Räikkönen returned back to rally

Kimi about the shakedown:

– It went quite well - at least in the beginning. Of course it's going to be a little difficult in the beginning because I haven't got to drive for some time, Räikkönen thought.

– The car feels just the same as it felt before. There's no difference, Räikkönen stated shortly in his own way.

Ford's and Citroen's drivers from the main team got to try out Michelin's new tyre that shouldn't break as easily as it has broken in the previous rallies. Räikkönen got finally to test the new rubbers in shakedown.

– I didn't notice any difference in the tyres. There are lots of stones on the road but so far no tyres have broken. Hopefully the difference to the last tyres is big, Räikkönen said.

– They haven't made any changes to the car because of the new tyres. I suppose they don't have to do that either, he continued.

– This year there will be less tactics because the race is only two days long. I'm second on the road on Friday so I have to put the foot to the pedal immediately so that I won't lose too much when thinking of the second day, Loeb planned.

– It was difficult to make the notes because the rented car felt like a truck, Loeb said.

Turun Sanomat, Dead Sea

TONI HEINONEN

Courtesy: Nicole

Räikkönen's shakedown began through the snowbank

Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström visited a snow bank with the new Citroën DS3 WRC car at the beginning of the first shakedown period during the weekend of Rally Sweden in the World Rally Championship season.

- Whenever there is a new car, there is a little bit of experimenting, Lindstrom acknowledged the situation.

Räikkönen likes Sweden's snowy challenge although the snowfall on Thursday put to the test the new tires and the studs.

- The tyres are suffering from that amount of snow. When it is snowing, the new tires seem to be quite difficult. When you go over even a little bit of snow, there's no grip and the car is like aquaplaning, Raikkonen thought.

Räikkönen did not have any worries from his lack of preparation for the season.

- There was no plans from last season on how to prepare. We had time to test on one day, and even then not quite the whole day, because the engine blew up. Because the engine had apparently been run in all the tests they had done.

Räikkönen is now the boss of his own racing team, ICE1 Racing.

– The team is the same even though the name is different and the car is new. Nothing else has changed. If I wanted to drive, it was better to develop something. This option was the easiest, Raikkonen explained.

What about the new car, the Citroën DS3 WRC?

- From what I have gotten to drive, it feels pretty good. It has a Super 2000-style, it feels lighter and turns more quickly.

Raikkonen did not promise any results?

It is being driven and considered. We'll see how it goes, Räikkönen acknowledged.

FINAL OFFICIAL RESULTS AFTER ALL SHAKEDOWN RUNS

1. Henning Solberg Ford 2.02,5
2. Mikko Hirvonen Ford 2.02,6
3. Petter Solberg Citroen 2.02,7
4. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 2.02,8
5. Jari-Matti Latvala Ford 2.03,2
6. P-G Andersson Ford 2.03,4
7. Mads Östberg Ford 2.03,9
8. Kimi Räikkönen Citroen 2.04,5
9. Sebastien Ogier Citroen 2.05,3
10. Eyvind Brynildsen Skoda 2.08,6 (S2000)

Source: TS
Courtesy: sleenster

Videos: Sauber C30 launch - Shakedown in Valencia

Source: NextgenAuto

Videos: Ferrari F150 launch - Shakedown at Fiorano with Felipe Massa

Source: NextgenAuto

Ferrari F150 launch - Shakedown at Fiorano with Fernando Alonso

Source: NextgenAuto

Kimi Räikkönen Shakedown at Wales Rally GB 2010

Source: CitroënWRC

KIMI FELT THE PAIN IN SPAIN - OUT AT THE SHAKEDOWN

The Rally de Espana is well-known for being a compact event of the World Rally Championship, based on stages around the Port Aventura theme park in Salou

But this year, the rally will be particularly short for former Grand Prix Champion and Red Bull driver Kimi Räikkönen. The flying Finn went flying a bit too early in proceedings, and damaged his car in the shakedown to the penultimate round of the World Rally Championship. The impact wasn't a huge one, but it damaged his Citroen C4 WRC's roll cage too badly for him to continue.

This year's Rally de Espana is being run for the first time on both gravel and asphalt surfaces, and the shakedown stage contained a bit of both. Kimi completed one run successfully, but clipped a bank on a left-hand corner halfway through the second run, just after the gravel finished and the asphalt began. The impact tipped his car over, and it rolled. The roll cage just above co-driver Kaj Lindstrom's seat was damaged, which meant that for safety reasons Kimi's car was not able to start the rally.

"It was just one of those stupid things that happens sometimes: I just touched the bank and the car rolled," said the Iceman. "It's the sort of thing that if you're lucky you get away with it, but on this occasion there was something that damaged the roll cage on Kaj's side of the car. We can't restart so that's the end of that. It's a pity as I think it was a rally that might have suited us but now we'll never know. I'm obviously disappointed, but I've been around motorsport for long enough to know that disappointments are part of the game sometimes; it's how you deal with them that matters. Now I'm just looking forward to our next event and I'm going to concentrate on the future. That's always more interesting than the past."

The Rally de Espana has often been described as the closest that the World Rally Championship comes to circuit racing, but Kimi will be watching it on television this year as he is now heading straight home to Switzerland.

Kaj Lindstrom is also resigned to being a spectator, but he is always able to look on the bright side of any situation. "It's a pity, but this doesn't really change anything for us," Kaj said. "I've never had a rally finish this soon before, although I've had some pretty short tests with some other drivers! You have to expect anything and learn from everything in this sport, so myself and Kimi have already put what happened behind us. I know Kimi and this will just make him more determined. We're going to go away now, but we'll come back strongly for Rally Great Britain: I'm absolutely sure of this."

Source: RedBullRallye

Solberg flies in Rallye de France Shakedown

Norway's Petter Solberg went fastest in a mixed-up shakedown, but the real action gets underway tomorrow morning at 0843 with the first of 20 stages

Former World Champion Petter Solberg has claimed fastest time in the shakedown for the all-new Rallye de France, over a short asphalt stage running around the service area. The Norwegian set a best time of 1m53.4s in his privately-run Citroën C4 WRC, under cloudy skies and damp conditions. Temperatures were cool at around 11 degrees centigrade.

The stage was not especially representative of the conditions that the competitors will face over the next three days, and the times were taken by hand as the specialised equipment had already left for the first stage.

This led to quite a few surprises on the time sheets - but not too much should be read into them. World Touring Car Championship star Yvan Muller was the third-quickest driver on the shakedown, driving Solberg’s old 2006-specification Citroën Xsara WRC.

“My new team mate is not bad at all, is he?” joked Solberg. “From our point of view everything was really good, but the rally is a different thing. We came very close to winning on the last round in Japan, so we’re going to be pushing hard.”

The second-quickest car on the shakedown was Hungarian privateer Frigyes Turan in a Peugeot 307 WRC, while the Ford Fiesta Super 2000 of Henning Solberg was fourth-fastest behind Muller.

Sebastien Loeb, gunning for his seventh consecutive World Championship on home territory in Alsace, could only manage sixth-fastest on the shakedown in his factory Citroen C4 WRC.

“I think everyone has a lot of pressure but there’s a bit more pressure than usual,” said Loeb. “But in the end I prefer just to concentrate on the rally. If the weather is like this that it could be very slippery, so I think it will be tricky.”

Former Grand Prix champion Kimi Räikkönen was ninth-fastest, setting a time just 0.7 seconds slower than Loeb. The rally gets underway at 1830 with a ceremonial start in Strasbourg.

Shakedown times:

1-Petter 1.53,4
2-Turan 1.57,7
3-Yvan 1.58,8
4-Loeb 2.02,2
5-Ogier 2.02,2
6-Sordo 2.02,7
7-Räikkönen 2.02,9
8-Latvala 2.03,6
9-Villagra 2.05,2
10-Hirvonen 2.06,4
11-Wilson 2.14,2

Source: WRC

Pics of Kimi Räikkönen at Rally Japan 2010

Some pics of Kimi Räikkönen at Shakedown

Click here to view all images

Kimi Räikkönen off at Shakedown Onboard + Interview at Rally Japan 2010

Source: WRC

Kimi Räikkönen after Shakedown at ADAC Rallye Deutschland 2010

Source: Citroën WRC

Citroëns dominate Rally Deutschland Shakedown

Citroen’s bid for an eighth victory on Rally Deutschland got off to a strong start earlier today when C4 World Rally Cars locked out the top four times at the pre-event shakedown

The four hour test - a prelude to this weekend's rally - took place on a 5.80km asphalt road near the villages of Mesenich and Grewenich, 16km west of the Service Park in Trier. Conditions were dry and sunny throughout, with the temperature peaking at 23 degrees Celsius.

Citroen works team driver Dani Sordo shared the joint fastest time with privateer entrant Petter Solberg. Sordo, competing alongside new co-driver Diego Vallejo for the first time, completed four passes through the stage, setting his best time of 3m 39.4s on his final run.

“It felt good,” said Sordo. “Of course it’s a big change having Diego alongside me but we’ve tested for three days [in the rally car] and since then we have been driving together in a road car in Spain. It’s not the same as proper competition but this morning everything is okay. The aim for the rally is to try and get a podium. But running sixth on the road isn’t an ideal position to be in because there will be a lot of dirt on the road. If the weather stays dry that will help.”

Solberg, who started a new co-driving partnership with Chris Patterson six weeks ago, matched Sordo’s time on his fourth run. The Norwegian drove the stage five times after hitting a snag on his first pass. “The handbrake didn’t release after a hairpin and we were stationary for about 15 seconds,” he explained. “Luckily it happened today and we were able to fix it. After that we tried a few different settings, confirming what we found at our pre-event test. In the end the car feels absolutely perfect and we matched Sordo’s time. I’m happy with that.”

Seven-time Rally Deutschland winner Sebastien Loeb was the closest to Sordo and Solberg, in a time 1.3sec adrift. “The test has been okay for me, no problems,” he said. The road was fast and narrow, so always difficult, but the feeling was good and the car is perfect for the moment. We made a little change to the suspension but nothing special.”

Citroen Junior Team driver Kimi Raikkonen set the fourth fastest time, 1.9sec slower than Loeb, while Ford team-leader Mikko Hirvonen rounded off the top five as the first Focus RS WRC pilot.

ADAC Rally Deutschland gets underway on Friday 19 August at 0900hrs when crews leave the Service Park bound for the opening Ruwertal / Fell stage.

Here are the Shakedown times of the leading WRC drivers:

1. SORDO. Citroen C4 WRC. 3:39.4

=1. P. SOLBERG. Citroen C4 WRC. 3:39.4

3. LOEB. Citroen C4 WRC. 3:40.7

4. RÄIKKÖNEN. Citroen C4 WRC. 3:42.6

5. HIRVONEN. Ford Focus RS WRC 09. 3:42.7

6. DUVAL. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 3:42.8

7. OGIER. Citroen C4 WRC. 3:43.3

8. LATVALA. Ford Focus RS WRC 09. 3:44.4

9. WILSON. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 3:48.3

10. Al QASSIMI. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 3:51.4

11. BLOCK. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 3:52.2

Source: WRC

Hirvonen fastest at Finland Shakedown

Finn Mikko Hirvonen got his quest for a second victory on his home rally off to a perfect start earlier today by setting the fastest time at the pre-event shakedown for Neste Oil Rally Finland.
The four hour test - a prelude to this weekend's rally - took place on a 4.46km gravel road in Muurame, 10km from the Jyvasykla Servce Park. The stage is a new choice for Shakedown and replaces Laajavuori, which will be used as part of this year’s competitive route. Conditions were dry, sunny and humid throughout the test, with the temperature peaking at a sweltering 34 degrees Celsius.

"The car feels great" said Mikko after completing his third run in a session-winning time of 2m 02.2s. "At our pre-event test we tried so many things, but I didn’t have enough time to get confident with the set-up we’re going to use. Now I feel ready.”

“The shakedown road is definitely better than the one we’ve used for the last four years. It’s really nice, fast and there are big jumps - so a really good stage. Can I win again? Well, let’s just say I think we have a chance to fight for it,” added the Ford Focus RS WRC driver.

Citroen C4 WRC driver Sebastien Loeb and Hirvonen’s team-mate Jari-Matt Latvala were joint closest to the wining time, both stopping the clock just one-tenth off.

Sebastien Ogier and Dani Sordo were fourth and fifth fastest respectively.

After his podium finish on the most recent rally in Bulgaria, Petter Solberg ended the session with the sixth-fastest time - eight-tenths off Hirvonen’s - and brimming with confidence. “I didn’t change anything and we were fastest on the early runs, I’m really happy, no problems at all”, he said. “We did a proper test, we did absolutely the right things and I feel I’m back fighting with the best in the world. I feel this more since Bulgaria. We will be on the top on every rally from here!”

Here are the Shakedown times of the leading WRC drivers:

1. HIRVONEN. Ford Focus RS WRC 09. 2:02.2

=2. LATVALA. Ford Focus RS WRC 09. 2:02.3

=2. LOEB. Citroen C4 WRC. 2:02.3

4. OGIER. Citroen C4 WRC. 2:02.4

5. SORDO. Citroen C4 WRC. 2:02.6

6. P. SOLBERG. Citroen C4 WRC. 2:03.0

7. WILSON. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 2:04.0

8. H. SOLBERG. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 2:04.6

=9. OSTBERG. Subaru Impreza WRC06. 2:05.2

=9. RAIKKONEN. Citroen C4 WRC. 2:05.2

10. Al QASSIMI. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 2:06.6

11. KANKKUNEN. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 2:08.4

Source: WRC

Kimi Räikkönen after Shakedown at Rally Bulgaria 2010

Source: Sportal.bg

Petter fastest in Rally Bulgaria Shakedown

Citroen privateer Petter Solberg got his partnership with new co-driver Chris Patterson off to a perfect start earlier today by setting the fastest time at the pre-event shakedown for Rally Bulgaria.

The four hour test - a prelude to this weekend's rally - took place on a 2.65km asphalt road from Momin Prohod to Gorna Vassiitsa Village, 9km from the main Service Park in Dolna Banya. After overnight rain, conditions were dry and cloudy throughout, with a temperature peaking at 12 degrees Celsius.

"Not bad, eh?" said Petter after completing his sixth and final run in a session-winning time of 1m 39.4s. "The car felt good and I'm feeling confident about the partnership inside the car too. The shakedown road wasn't exactly like the roads we saw on the recce - it's a bit more slippery - but the car set-up worked well."

Fellow Citroen C4 WRC driver Dani Sordo was closest to Solberg's time, stopping the clock four-tenths slower, while Citroen Junior team driver Sebastien Ogier, also in a C4, rounded off the top three times with a 1m 39.9s.

Former Formula One champion and WRC newcomer Kimi Raikkonen underlined his skill on asphalt by sharing the fourth fastest time - 1m 40.5s - with six times World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb.

"He's more comfortable on the tarmac, that's for sure," commented Raikkonen's co-driver Kaj Lindstrom. "There was a delay at the start before our first run, so we lost all the heat from the tyres, but things got better from there. He went well at our pre-event test and we've done a good time here. I'm excited about this rally..."

"He is certainly very fast on tarmac," acknowledged Loeb. "I think the most difficult part for him will be to be fast on the first loop - with only two passes on the recce. But his first pass today was okay, so we'll see tomorrow. It's certainly going to be interesting. Asked whether he thought the Finn could be a serious threat this weekend, Loeb said: 'I hope not."

Rally Bulgaria gets underway on Friday (9 July) at 0900hrs when crews leave the Service Park for four all-asphalt stages in the Rila mountains.

Here are the Shakedown times of the leading WRC drivers:

1. P. SOLBERG. Citroen C4 WRC. 1:39.4
2. SORDO. Citroen C4 WRC. 1:39.8
3. OGIER. Citroen C4 WRC. 1:39.9
=4. LOEB. Citroen C4 WRC. 1:40.5
=4. RAIKKONEN. Citroen C4 WRC. 1:40.5
6. HIRVONEN. Ford Focus RS WRC 09. 1:41.3
7. LATVALA. Ford Focus RS WRC 09. 1:42.2
=8. P-G ANDERSSON. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 1:42.6
=8. WILSON. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 1:42.6

Source: WRC

RALLY DELLA LANTERNA 2010 SHAKEDOWN IN-CAR WITH KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN

Source: KIMIRAIKKONEN.COM

Ogier fastest in Rally Portugal Shakedown

One of the stars of this year's Rally New Zealand, Sebastien Ogier, was the fastest driver at the pre-event shakedown for Vodafone Rally de Portugal earlier today, with former World Rally Champion Petter Solberg his closest rival.

The four hour test - a prelude to this weekend's rally - took place on a 5.03km gravel road at Vale de Judeu, 12km from the main Service Park near Faro. The same piece of road was used for Shakedown in 2009. Weather conditions were dry and sunny throughout, with a temperature peaking at 23 degrees Celsius.

"I know Shakedown isn't important to the real rally but it's good for the confidence to be fastest and we have a lot of confidence now," said Ogier. "I found the car very good, like usual, and although we tried a couple of different set-ups we've ended up sticking with our usual one - there's nothing new. The road was slippery and cleaning a lot; more than the proper stages I think. I was 16 seconds faster though on my fourth pass compared to my first - that's more than three seconds per kilometre - so you can see the effect."

Fellow Citroen C4 WRC driver Petter Solberg was closest to Ogier's time, stopping the clock 1.3sec later, while Citroen team leader Sebastien Loeb was third. "It's a challenging stage; maybe the most difficult of the rally!" said Loeb, "The surface is loose and abrasive, just like the actual stages, but the road is very fast and narrow. We tried out a few suspension adjustments but nothing major. Everything was fine."

Vodafone Rally de Portugal gets underway this evening with the head-to-head Super Special stage in the Algarve Stadium. Crews will tackle the all-asphalt track in reverse-seeded order from 1925hrs.

Here are the Shakedown times of the leading WRC drivers:

1. OGIER. Citroen C4 WRC. 3:05.0
2. P. SOLBERG. Citroen C4 WRC. 3:06.3
3. LOEB. Citroen C4 WRC. 3:07.3
4. SORDO. Citroen C4 WRC. 3:07.9
5. HIRVONEN. Ford Focus RS WRC 09. 3:08.0
6. LATVALA. Ford Focus RS WRC 09. 3:08.4
7. H. SOLBERG. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 3:09.2
8. RAIKKONEN. Citroen C4 WRC. 3:10.0
9. VILLAGRA. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 3:11.1
10. WILSON. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 3:12.1
11. Al QASSIMI. Ford Focus RS WRC 09. 3:12.2
12. BLOCK. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 3:15.7

Source: WRC

Kimi Räikkönen in Shakedown Rally of Turkey 2010

Source: Citroën WRC - YouTube

Citroën duo quickest in Turkey Shakedown

Defending World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb was the fastest driver at the pre-event shakedown for Rally of Turkey earlier today, with his Citroen team-mate Dani Sordo his closest rival.

The four-hour test took place on a 4.75km stage in Kandilli, 28km east of the main Service Park in Pendik. Weather conditions were dry and sunny throughout with a temperature peaking at 17 degrees Celsius.

Loeb was the first driver to tackle the stage - giving himself a taste of what the conditions will be like on Friday when, as championship leader, he is stage opener. The Frenchman drove the stage four times, setting his best time - 2min 30.8sec - on his final pass.

Underlining the road cleaning effect, Sordo's second-fastest time (2min 31.1sec) also came on his fourth and final run. BP Ford Abu Dhabi Team driver Mikko Hirvonen rounded off the top three times, punching in a 2min 31.7sec run on his fourth attempt.

Kimi Raikkonen's rally got off to an encouraging start. The winner of the 2005 Formula One race in Turkey was joint seventh-fastest on gravel today, setting the same time as factory Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala.

After a ceremonial start in the Istanbul this evening, the opening stage of the rally, the 15.66km Darlik, gets underway at 0903hrs on Friday.

Here are the Shakedown times of the WRC drivers:

1. LOEB. Citroen C4 WRC. 2:30.8
2. SORDO. Citroen C4 WRC. 2:31.1
3. HIRVONEN. Ford Focus RS WRC 09. 2:31.7
4. H.SOLBERG. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 2:32.2
=5. P. SOLBERG. Citroen C4 WRC. 2:32.5
=5. OGIER. Citroen C4 WRC. 2:32.5
=7. RAIKKONEN. Citroen C4 WRC. 2:33.1
=7. LATVALA. Ford Focus RS WRC 09. 2:33.1
9. VILLAGRA. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 2:33.7
10. WILSON. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 2:35.2
11. BLOCK. Ford Focus RS WRC 08. 2:38.5

Source: WRC

Jordan Rally stage guides - Thursday

In contrast to most rounds of the World Championship, the Jordan Rally gets underway early, with a full day of competition on Thursday, when drivers would usually be tackling the pre-event Shakedown.

Day one in Jordan starts at 1100hrs, when the first car will drive over the start ramp amid the spectacular Roman ruins of Jerash. Ahead lie 95.70 competitive kilometres arranged over seven special stages.

In the morning, crews will tackle a loop of four consecutive stages in the countryside north of the Dead Sea Service Park, before heading back there for a 30-minute service. In the afternoon crews will repeat three of the stages before a 45-minute end of day service.

Here are our wrc.com stage notes for Thursday's stages. Under the summaries you'll find our list of essential website links to help you follow the rally via our live results service.

SS1: Rumman Forest. 15.34km
The start in Jerash has brought the picturesque northern forest stage of Rumman into play, and it’s the only new stage of this year's rally. Rumman (Arabic for pomegranate) is completely different to the other stages of the event, because it runs through a lush pine forest. It starts off with a downhill section on a chalk road which is covered in a fine dust for the first five kilometres. Soon after it levels off to become narrow and twisty as it snakes between the trees. Between 5km and 9km the gravel gets deeper, but the tight and technical character remains right until the end. In places this stage looks like one from Rally Cyprus.

SS2/SS5: Wadi Shueib. 8.65km
Run in the opposite direction in 2008, the event’s shortest stage runs along the side of a valley and will present a tough mental and physical challenge to the drivers as they pass through sea level towards the lowest point on earth. It’s not a place to make a mistake either, because almost the whole section has a steep drop on the right-hand side. There's lots of gravel pretty much everywhere, so the first cars will have a good deal of sweeping to do. The stage begins with a steep uphill section, and then follows the contours of the hillside before dropping down into the valley for the finish.

SS3/SS6: Mahes. 20.44km
This is the second longest stage of the rally and has some very big drops by the roadside in places. It starts tight and twisty with a steep climb along a high ridge with lots of gravel on the hard-packed surface. The narrow road snakes along the side of the hill with a big drop on the right. After about 4km it drops downhill, with lots of tight, cambered corners until it reaches the bottom of the valley at the midpoint. From there on it’s an undulating piece of road that is open and quick along the top of a ridge line. Sometimes it’s uphill, sometimes downhill but there’s always lots of gravel so it could be slippery. The stage ends alongside a huge dam.

SS4/SS7: Mount Nebo - 11.09km
A location famed by Biblical stories where Moses looked out over the Holy Land. It is now the location of an ancient church which attracts 100,000 visitors annually. The stage starts twisty and fast with a short downhill sequence of hairpins before crossing a concrete bridge with a harsh compression. From there it gets faster, with good grip and lots of good cuts to help the cars stay on the road at speed. There are a couple of blind crests at 2.4km and 4.6km. From 7km there’s a tight twisty downhill section and a lot more gravel on the road and some big rocks on the outside of the corners. There’s a quarry nearby and a lot of sand has been carried onto the stage. From the 7km point to the end the road is fast and scary - the road runs along the side of a hill with a big drop into a gorge on the right-hand side. It’s flowing and fast all the way to the end.

Source: WRC