliant job well done.

” Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström started the final day with a set-up that was a little too soft. “I overhot two junctions and we lost a lot of time,” recounted the Finn. The crew continued to push hard right up to the end, setting their first fastest stage time on the final Circus Maximus Trier stage (SS19).

“I’m disappointed at having made the mistake in the morning that cost us a place, ” said Räikkönen. “But I enjoyed the stages on Saturday and Sunday. We’re continuing to rack up experience and that’s very important.” Team manager Benoit Nogier concluded: “We’ve got to the finish of a long and complicated rally with a very solid performance. Competing on their first Rallye Deutschland in a WRC machine, Sébastien and Julien are on the podium. At the start of the season we were just aiming for some podiums on gravel.

Our goals have already largely been achieved, with a podium on asphalt to add to our tally as well now. Sébastien and Julien did a great job, coping well with the pressure when they had to go and get past Latvala. Their performance came pretty close to perfection, I would say. Measuring it on his terms, Kimi did virtually just as well. His mistake this morning cost him a place, but we are all delighted with his fastest stage time, which is a real morale booster. Now we’re keen to get over to France, for the next asphalt rally that is going to be an unknown quantity for all the competitors.”

Source: RedBull Rallye

CITROËN JUNIORS AT ADAC RALLYE DEUTSCHLAND - DAY 2

Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastien Ogier are making progress in Germany

By getting the better of his key rival, Sébastien Ogier is currently third after the second day ofRallye Deutschland, behind the two factory Citroën C4 WRCs of Sébastien Loeb et Dani Sordo.Kimi Räikkönen is also making progress in the overall classification by claiming sixth place ahead of the third and final day.

The long second day of the Rallye Deutschland got underway at 0630 when the first crews made their way out of parc fermé in Trier. Both the Citroën Junior Team drivers had one firm objective in mind: to attack in order to make up places in the overall classification.Sébastien Ogier faced a battle with Jari-Matti Latvala for the final podium place and the Frenchman claimed the advantage after the first run over Arena Panzerplatte: at 48 kilometres the longest stage in the World Rally Championship.

“We still need to try and make more progress,” said Ogier. “I sense that it’s hard to make up time, even though my feeling with the car is good. These kilometres are vital for our learning curve. We only have a small gap over Jari-Matti, so we can’t relax for a second.

”In the afternoon, with the temperature peaking at 31°C in the stages, Sébastien Ogier pulled out more of a gap to consolidate his third place. “We went for a slightly more aggressive pace to build up a bit of a margin over Jari-Matti,” he reported. “Now we need to keep on driving well to be sure of staying on the podium. Our advantage is only 16 seconds.”

”In St. Wendeler Land (ES8), Kimi Räikkönen overhauled Matthew Wilson to climb up to seventh. But a straight-on in the following stage meant that his good work was undone. “In SS9 I just braked a bit too late and went straight on,” recounted the Finn. “A few kilometres from the end we had a problem with the rear anti-roll bar. As we only had a remote service before Panzerplatte, we had to drive the long stage with the problem. I didn’t take any risks, but we didn’t lose much time either.”

Thanks to his experience from the morning, Kimi Räikkönen was able to get closer to the top times in the second loop, practically halving his time difference to the frontrunners. “I’m quite pleased with our day,” he said. “We were much closer to the pace than we were yesterday.

With some other drivers having retired, we are now sixth. So our aim is to hang onto this position until the end.” Team manager Benoit Nogier concluded: “Sébastien Ogier has had exactly the sort of day that we could have hoped from him. He steadily gained ground on Jari-Matti, who was still setting good times.

We worked hard during the midday service halt to help Sébastien, by refining the car set-up to suit him more. In the afternoon he made full use of this to establish himself in third behind the two factory Citroëns, which are really on top of their game here. Kimi Räikkönen had very much the same approach in his battle with Matthew Wilson. He came off best to claim sixth place this evening.

This is an excellent position for him to be in on his first visit to Germany. This was the longest day of rallying of the year, thanks to a gruelling 187.58 competitive kilometres, and our C4s and their drivers faced up to the challenge well.”

Source: Red Bull Rallye

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

CITROËN JUNIORS, ADAC RALLYE DEUTSCHLAND – DAY 1

The Citroën Junior Team off to a solid start

Thanks to Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia in fourth place – currently just 6.2 seconds off third – along with Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström in the top 10 at the end of the opening day, the Citroën Junior Team has made a solid start in Germany.

After the traditionally popular ceremonial start in front of the Porta Nigra – a city gate that dates from Roman times – the Rallye Deutschland got underway this morning from Trier for an opening day that consisted of 134.04 competitive kilometres, made up of two challenging loops of three stages.

On consistently dry roads, with temperatures peaking at 27°C during the afternoon, the Citroën Junior Team opted for soft tyres on the first loop of stages, followed by hard tyres for the second loop. In fact, all the leading drivers made exactly the same tyre choice on day one.

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia set off running second on the road and used the opening day to get to grips with their Citroën C4 WRC on this specialised event. “It was quite a difficult morning,” said the Frenchman at midday service. “From time to time the engine kept stalling on hairpin bends. It meant that I wasn’t able to build up full confidence on these roads and I never really found the ideal pace. We’re setting the same sort of times as our direct competitors, and our plan is to try and do a bit better this afternoon.”

On the second loop of stages, Sébastien Ogier increased his pace in order to overhaul Mikko Hirvonen and get closer to Jari-Matti Latvala’s third place. “The afternoon was good,” added Ogier. “The car was perfect and I was able to go quickly. Now we need to continue like this. If we were able to get a podium, that would be a fantastic result for our first Rallye Deutschland in a WRC car.”

Kimi Räikkönen got off to a sensible start on what was only his second World Championship asphalt rally. “My priority was not to make any mistakes; this is also the objective for the whole rally,” he said. “The drivers at the front are setting a really quick pace, but I’m here to learn and make progress. The first loop of stages allowed me to get off to a good start and get used to using the handbrake on the many hairpin bends.”

The Finn’s step-by-step approach paid dividends. He improved his times by 0.7, 0.6 and then 1.0 seconds per kilometre over each of the three stages respectively in the afternoon. “ We’re picking up a better pace, ” said the former Grand Prix champion. “ I felt comfortable in the Citroën C4 WRC and I was able to go a bit quicker without taking any risks.

Tomorrow the stages will be very difficult and once more entirely new to me. We’ll have to see how it all goes. ”

Citroën Junior Team manager Benoit Nogier concluded: “ Leaving aside the small mechanical problem that cost him around 15 seconds or so this morning, Sébastien Ogier has once more had a great first day. He’s heading towards third place behind the two factory Citroëns, which are in a league of their own here. A podium would be an amazing result for his debut in Germany with the C4 WRC.

Kimi Räikkönen is going up against drivers who already know this event very well. He paid for that lack of experience in the morning but made a lot of progress this afternoon and didn’t make any mistakes. Now he needs to carry on like this. ”

Source: Red Bull Rallye

Sébastien Ogier - Kimi Räikkönen Tests Rallye Deutschland 2010

Source: jbmarcus21

Kimi Räikkönen Press Conference at Neste Oil Rally Finland 2010

Source: WRC

Will the practice pay off for Citroën Juniors?

Citroen Junior team drivers Sebastien Ogier and Kimi Raikkonen could be on course for their best team result of the year so far as they return to WRC competition this week with a rally which should suit them both down to the ground.

Rally Bulgaria (9 - 11 July) is the first of four asphalt rallies from the seven which remain this year. And in order to prepare for the strong asphalt bias in the second half of the season, the Citroën Junior Team has been testing in France and also took part in the Rally della Lanterna in Italy.

“This has allowed our drivers to stay match fit so that they are in the best possible position heading into the second half of the season,” explained team manager Benoit Nogier. “We have been working on how to get the best use and performance out of Pirelli’s new tyres. This experience will be very useful for the rallies still to come.

” As the roads will be new for all the World Rally Championship competitors, the Citroën Junior Team crews expect to suffer less from their comparative lack of experience relative to the other crews.

Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, the winners of the recent Rally of Portugal continued their winning streak on the Rally della Lanterna (read our earlier story). “That was a different type of thing, but it’s all good for the confidence,” said Ogier, who is currently second in the World Championship standings. “Rally Bulgaria will be new for everyone so we are at less of a disadvantage even though we still lack experience.

From what we know the roads will be fast and quite flowing with a lot vegetation at the side of the stages. A lot of the corners will be hidden so it will be extremely important to have good pace notes.

” Ogier continued: “The second half of the season might not be so easy for us. The goal for this first asphalt rally will be to make progress and again get closer to the frontrunners, while hoping that we can challenge for a podium.

” The best result for Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström so far has been fifth in Turkey, and now they get to discover a new surface. “Now we start a new chapter,” said the former F1 World Champion. “After snow and gravel, here we are on asphalt. It’s something that I’m really looking forward to. I had a really good feeling during the tests and I hope to be able to show that on the roads in Bulgaria.”

Source: WRC

RALLY BULGARIA (9-11 JULY 2010) – PREVIEW

The second part of the 2010 FIA World Rally Championship gets underway with the Rally Bulgaria. On its World Championship debut, the Balkan country hosts the crews in the town of Borovets, the oldest ski resort in Bulgaria. Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia and Kimi Räikkönen / Kaj Lindström will defend the colours of the Citroën Junior Team on the event.

Of the seven rallies still to come, four will be on asphalt. Two of them will be on known territory in Germany and Spain, while the other two are completely new events in Bulgaria and Alsace.

In order to prepare for the second half of the season, with its strong asphalt bias, the Citroën Junior Team has been testing in France and also took part in the Rally della Lanterna in Italy. “This has allowed our drivers to stay match fit so that they are in the best possible position heading into the second half of the season,” explained team manager Benoit Nogier. “We have been working on how to get the best use and performance out of Pirelli’s new tyres. This experience will be very useful for the rallies still to come.”

As the roads will be new for all the World Rally Championship competitors, the Citroën Junior Team crews will suffer less from their comparative lack of experience relative to the other crews. “It’s the first asphalt rally of the season,” added Nogier. “It’s not necessarily the surface that we’re going to be the most comfortable on. As has been the case since the start of the year, our objective is simply to take away as much experience as possible on the forthcoming rallies. That will be our watchword with Sébastien and Kimi.”

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, the winners of the recent Rally of Portugal continued their winning streak on the Rally della Lanterna. “That was a different type of thing, but it’s all good for the confidence,” said Ogier, who is currently second in the World Championship standings. “Rally Bulgaria will be new for everyone so we are at less of a disadvantage even though we still lack experience. From what we know the roads will be fast and quite flowing with a lot vegetation at the side of the stages. A lot of the corners will be hidden so it will be extremely important to have good pace notes.”

Ogier continued: “The second half of the season might not be so easy for us. The goal for this first asphalt rally will be to make progress and again get closer to the frontrunners, while hoping that we can challenge for a podium.” The best result for Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström so far has been fifth in Turkey, and now they get to discover a new surface. “Now we start a new chapter,” said the former F1 World Champion.

“After snow and gravel, here we are on asphalt. It’s something that I’m really looking forward to. I had a really good feeling during the tests and I hope to be able to show that on the roads in Bulgaria.”

Three questions to… Kimi Räikkönen

How did you get on with the Citroën C4 WRC on asphalt so far?

“I was keen to drive on asphalt since the very start of the season. From the very first few kilometres in testing, I had a really good feeling with the car. That feeling was confirmed when we took part in a rally in Italy, which I enjoyed hugely. Even if we missed out on victory on the final special stage, we can only be pleased with our performance. The whole team helped us a lot on our asphalt debut. The experience that we’ve built up since the start of the season is beginning to pay off.”

Is being on asphalt an advantage for you?

“Even though I’ve spent several seasons in Formula One, the asphalt you find on circuits is not at all comparable to what we will encounter in rallying. Formula One and rally are two completely different disciplines. In the WRC, we will be competing on a number of different asphalt rallies with very diverse characteristics. You can’t compare the Rally Bulgaria with the Catalunya Rally, or with the roads in Germany or France. In just one stage you can go from wide and flowing roads to narrow or bumpy sections. The grip levels change from one corner to another too. It’s also vital to have a good feeling with your co-driver and the pace notes, as well as being able to make the most of a well-balanced car."

What do you expect from the Rally Bulgaria?

“It’s certainly going to be a very different type of playing field, and that is one of the things I like most about rallying. The flip side of this is that rallying is a very hard sport for anybody new to it. This first asphalt rally of the season will be a very important part of my learning process in the WRC. I’ve realised that it vital to pick things up as you go along and not try to run before you can walk. My objective is to get to the finish and completely understand my Citroën C4 WRC. We’ll see where we are at the end of the first day and then try to close the gap to our rivals.”

Source: Red Bull

The Junior Team is continuing its preparation

Big week for Citroen leading two tests simultaneously: one with the official team and one with the junior team. In the Tarn as the team continued its preparation for asphalt rally after his participation in Lanterna in Italy.

The special provision by the organization, always effective, allowed the junior team to prepare Bulgaria with road conditions near the site of the next round of the championship. Ogier and Raikkonen have used the C4, all blue, rented by PH Re Felice at the Lanterna .

Sebastien Ogier took the wheel Tuesday and Wednesday. Weather conditions were wet, the pilot tested the Gap boundary starting at the top to tail. Yesterday and today, Raikkonen took place aboard the C4.

The Finnish company has aligned with the times a very aggressive style. Always on the attack, he was able to enjoy warm weather to make better lap qu'Ogier on the same stage.

Often the limit, Kimi seems more comfortable on this surface after good result Lanterna . While it raises the question about the future of Raikkonen: WRC again or return to F1 ? It was noted that the Finnish seemed interested in the new deal for WRC 2011 ...

Source: WRC.is.free.fr
Courtesy: julia

Räikkönen finishes an impressive second on Lanterna Rally as Ogier wins

Kimi Raikkonen clinched second place in his Citroen C4 WRC on the 2010 Rally della Lanterna, after a close battle with team-mate, and eventual winner, Sebastien Ogier

The Finn held a two second lead heading into the final stage, but he just couldn't do enough to fend off the rapid Frenchman who won by 5.7 seconds.

Ogier had been 30 seconds behind Raikkonen after four stages, but reeled him in during the afternoon and evening loops.

At the finish, Raikkonen said: "It was a great rally. Unfortunately we lost the first place in the last stage, but for us it was the first time we drove the car on tarmac and we gained a lot of experience.

"We didn't lose to such a bad guy [Ogier]," Raikkonen joked. "It was a nice rally and good learning."

Ogier said: "Kimi was very fast today and it was very difficult to catch him because this morning we made a wrong tyre choice and lost 30 seconds.

"I can complement him [Raikkonen] because he did a very good rally for his first time on tarmac [in the Citroen C4 WRC]."

The Lanterna Rally was the first asphalt event that Kimi Raikkonen had contested in a World Rally Car, it also marked the first time he had posted a stage win, led a rally outright and finished on the podium.

The Citroen Junior Team were contesting the Genoa based event as preparation for the upcoming tarmac surfaced WRC Rally Bulgaria.

2010 Rally della Lanterna - Results (top five)

1 Sébastien Ogier Citroën C4 WRC 1.32.16,7
2 Kimi Raikkonen Citroën C4 WRC +5,7
3 Ferrecchi Maurizio Ford Focus WRC +1.56,0
4 Luca Pedersoli Ford Focus WRC +3.27,8
5 Marco Strata Peugeot 206 WRC +4.48,9

Source: RallyBuzz

Kimi's co-driver: Ville Peltonen* wouldn't do well in figure skating either

Kimi Räikkönen and his co-driver Kaj Lindström knew that Rally Portugal would be a difficult race. That's what it also became since Räikkönen, who finished tenth, ended up losing over 11 and a half minutes to his team mate Sebastien Ogier who won the race.

-We knew that there are two difficult rallies on the first half of the season, Jordan and this one. We got a point but there were chances for better if it wasn't for the tyre puncture on Sunday. Even before the rally the only plan was to just finish the race and gather experience. In that sense it went as expected. We didn't have any bigger goals for this race anyway, says Lindström.

In Rally Turkey in mid April Räikkönen finished promisingly at fifth place. Lindström points out that Räikkönen benefitted from the fact that the race set in Istanbul was a new experience for all the teams and drivers. Portugal's special stages are demanding for an unexperienced driver anyway.

-There's slippery, slow and technical roads here and a lot is happening all the time. Listening to the pace notes and other things are emphasized even more in a race like this. More experience is needed, said Lindström.

At which point can we start expecting better results from Kimi?

-We have to remember how many rallies he's driven in his life. It's a bit like asking why Ville Peltonen doesn't win the world championship of figure skating during the first year. Kimi has very limited experience of rallying. Proper results cannot be expected this year. Kimi should be given the peace to get used to rally and if he decides to continue after this year, then we can start expecting those good positions, thinks Lindström.

Lindströn wasn't able to say whether the rally experiment is a several year project for the 2007 F1 world champion.

-It hasn't been discussed yet. At some point of the year he'll make a decision about continuing. Now we're only at the end of May and we're concentrating on driving rally, Lindström says.

Time to strike in Bulgaria?

The next WRC rally will be driven 9th -11th of July on Bulgarian asphalt roads. The race, which is in the WRC program for the first time, may be one of the best places for Räikkönen to show his speed.

-Bulgaria is again a new race for everybody and we go to an asphalt surface. One of the variables is then more familiar since Kimi has driven on asphalt all his live. There finding braking points and other things will be easier. It will be interesting to see how driving on asphalt will start going, Lindström says.

On the second weekend of June Räikkönen will try out asphalt roads in Lanterna Rally driven near Genova in Italy.

-It's just a practice race. The race is first and then we'll have our first asphalt test. We're just going there to see how a car like this feels on asphalt. We'll probably get ideas there about what to test and develop in the following week's asphalt test, Lindström tells.

*Ville Peltonen is a Finnish ice hockey player. Kaj's point is that if he suddenly started figure skating, we couldn't expect him to win anything during the first year.

Source: MTV3 – Lauri Ouvinen
Courtesy: Dracaena

Rally de Portugal 2010: SS18 Estadio Algarve 2

Ogier does it!

Frenchman Sebastien Ogier sealed victory on Rally de Portugal at the Algarve Stadium super special, collecting his maiden rally win at World Championship level and underlining his position as one of the sport's hottest properties.

The 26-year-old Citroen Junior Team driver held his own in a thrilling final day scrap with six-time World Champion - and fellow C4 WRC driver - Sebastien Loeb, which concluded on the all-tarmac head-to-head stage.

Loeb, the 2010 championship leader, finished the rally second, 7.9 seconds behind Ogier, while his Citroen Total team-mate Dani Sordo was third, 1min 10sec further back, to complete an all-Citroen podium.

After his shock last stage retirement from Rally New Zealand earlier this month, Petter Solberg had another eleventh hour disaster in Portugal. The Norwegian was fourth in his privately entered C4 WRC but lost the position after driving into a barrier on the Super Special.

Ford Focus RS WRC driver Hirvonen moved ahead into fourth, 14.4sec adrift of Sordo, with Solberg rounding off the top five 3.7sec further back.

Stage Times:

Source: WRC

Sebastien Ogier and Kimi Raikkonen are ready for Rally de Portugal

After the long trip to New Zealand, the World Rally Championship gets back to European soil this weekend. The Rallye de Portugal, round six of the season, will be an excellent opportunity for Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia to underline their recent strong performances. Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström have not done a rally for a month now, but they will aim to continue their progress with the Citroen C4 WRC

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia are continuing their march towards the very top level of world rallying. The duo reached the second step of the podium for the first time on the 2009 Acropolis Rally, and secured a similar result in New Zealand two weeks ago. “Our initial programme didn’t actually even include this round,” said Sébastien. “I have to thank the entire team for making it possible for us to enter New Zealand – particularly because we obtained a result there that surpassed expectations. It’s a very good sign for the future; we’ve felt confident since the start of the season and just got quicker and quicker. For our first trip to New Zealand it was an excellent performance, and we really enjoyed driving the Citroën C4 WRC on those stages. ”

The Citroën Junior Team driver starts the Rallye de Portugal lying fourth in the World Championship standings and his objectives remain unchanged. “We’re going to stick with the same plan we’ve had since the beginning of the season,” added Sébastien. “Even though this is a rally that I know a bit about already, we need to make sure that there are no mistakes in Portugal and that we rack up the kilometres. It will be a great achievement if we can fight for a podium again. Starting the first day fourth on the road should be quite a good position for us.”

New Zealand did not form part of the scheduled programme for Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström, who return to the Citroën C4 WRC in Portugal. The former F1 World Champion will continue learning how to drive a WRC challenger on gravel over the demanding Portuguese stages. Having retired in Mexico, finished eighth in Jordan and claimed fifth in Turkey, the 30-year-old Finn will have to get to grips with another new event for him in Portugal, one of the classic rounds of the World Rally Championship.

“The short break did me a lot of good,” said Kimi. “We were able to sit down and analyse our start to the season, concentrating on specific details such as making pace notes and comparing our times to those of the frontrunners. A few kilometres of testing also meant that I was able to quickly get back up to speed in the car. I know that we still have a lot to learn because rallying remains a completely new sport for me, but I feel that we are making consistent progress.”

In Portugal, for his fifth event at the wheel of the Citroën C4 WRC, Kimi Räikkönen is also retaining the same targets. “I said from the very start that it was just a question of learning,” he pointed out. “We need to have everything in hand before trying to accelerate and chase the leaders. So it is necessary for us to get more and more experience. That’s going to be our goal in Portugal once more.”

In order to prepare for round five of the season, both drivers took part in a gravel test session in eastern France at the end of this week.

Three questions to... Benoit Nogier Citroën Junior Team Manager

Let’s look back at the trip to New Zealand... adding this event to Sébastien Ogier’s programme certainly worked out well!
“New Zealand was a great experience for the entire team. Once again, Sébastien was extremely happy with the car. He pushed hard from start to finish, don’t forget, without anybody at all telling him what to do. He was constantly flat-out, and I hope he keeps that feeling within him. It’s the first time that he has been forced to push that hard all the way to the finish. He’ll need to remember that whole experience in order to do it again in the future!”

Since the start of the season, none of the Citroën Junior Team C4 WRCs have experienced any mechanical problems. That must be a huge source of satisfaction for a Team Manager?
“It’s just down to the hard work of all the team over several months. Citroën Racing’s design office has produced the best World Rally Car and we are doing everything we can to make the most of it. From the people who prepare the spare parts package to the engineers who analyse data during the debriefs, it’s a long-term job that has allowed us to enjoy this high degree of reliability. We take a huge amount of care when it comes to the preparation of our two cars and our drivers benefit from that. This rigour and discipline in our working practices means that we are right up there and able to score the sort of results that everyone has seen so far this year.”

Now the season continues in Portugal: an event that Sébastien Ogier already knows but another brand new one for Kimi Räikkönen. Do the objectives change at all?
“Kimi’s target is continue the work he has started since the start of the season: no more and no less. He will undoubtedly face a tougher task than he did in Turkey, as all the drivers already know Portugal whereas he has it still to learn. He’s very aware that there’s a long road ahead of him, but together with Kaj he is adopting an extremely professional approach. He needs to carry on in the same calm frame of mind, even though this will inevitably take some time. As for Sébastien, he also needs to stay on track and stay cool. Despite his recent results, he has certainly never let success go to his head and that is a crucial attitude he must preserve. It’s important to keep a clear view on everything and while Sébastien still has a lot to learn, it would seemingly not be too presumptuous to aim for a podium in Portugal. His goal at the start of the rally will be to fight with the four factory drivers. We’re clearly somewhat ahead of the plan we established at the start of the year, but the mission is by no means completely accomplished. Sébastien needs to get to the end of a rally now with no mistakes.”

Source: RallyBuzz

KIMI'S CURRENT PACE IS ONE SECOND BEHIND THE LEAD

HEIKKI KULTA - Turun Sanomat 13.4 2010

Kimi Räikkönen fought his first WC-points in Jordan. In the demanding race the Finnish driver lost only two seconds per kilometer to the lead on those stages he made without mistakes.

Are those 2 seconds then the difference that Räikkönen should catch if he is going to drive for podiums at some stage?

– Jordan's rally was Kimi's most difficult rally. His absolute goal was to finish the rally and under those conditions he had to set his pace accordingly. During previous rallies the difference on the best stages have been 0,8-1 seconds to the lead. That is the real situation at this point, Steve Robertson told Turun Sanomat.

To whom will Räikkönen compare his pace then - Sebastien Loeb or Sebastien Ogier?

– Loeb. Kimi always compares himself to the fastest driver, Robertson emphasises.

Learning period in the spotlight

How has the ex-F1 driver's season taken off according to his manager?

– What is on top of my mind is that rallying is so different from F1. Kimi has had to learn extremely much in an extremely short period of time.

– Rallying on top level requires a completely different driving style than track-driving which Kimi has in his backbone. It takes time to understand everything that is required on the top of rally and unfortunately Kimi can't do it in all peace, as a F1-Champion he has to do it while being in the center of all attention.

Robertson believes that with Räikkönen's persistance and determination he will go far in rally too.

– It's absolutely sure that Kimi will become a really fast driver in rally too, Robertson assures.

Räikkönen hasn't thought about next year yet.

– It's time for it only after a few months, Robertson hints.

Source: Turun Sanomat
Courtesy: Nicole

Ogier admits tactical error, Raikkonen makes steady progress

Sébastien Ogier, Julien Ingrassia and the Citroën Junior Team – who were in the top three of every stage held today – have finished day two of the Jordan Rally in second, behind Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena. Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström have continued to improve throughout the day and they occupy a provisional eighth place overnight.

Two loops of three stages were on the menu for day two, the longest day of the Jordan Rally comprising 138.28 competitive kilometres. After Suwayma and Kafrain, the crews faced one of the most challenging special stages in the entire World Rally Championship: the 41.45 kilometres of Jordan River.

“The first two stages didn’t really present us with many problems in terms of road sweeping, but the longest stage was tricky,” commented Sébastien Ogier halfway through the day. “Conditions got worse and worse with each of the 41 kilometres. The roads were extremely slippery. Our Citroen C4 WRC worked perfectly though and the tyres showed no signs of weakness at all.”

Kimi Räikkönen took advantage of some slightly softer settings in order to make consistent progress. “We’re just trying to find the right pace,” he said. “The first two stages passed without any problems. At the start of the long stage, I was held up by the dust from the competitor in front of me and I went straight on at a junction. The surface is slippery but I’m very pleased with the adjustments made by the team. The car is softer and I feel a bit more comfortable with it. ”

During the second loop of stages, Sébastien continued his exemplary progress to return to the service park at the end of the day in second overall. “We’ve been on the right road for a few events now and that’s really positive,” he said. “We stuck firmly to our plan throughout the day by staying behind Latvala. There’s a slight feeling of frustration because I think we deserved our strategy to succeed all the way to the end. But it’s nobody’s fault. The team did their job and we did ours.” Sébastien Ogier will start second on the road tomorrow, 3.1 seconds ahead of Latvala.

Kimi was sixth-fastest and then seventh-fastest on the two runs through Suwayma, gaining a bit more experience today. “It was a bit better than yesterday,” he reported. “Right from the start of the recce, we knew that this would be a particularly tricky rally. We just need to learn and rack up more kilometres on all the different surfaces. We had a spin at the end of the day but the important thing is still to be here in the evening. ”

Citroën Junior Team manager Benoit Nogier concluded: “Today has picked up from where we left off previously. Starting from second on the road this morning, Sébastien was a little quicker than Latvala. We would have preferred him to start from a slightly more favourable road position tomorrow, but circumstances worked against us. Kimi showed himself to be consistent, setting times that were close to those of other more experienced competitors. It’s important to remember that this is only his second gravel event in the car on the WRC. It’s also worthy of note that neither of our C4 WRCs have suffered from the slightest mechanical problem. The cars are both quick and reliable.”

Source: RallyBuzz

A good start for Ogier and Räikkönen in Jordan

The Citroën Junior Team is second at the end of the opening day of the Jordan Rally, thanks to the C4 WRC of Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia. Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström also overcame the first day’s challenges to end up in the top 10 overall.

The opening day’s action was the shortest of the entire rally with 95.70 competitive kilometres, and it provided competitors on the Jordan Rally with a good taste of what was to follow. But no driver was aiming to open up a gap, and neither did anybody want to inherit first place overnight because of the ‘road sweeper’ role that it would entail for day two.

From the first few kilometres, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia adopted a careful pace. “Maybe I was a bit too careful on the second stage,” said Ogier, who is currently third overall in the World Rally Championship standings. “Nobody is going at their hardest. There’s nothing to win today; it’s just a question of avoiding all the various traps and finding a good position for the rest of the rally.”

Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström continued their learning curve on roads that were particularly challenging, aiming to accumulate more experience in the car. “The start of the day was quite interesting but we are still here,” said Kimi. “We hit a rock and had a half spin. On a rally that is so specialised, it’s really important to cover all the stages.”

During midday service, the Citroën Junior Team changed the settings on the C4 WRC driven by the Finnish crew to make it easier to drive on the rock-strewn surface. “We saw how important it was to have experience on these roads” added Kimi. “ It was better in the afternoon and our times improved. Now we have to carry on like this over the next couple of days.”

Sébastien Ogier was fourth after the opening special stage and he held onto the place right up to the start of the final stage. The Frenchman finished the test without slowing down – unlike several other drivers – and inherited second place overall. “Our aim was to stay in front of Sebastien Loeb this evening,” he said. “We didn’t take many risks and everybody was just watching everyone else. Tomorrow, we’re going to do everything we can to stay at the front.”

Citroën Junior Team manager Benoit Nogier concluded : “Our goal was to maintain the form we showed in Mexico. Sébastien is continuing at his pace while keeping a comfortable safety margin. Tonight he’s second, not so far behind Latvala and just in front of Loeb. We didn’t operate any particular strategy. Kimi’s objective is to finish the rally without making mistakes. It’s important for him to gain experience. The Jordan Rally is a tricky event and our feeling for it is just beginning to come now. We simply need time. At the end of the first day, I’m very happy.”

Souce: RallyBuzz

Raikkonen and Ogier aim to conquer the desert on Jordan Rally

After returning from Scandinavia and Central America, the Citroën Junior Team now heads to the Middle East for the Jordan Rally, round three of the 2010 World Rally Championship. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia and Kimi Räikkönen/Kaj Lindström will be at the wheel of the two Citroën C4 WRCs, and their objective will be to gain as much experience as possible on a distinctly unusual event.

On Rally Mexico the Citroën C4 WRCs had to compete at an altitude of 2800 metres: now they drop down to stages that are 400 metres below sea level – the lowest point in the world – on the Jordan Rally.

The rally, round three of this year’s World Championship, is based on the Red Sea coast and maintains the same general characteristics as it did in 2008, featuring a compact itinerary within a 75-kilometre radius of the service park.

The rally will take place over three legs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Just one stage is new (Rumman Forest) while three others are reversed (Wadi Shueib, Yakrut et Bahath) compared to last time. The surface, consisting of hard but flowing gravel, offers a good level of grip.

Sébastien Ogier took part in the Jordan Rally back in 2008 with a Citroën C2 Super 1600, winning the Junior WRC category. “The organisers have come up with a really nice route, which takes in fast and flowing stages,” he said. “The surface is hard and gives us good grip. All the landscape in the middle of the desert looks very similar, which is why having good pace notes becomes even more important than it is on other events. Myself and my co-driver Julien will certainly have to pay a lot of attention during the recce.”

Sébastien Ogier is third in the World Rally Championship standings with two rounds gone, having finished on the podium in Mexico. His objective in Jordan will be to maintain the same excellent results that he has achieved since the season started. “We knew that we could take nothing for granted and that we had to continue to work hard in order to make more progress,” he added. “Jordan is going to be a difficult rally as the characteristics of the stages are quite unusual. But we were able to get a good feeling with the car during some tests before heading off to the recce in Jordan. Our objectives remain the same. It’s important not to let anything go to my head and to continue gaining confidence.”

Source: RallyBuzz