Credit to Reutemann by Heikki Kulta

Credit to Reutemann

Turun Sanomat 23.8 2010 22:21:18

I knew I was digging blood from my nose when I wrote that Kimi Räikkönen is the first F1-driver who has got the fastest time on a WRC-stage.

I could have played it safe and state that Kimi is the first F1-Champion who now has a merit like this in WRC.

When knowing how easily the F1-statistics open up, finding rally statistics often feels like trying to open up Rubik's cube.

I asked for help on Sunday evening from Martin Holmes, who has reported almost 500 rallies, to give me the F1-drivers' fastest stage times. When he didn't remember and didn't find the one fastest SS-time for Carlos Reutemann from Argentina's WRC-rally from the 80's, I ended up giving the honor to Räikkönen with Martin's approving nod.

Of course I got very quickly feedback.

There was one fastest SS-time from Argentina's rally in 1985 for Reutemann. So that's that about the information that Räikkönen would have been the first one. Reutemann was a 12-time GP-winner and a brilliant F1-driver back in the times.

After that there has been one fastest SS-time also for Stephane Sarrazini in Catalonia WRC-rally in 2004.

Yet it's very difficult to think of Sarrazini as a F1-driver. He got to drive one GP with Minardi in 1999 almost accidentally when Luca Badoer was injured and all available F1-drivers - Mika Salo included - said no to Minardi's request.

Sarrazini who retired in that only F1-race had immediately almost as much knowledge about rally as he had of a F1-car - unlike other fullblooded F1-drivers who have tried rally. He never even had a contract as a F1-driver.

Before the rally drivers got the WRC-value you could of course find superfast talents who were competitive with both a F1- and a rallycar. Leo Kinnunen who drove in F1 in 1974 also got his name registered in many fastest SS-times in the most demanding rally of them all, Jysväskylä, in 1973.

Year 1966 in RAC-rally Jim Clark was in top speed until he retired and put also several fastest SS-times.

Turun Sanomat, Trier

HEIKKI KULTA

Fonte: Turun Sanomat/Tradução para o Inglês: Nicole

Galerinha, Heikki Kulta escreveu esta coluna para corrigir a informação que ele tinha dado sobre Räikkönen ter sido o primeiro piloto de F1 a vencer uma especial no WRC. Na realidade, Carlos Reutemann e Stephane Sarrazini já haviam conquistado esta façanha, como ele explicou no texto acima.

Estou postando a notícia para que todos possam saber que apesar de ter a publicado com o aval de um outro especialista em rallies (como ele explicou no texto), os dois deixaram passar a informação e por isto a coluna muito bacana e explicativa de Kulta.

Portanto, o Iceman está em um clube seleto de ex-pilotos de F1 que já venceram especiais no WRC. Fazendo história!

Beijinhos, Ice-Ludy