Räikkönen learns a lot in Arctic Lapland Rally, his first race as full-time rally driver

Dani Sordo “test drives” to overwhelming victory

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"Hooray!" Citroën mechanics shouted when Dani Sordo and Kimi Räikkönen turned the last corners of the spectator special stage of the Arctic Lapland Rally at the Rovaniemi Harness Racing Stadium.
      Sordo, Citroën’s Spanish factory driver, took a fully expected and overwhelming victory in the competition raced in the snowy setting of the Lapland capital on the Arctic Circle.
     
For Sordo the Lapland rally served as a perfect test before Rally Sweden, the opening round of the WRC season.
      “Everything went perfectly. As for Sweden I am confident. I aim to make good use of this experience over there”, Sordo said in an award ceremony organised at the Lordi Square in downtown Rovaniemi.
     
Kimi Räikkönen, who attracted a considerable amount of media attention in his first race as a full-time rally driver, would have been an equally emphatic runner-up behind Sordo had he not crashed out into a snowdrift during the second special stage of the first day. In the end Räikkönen finished down in 58th.
      “Well, it was OK. I could have done without that minor slip on Friday, but otherwise it went well. I learned a lot. In the corners I brake slightly too early”, Räikkönen told the passionate rally folk, who had gathered in the square named after the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest winner.
     
Räikkönen’s pace was steady throughout the weekend. The “Iceman” was roughly about a second slower per kilometre than Sordo on each of the special stages, with the obvious exception of Saturday's little mishap, which cost him around half an hour.
      Both Sordo and Räikkönen piloted the Citroen Junior Team C4 WRC cars and took part in the rally outside the official Finnish Championship competition.
     
The second day of the Arctic Lapland Rally was important also from the point of view of the Finnish Rally Championship. The winner of the day received the full Finnish Championship points.
      Friday’s winner Juha Salo had problems with his N-class Mitsubishi’s turbocharger.
      Salo’s problems were utilised by another Mitsubishi driver Kosti Katajamäki with his co-pilot Lasse Hirvijäri. The duo took an assured victory.
      In the general Arctic Lapland Rally the couple finished second. Skoda pilot Jarkko Miettinen and his co-pilot Mikko Lukka came in third.
     
Räikkönen’s crashing out cost him dearly and removed his chances of fighting for victory in Rovaniemi.
      Still, even with a slightly damaged car the former Formula One World Champion was able to continue the race and clocked the second-fastest times on special stages three, five, and six.
      “Kimi is driving well, no question about it. It is just that rally driving is very different from F1. The conditions change so quickly. All Kimi needs is more kilometres in his clock. That way the car starts staying on the road”, four-time Rally World Champion Juha Kankkunen analysed to Helsingin Sanomat.
      “In my first-ever Arctic Lapland Rally in the late 70s I crashed out three times”, Kankkunen laughed.
     
Apart from bringing noise and the smell of petrol to Rovaniemi, the Arctic Lapland Rally also acted as a shot to enliven the nightlife of the Lapland capital.
      “Compared to a normal January weekend our sales were up 300%”, said Hotel Pohjanhovi duty manager Vesa Ylitervo.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Räikkönen makes escape from poverty (19.11.2009)
  Kimi Räikkönen to take sabbatical year from Formula One (18.11.2009)

Links:
  Kimi Räikkönen (Wikipedia)
  Finnish Rally Championship (Wikipedia)
  Arctic Lapland Rally

Helsingin Sanomat