Kaj Lindström said the same thing. I´m pretty sure they know attempts to match Sordo´s pace here and there could only be succesful by taking much higher risk of crashing out (the margin of error, if you will). IMO counting out one mishap, this has been good performance thus far; the gap has been very consistent, they know why the gap exists, and Kimi can build his skills from there. The main thing, as Kimi pointed out, is to gain experience. He isn´t there to prove himself with occasional fast times.

Definitely. Anyone in their right mind would rather watch Fisi type drivers get the top seats, but somehow get destroyed by inferior cars.

Yeah, like the McLaren MP4-20. Although 1 sec/lap faster than the closest rivals, it wasn't fast enough to get the WDC with it.

Anywho....back on topic, I just noticed the S9 times:

1.( 1)Dani Sordo A18 2:39,1
2.( 3)Kimi Räikkönen A18 2:44,2 0:05,1
3.( 16)Jarkko Miettinen(M) SM1 2:49,0 0:09,9
4.( 4)Jukka Ketomäki(M) SM1 2:51,3 0:12,2
5.( 5)Kristian Sohlberg(M) SM1 2:51,7 0:12,6
( 9)Kosti Katajamäki(M) SM1 2:51,7 0:12,6
7.( 8)Joni Nikko(M) SM1 2:53,3 0:14,2
8.( 45)Rami Räikkönen SM1 2:55,1 0:16,0

2009 F60 last few races. I rest my case.

So Fisico wasn't the only one to get 10 years older during those races? (Althought the text above hints at some loss of age...)

And now, begone from my Internet.

Hilarious stuff. Even more so, after I found out what caused this trolling trip!

Apparently somebody posted a comment about Japan 2005 to clampett´s Fisi thread

How do you know he is saying this because he is used to F1 car speed?

Wow

He struggled quite a bit in the previous stages.

Is Sordo much of a benchmark on snow? Usually non Scandinavians aren't too fast on the white stuff.

EK 10 (14.73 km) Sokos Hotel Vaakuna aika ero 1.een
1.( 1)Dani Sordo A18 7:19,8
2.( 3)Kimi Räikkönen A18 7:34,0 0:14,2
3.( 2)Juha Salo(M) SM1 7:35,9 0:16,1

You're welcome...

Yeah, let's hope he doesn't embarrass himself as badly as you do yourself on this forum. He certainly has long way to fall that low.

It seems like the Fiat is good on that short stage for some reason, last year Kimi was only 0,4 seconds slower then the leader on that same stage.

EK 11 (14.12 km) aika ero 1.een
1.( 1)Dani Sordo A18 7:04,0
2.( 3)Kimi Räikkönen A18 7:16,2 0:12,2

0.85 per km.

Kimi's performance has been dissapointing. In F1 terms, he's losing 7 seconds a lap to his team mate at Spa.

Lol. I guess thats why he is smiling. Remembering the good times after they saunaed and went skinny dipping in of their thousand lakes.

Well you cant measure it in F1 terms, it just isn't the same thing, in rally terms he is doing well.

EK 11 (14.12 km) aika ero 1.een
1.( 1)Dani Sordo A18 7:04,0
2.( 3)Kimi Räikkönen A18 7:16,2 0:12,2

It seems like Kimi has picked up the speed again a little bit.

I would imagine neither Sordo nor Räikkönen are trying quite as hard and taking quite as many risks as they would if their lives and WRC points depended on it...

True; but I would expect Räikkönen to push somewhat more in the last stage.

Such a shame Juha Salo had problems with turbocharger. He would have deserved class victory.

It's an amazing performance, only one off so far in combination with that speed. Compare it with others who've transferred, like the great Valentino Rossi.

Actually its about the same as Valentino...is is normally about a second a km slower than the WRC regulars...

That said, aside from the slight whoopsie on stage 2, it has been a good performance by Kimi and he would have learned a great deal.

Biggest shame was Salo...he really was having an excellent run yesterday... to be 18 seconds off of a WRC driver and a WRC car o a reasonably long stage....that was impressive..

I think 1.0 s/km is the worst Kimi's been isn't it? In the range 0.5-1.0.

Kimis race engineer was very happy about Kimis feedback regarding the car. He says Kimi is very exact of every detail and he noticed minor things in the car. He actually thinks Kimi can help them to improve the car.

Apparently they were only testing and didn't really go flat out (both Sordo and Kimi), someone who were there also said that it looked like Kimi was taking it very causually. Latvala also said that if Kimi is in the 1 second per Kilometre zone it would be very good. Kaj has also said that they will be faster in Sweden. Lets see if that happens.

I think he did really well for a first proper competitive run in the car, we should remember the part that Kaj plays too, his vast experience and strong will is exactly what will bring out the best in Kimi's skills.

Congrats to Sordo as well, as said above, a shame for Juha Salo, he was driving well.

Kimi Räikkönen's race engineer in Citroen's junior team, Cedric Mazenq, is gratefule for Kimi's very detailed feedback when it comes to setting up the rally car.

Räikkönen himself is used to setting up the car into every small detail in F1.

- He sees many details because he is used to doing a detailed work in F1. He can help the team to improve the car, Mazenq told MTV3 of the first impression he got about Räikkönen.

Citroen-team offered several different setups for the Arctic-rally that Räikkönen could try out so that the Iceman gets experience of what kind of setups are the best for him.

- This rally was a test for Kimi. It's a continuance of the test we drove in Jyväskylä last week. This rally's goal was to find the setups he could begin with in Sweden's rally, Mazenq emphasises in the Arctic-rally's service park.

Arctic-rally's purpose was to make a car for Kimi that he could drive as easily as possible.

- For him the most important thing in the beginning is that he learns to trust the car. This is a whole new world for him. We will do our best to help him learn about the car, routes and pace notes. There is a lot of differences between rally and F1 but he has taken this with an open mind, Mazenq tells.

MTV3 – Jani Merimaa ja Anette Latva-Piikkilä, Rovaniemi

(Translation thanks to Leijona)

I don't think that is possible. Just ask around here, that lazy ...

Handles like a dog, but I like it!

yes! but my one is nicer

Räikkönen: The pace will improve once the car is in order

Kimi Räikkönen assures that he will have a better pace in upcoming rallies once his WRC-car is setup the way he wants.

- The car isn't yet the way I want it to be. It's pretty difficult in some parts, Kimi told MTV3.

Räikkönen lost about 0,9 seconds per kilometer to Sordo who won the rally.

- Once we get the car the way we want it to be it's quite easy to go faster. I don't think that it will be terribly difficult to drive faster when I know myself that it's not going the way I want it to go.

- The car has had an OK pace when thinking that we haven't drove that much. If this is the 5th rally for me then it's really not something you should worry about. I learned quite a lot. It's easier to go to the next race. Of course driving out is never nice but they will always come. the main thing was that we got to drive and get some kilometers behind us. It doesn't matter that we got a bad position, Kimi said.

MTV3 – Jani Merimaa ja Anette Latva-Piikkilä, Rovaniemi

(Translation thanks to Nicole)

Kimi & Kaj with their well-deserved trophies... for being 2nd in class A18 (internationally homologated WRC) out of 2 finishers.

You seem to have no clue...

A couple of years ago Mikko Hirvonen who finished 2nd to Loeb in 2009 was losing about 1 second per kilometre to Loeb in some rallies in some special stages and it was not because he was not trying or because he was a bad driver.

Kaj Lindström clarified that the problem was with the chassis.

- The car is too loose. It rolls too much in a tougher ride. That's why it's difficult to drive precisely.

Ha-ha, funny trophy, but his first one in rally.
I hope there's more to come, and Kimi will get more trophies, not just for the second place out of three drivers.

Maybe 2011

She also says that he doesn't drink too much and that he's a sweet boy, cleans his room, makes his bed, brushes his teeth, and is nice to dogs/cats.

Yep. And during his first years in the WRC series, in several gravel rallies Loeb was losing 1 second per kilometre to "gravel specialists" in places like Rally Finland. It is not like F1 where everybody at least can learn the track corner by corner.

On proper rally stages lack of experience will cost loads of time, no matter how talented you are.

http://www.rallybuzz.com/raikkonen-lapland-rally-10-clip/
hope i'm first to post that

Compared to Hirvonen, Sordo etc. Valentino was 2..3 sec off the pace in rally GB. 13 min + in the rally length.

Yeah, hehe, she (Anette Latva-Piikkilä) was Kimi's competitor at go-karts so maybe that's also a reason why he likes more her interviews.

Anette also wrote an article @ MTV3 website about "the Niceman" and how he was different compared to F1.

thanks! I loved the robertson interview... I thought the look of disbelief in his eyes was funny when he said...."it has never been done before... from formula 1... world champion to rally.... world champion..."

But Sordo has quite short experience on ice and snow, and this was his first time in the Artic Rally.

He's not the best model to compare real Kimi's performance.

”Räikkönen seventh or eighth in WRC-rally”
30.01.2010 19:48

MTV3’s rally-expert Tommi Tuominen estimates that based on the Arctic-rally Kimi Räikkönen has a chance to reach last of the points in WRC-rally.

Points are distributed for the race’s eight best drivers.

- Kimi was consistently one second slower per kilometer compared to Dani Sordo. In my opinion that is very good pace, Tuominen judges Räikkönen’s performance.

If Kimi loses the same one second per kilometer in a WRC-race, it will accumulate in a 320 km long rally to little over 5 minutes difference to Sordo. Difference to the top is even bigger because Sordo loses to the top-drivers in WRC-rally a couple of tenths per kilometer.

- With that you are competing for a world championship point, even two. In Sweden Kimi can drive in his first rally for a WC-point. It is not that far away, Tuominen estimates.

Tuominen followed Räikkönen’s driving on Saturday in Jyrhämäjärvi’s special stage.

- There was this kind of double crossing at midway of the stage. You could see a clear difference in driving compared to Sordo. Sordo braked and then went through with throttle and then a small acceleration and brake and again throttle. Kimi had more of these kinds of executions in these two curves, Tuominen told about what he saw.

Räikkönen will be driving his first WRC-rally with a Citroen WRC-car in two weeks in Sweden.

MTV3 – Jani Merimaa ja Anette Latva-Piikkilä, Rovaniemi

(Translation thanks to Leijona)

Well done Kimi and Kaj. I'm looking forward to Rally Finland I expect an all-time record-breaking audience there this year - really would not be a surprise if that happens. People will show their support - you just ignore the haters and keep working on it



Oh - and thanks to Dani Sordo! It was a pleasure to have him competing in Finland in such a special rally. Even if he didn't need to push hard to win it it was a great performance. I have in fact been a little surprised that the WRC teams have not used that rally when preparing to the Rally Sweden. Is it too far up in the North or what - but it's a good way to start the season I think. More WRC teams should go there.

It reminds me of the Ken Block Gymkhana training videos.