Iltasanomat (paper edition): No need for a shovel

by Janne Aittoniemi

Kimi will not drive in Mexico.

- Our next rally is in Portugal. I believe that we get to test more than a day this time. It is cleared up in the team's meeting this evening, Kaj Lindström tells.

According to Kaitsu Kimi deserves a 10 for Rally Sweden.

- A great achievment from Kimi. We didn't need the shovel even once this year, Kaj said.

- There are some places that still remain as places with a less accurate note. Then when a situation comes up Kimi starts to be more careful, Kaitsu said.

When they are driving stages that will be taken two times Räikkönen doesn't yet have the courage to drive flat-out the first time but the other time goes much better.

- It's still hard to say how high Kimi will get in rally. However it's a great thing that we have made progress in all departments. The difference to the lead has grown significantly smaller, Lindström said.

Courtey: Nicole

[Photos] More from Rally Portugal

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[Video] Kimi goes off road during SS13 of Rally Portugal

Source: YouTube @Anelise30

[Videos] WRC Rally Portugal Coverage Day 1 by Motors TV

Source: YouTube @bigraikkonenfan5

[Photos] Rally Portugal - Friday

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[Photos] More from Rally Portugal

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[Video] Raikkonen vs. Block on SS1 Algarve Stadium

Source: YouTube @klaidez

[Photos] Kimi on Rally Portugal - Porto Roadshow

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[Video] Small Kimi interview at the Porto Road Show

Source: RTP Portugal

Raikkonen expects tough time in Portugal

Former Grand Prix champion Kimi Raikkonen believes that the forthcoming Rally de Portugal will be a much tougher test than Rally of Turkey: the last event he contested, where he scored a career-best fifth place.

While Turkey – based in Istanbul for the first time – was a new event for everybody, the Portugal route is much more established. Raikkonen expects his inexperience to show on the gravel stages, while his rivals will be able to use their prior knowledge.

“It’s going to be tougher than Turkey, for sure,” said the 2007 Formula One World Champion. “That’s normal when everybody else has been there before but it is completely new for me. Nothing has changed though: I just want to get some more experience and reach the finish. It’s not realistic to expect anything more.”

After missing Rally New Zealand – which was not on his schedule for this year – Raikkonen has been away from competition for over a month, although he recently completed a test session in France to reacquaint himself with the Citroen Junior Team C4 WRC.

“That was useful,” concluded the 30-year-old. “But testing is one thing and competition is another. It’s not like racing: the surfaces are always completely different.”

Source: MaxRally
Courtesy: MomoD

Vodafone Rally de Portugal entry list announced

The organisers of Vodafone Rally de Portugal have published the entry list for the forthcoming event, round six of the FIA World Rally Championship season, which starts on 27 May.

One of the highlights of the 2009 season, the event returns this year with the largest number of entries of the season so far featuring 75 crews from 33 countries.

The rally will count towards seven series: WRC (Manufacturers and Drivers), S-WRC (S-2000 cars), J-WRC (Junior), Ford Fiesta Sporting International Trophy, Pirelli Star Driver and the Portuguese Championship.

Topping the list in the WRC category is championship leader Sebastien Loeb of the Citroen Total World Rally Team. He and team-mate Dani Sordo will drive C4 World Rally Cars. In the manufacturer's second tier squad, former F1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen will join Sebastien Ogier at the Citroen Junior World Rally Team, while Norwegian Petter Solberg will campaign a privately-entered C4 alongside British navigator Phil Mills.

Rally New Zealand winner Jari-Matti Latvala joins Mikko Hirvonen as the two points nominated Ford Focus entries for the BP Ford Abu Dhabi team. Abu Dhabi driver Khalid Al Qassimi will pilot a third car for the squad.

The Stobart M-Sport team will field two Focus RS WRCs for Henning Solberg and Matthew Wilson, while Munchis World Rally Team driver Federico Villagra will start his fifth rally of the season in another Focus World Rally Car. American extreme sports star Ken Block returns to the WRC with his Monster World Rally Team Ford Focus.

The event has also attracted a number of entries from privateer WRC class drivers including Mads Ostberg (Subaru Impreza WRC 2008), Jean-Marie Cuoq, Frigyes Turan and Spyros Pavlides (Peugeot 307 WRC) and the Ford Focus WRC drivers Rene Kuipers and Laurent Carbonaro.

Portugal counts as the second round of this year's Junior World Rally Championship and has attracted a strong field of 10 entries. Series leader Aaron Burkart (Suzuki) heads the Junior list followed by the men behind him in the standings, Renault drivers Alessandro Broccoli and Kevin Abbring.

The Super 2000 (S-WRC) category also features 10 entries and is headed by series leader Xevi Pons (Ford). Skoda driver Per-Gunnar Andersson will be Pons' closest championship rival in Portugal following the decision of Martin Prokop to miss the event. Portuguese Peugeot 207 driver Vitor Pascoal receives a one-off wildcard entry for his home round of the series.

Source: WRC

Rally Portugal - Itinerary

The sixth round of the World Rally Championship will happen next week in Portugal. In the very touristic region of the Algarve, the competitors will find a very similar route to last year's event. Slight modifications have been made, first in Santa Clara, which will have its traffic reversed in comparison to last year.

SS3/6 has been shortened by 3.2km, while 15.94km of new sections will enrich SS8/11, 9/12 and 14/16. The new sections make up for 9% of the total route.


Thursday, 27th May:

Departure Ceremony (Algarve Stadium)
20h25

SS1
SSS Estadio Algarve 1
2.03 km
20h30

Friday, 28th May:

SS2
Santa Clara 1
22.72 km
9h30

SS3
Ourique 1
20.21 km
10h18

SS4
Silves 1
21.36 km
11h16

SS5
Santa Clara 2
22.72 km
14h10

SS6
Ourique 2
20.21 km
14h58

SS7
Silves 2
21.36 km
15h56

Saturday, 29th May:

SS8
Almodovar 1
26.20 km
9h27

SS9
Vascão 1
25.23 km
10h20

SS10
S. Brás de Alportel 1
16.12 km
11h25

SS11
Almodovar 2
26.20 km
14h07

SS12
Vascão 2
25.23 km
15h00

SS13
S. Brás de Alportel 2
16.12 km
16h05

Sunday, 30th May:

SS14
Felizes 1
21.28 km
7h18

SS15
Loulé 1
22.51 km
8h09

SS16
Felizes 2
21.28 km
10h48

SS17
Loulé 2
22.51 km
11h39

SS18
SSS Estadio Algarve 2
2.03 km
13h55

Podium (Algarve Stadium)
14h45

All times are local. Portugal time is GMT.

Stage 1 : 463.53 km of which 130.61 km are timed

Stage 2 : 435.24 km of which 135.10 km are timed

Stage 3 : 324.30 km of which 89.61 km are timed

TOTAL : 1223.07 of which 355.32 km are timed

Source: Automoto365.com
Translated from French by Fran