"Raikkonen and rallying: Why it’s not over yet" by Anthony Peacock
Raikkonen and rallying: Why it’s not over yet
Column
11th March 2012
By Anthony Peacock
It was a cold, crispy day in Andalusia: not a sentence that you read too frequently about a region that is nicknamed 'the frying pan of Spain'. And suddenly, it got a lot colder: icy cold in fact.
What had caused the chill was the arrival - or to be strictly accurate, the return - of the Iceman. After two years of the World Rally Championship, Kimi Raikkonen was back in Formula 1 - and straight away he topped the timesheets at the very first test in Jerez. In fact, Raikkonen was one of only two drivers to go fastest during two of the 12 days of pre-season testing.
What does this tell you? Firstly that in terms of raw talent, there is no one out there faster than Raikkonen. Secondly, that rallying is an even bigger technical challenge than circuit racing - but one that still prepares you perfectly for the split second demands of F1.
The reasons why Kimi decided not to continue in the WRC this year were largely financial (but born out of economy rather than avarice): in F1 he is earning money - and enough of it - rather than spending in the WRC. In many ways, it's easier to get a paid drive in F1 than the WRC at the moment, ridiculous as it sounds. But this only underlines the quality of the drivers who make it to the top of the sport.
For Kimi, rallying is very much unfinished business. Far from turning his back on rallying, Kimi is very keen to come back - and he may even do a few events while he is driving in F1. There are no grands prix on during Rally Finland weekend this year after all...
And Kimi, being the free spirit that he is, will only have signed a deal with Lotus (formerly Renault) on his own terms - allowing him to do what he wants, exactly when he wants to, just as he has always done. For a taste of that, people in the UK should watch Top Gear this weekend. It's the Iceman at his brilliant best, demonstrating that he can be just as quick in a Reasonably Priced Car as he can in a 500,000 Euro World Rally Car.
"I really enjoyed rallying and I know that I always will," he says. "The decision I made to go back to Formula 1 was not because I didn't like rallying anymore. It's the biggest challenge that I have ever done. From when I was growing up, I always had a lot of respect for rally drivers. And now, I think that respect is even bigger."
Let's just be thankful that Kimi turned down the lucrative offer he received to drive in NASCAR, which would have made it practically impossible for him to sit in a rally car at all (because of the 30-plus weekends of racing a year, rather than the oversized burgers).
As it is, we've not seen the last of the Iceman yet. Expect him back sooner rather than later...
Fonte: MaxRally.com
Vou dizer uma coisa, este pessoal que cobre rali, este jonalistas, um dia eles vão me matar de orgulho!!! rsrsrs... Sério!!! Primeiro foi Giles Wage, com este artigo aqui, explicando os motivos pelos quais o WRC sentirá falta de Kimi.
E agora vem Anthony Peacock, que acompanhou de pertinho esta jornada de Kimi no WRC durante estes anos. Com um texto que é impossível não mexer com o sentimento de orgulho dos fãs do Iceman.
Eu disse, e repito, o WRC aceitou Kimi como ele era, não tentou mudá-lo e por isto se encantou. O WRC viu o Kimi que nós, fãs, sempre fomos capazes de ver e por isto, ele fala do finlandês com este respeito.
Räikkönen não venceu nem conquistou títulos como Loeb, Petter, Mikko ou Latvala, mas ele conquistou a simpatia e o respeito do WRC. E deixou um gostinho de quero mais. Para eles, para a gente e até mesmo para o Iceman.
Beijinhos, Ludy
Column
11th March 2012
By Anthony Peacock
It was a cold, crispy day in Andalusia: not a sentence that you read too frequently about a region that is nicknamed 'the frying pan of Spain'. And suddenly, it got a lot colder: icy cold in fact.
What had caused the chill was the arrival - or to be strictly accurate, the return - of the Iceman. After two years of the World Rally Championship, Kimi Raikkonen was back in Formula 1 - and straight away he topped the timesheets at the very first test in Jerez. In fact, Raikkonen was one of only two drivers to go fastest during two of the 12 days of pre-season testing.
What does this tell you? Firstly that in terms of raw talent, there is no one out there faster than Raikkonen. Secondly, that rallying is an even bigger technical challenge than circuit racing - but one that still prepares you perfectly for the split second demands of F1.
The reasons why Kimi decided not to continue in the WRC this year were largely financial (but born out of economy rather than avarice): in F1 he is earning money - and enough of it - rather than spending in the WRC. In many ways, it's easier to get a paid drive in F1 than the WRC at the moment, ridiculous as it sounds. But this only underlines the quality of the drivers who make it to the top of the sport.
For Kimi, rallying is very much unfinished business. Far from turning his back on rallying, Kimi is very keen to come back - and he may even do a few events while he is driving in F1. There are no grands prix on during Rally Finland weekend this year after all...
And Kimi, being the free spirit that he is, will only have signed a deal with Lotus (formerly Renault) on his own terms - allowing him to do what he wants, exactly when he wants to, just as he has always done. For a taste of that, people in the UK should watch Top Gear this weekend. It's the Iceman at his brilliant best, demonstrating that he can be just as quick in a Reasonably Priced Car as he can in a 500,000 Euro World Rally Car.
"I really enjoyed rallying and I know that I always will," he says. "The decision I made to go back to Formula 1 was not because I didn't like rallying anymore. It's the biggest challenge that I have ever done. From when I was growing up, I always had a lot of respect for rally drivers. And now, I think that respect is even bigger."
Let's just be thankful that Kimi turned down the lucrative offer he received to drive in NASCAR, which would have made it practically impossible for him to sit in a rally car at all (because of the 30-plus weekends of racing a year, rather than the oversized burgers).
As it is, we've not seen the last of the Iceman yet. Expect him back sooner rather than later...
Fonte: MaxRally.com
Vou dizer uma coisa, este pessoal que cobre rali, este jonalistas, um dia eles vão me matar de orgulho!!! rsrsrs... Sério!!! Primeiro foi Giles Wage, com este artigo aqui, explicando os motivos pelos quais o WRC sentirá falta de Kimi.
E agora vem Anthony Peacock, que acompanhou de pertinho esta jornada de Kimi no WRC durante estes anos. Com um texto que é impossível não mexer com o sentimento de orgulho dos fãs do Iceman.
Eu disse, e repito, o WRC aceitou Kimi como ele era, não tentou mudá-lo e por isto se encantou. O WRC viu o Kimi que nós, fãs, sempre fomos capazes de ver e por isto, ele fala do finlandês com este respeito.
Räikkönen não venceu nem conquistou títulos como Loeb, Petter, Mikko ou Latvala, mas ele conquistou a simpatia e o respeito do WRC. E deixou um gostinho de quero mais. Para eles, para a gente e até mesmo para o Iceman.
Beijinhos, Ludy
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