Kimi Raikkonen, the Ferrari Formula One driver, will make his World Rally Championship (WRC) debut later this month against the likes of Sebastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen in his native Finland. The 2007 Formula One world champion, who has already competed in three non-championship rallies this year, will enter Rally Finland in a Fiat Abarth Grande Punto with compatriot Kaj Lindstrom as co-driver.
Lindstrom was formerly co-driver to four-times world champion Tommi Makinen. "Rally Finland is not going to be easy for sure," said Lindstrom. "The rallies we have done so far have been smaller events, a three-day WRC round is much longer and more intense than those national events. "We have two days to go through the recce [reconnaissance] and make the notes. Kimi makes very good pace notes but there will be pressure on for the recce.
"One of the hardest things for Kimi will be the speed of this event. Rally Finland and the roads used are so fast, like nothing we have done before. "But, let's not forget, this guy is a pretty good driver. He's very talented and I'm sure he will cope fine." Raikkonen, who has scored just 10 points from eight grands prix this year in Formula One, made his rally debut in January on Finland's Arctic Rally, finishing 13th, and followed that with 17th on another snow event, the Rally of Mikkeli. He retired from his asphalt rally debut, the Italian Rally della Marca, after clipping a low wall and breaking his car's suspension.
Rally Finland starts the Friday after the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest on July 26. BP Abu Dhabi Ford's Hirvonen leads Citroen's five-time world champion Loeb by a point going in to the ninth of the season's 12 rallies. * Reuters
