The Kimi Nascar Monster Cool Lounge

[Kriss]

NASCAR: Kimi Raikkonen tested Kyle Busch Motorsport pick-up truck

Former Formula 1 World Champion and Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen had his first taste of North American style of racing on Monday when he drove first the first time a NASCAR Camping World pick-up truck.

Very little information was available from the test that saw Raikkonen take the wheel of one of Kyle Busch Motorsport pick-up trucks on the half-mile, 12-degree banked paved oval circuit of Gresham, Georgia.

“We will not have any photos, we don't have the right to use any photos of Kimi,” said Andy Gee, press relation manager at KBM.


Raikkonen is apparently not bringing sponsors to finance his move to NASCAR. It should be reminded that the private Citroen DS3 WRC the Finn drives in the World Rally Championship is also sponsor-less.

Montreal web site Ruefrontenac.com wrote that team owner "Kyle Busch has never met Kimi Raikkonen" but will "entrust one of his excellent trucks" to the Finn "in exchange for a US$100,000 cheque at every race".

The web site adds that Raikkonen's plan is to "pay for some truck races to raise interest and get a sponsorship budget for Nationwide and possibly the (premier) Sprint Cup".

His contract with Busch is reportedly for three to five races.

"Raikkonen shopped around for a drive with a number of teams and we won the war," Busch is quoted as saying.

[sleenster]

NASCAR: Kimi Raikkonen tested Kyle Busch Motorsport pick-up truck

Raikkonen is apparently not bringing sponsors to finance his move to NASCAR. It should be reminded that the private Citroen DS3 WRC the Finn drives in the World Rally Championship is also sponsor-less.

I thought Kyle Busch himself said that there are sponsors, three in fact.

“We will not have any photos, we don't have the right to use any photos of Kimi,” said Andy Gee, press relation manager at KBM.

Kimi will love America then

[sleenster]

a comment about the test from Kyle Busch, sounds like Kimi is getting along just fine

News flash... He's a race car driver!! Lol RT @KBshowfan18: @KyleBusch everyone in racing world wants to know how the test went with kimi?

http://twitter.com/KyleBusch

Cool. But what did he exactly mean by that? That Kimi did really well because he is a pro or something?

I think he gave the "How were the tyres? Round." or "How was the surface? Gravel." kind of answer

[Kriss]

“We will not have any photos, we don't have the right to use any photos of Kimi,” said Andy Gee, press relation manager at KBM.

Kimi will love America then

and America will love Kimi

[sleenster]

Raikkonen faces challenges in NASCAR

Kimi Raikkonen ran over 200 laps in a test for Kyle Busch Motorsports at Gresham Motorsports Park on Monday.

KBM’s general manager Rick Ren said the test was a success.

“Things went very well today,” Ren said. “Very good driver feedback.”

Raikkonen, 31, is scheduled to make his NASCAR debut in the Camping World Truck Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 20. Charlotte was chosen due to the Finn’s current World Rally Championship schedule.

Ren says the decision for KBM to test at GMP was “data-based” since Busch had accumulated data from previous Truck tests at the half-mile track.

Ren believes the experience that Raikkonen has gathered racing in a variety of series “is not a bad thing” when it comes to making the transition to NASCAR.

“With him most recently coming from rally cars is probably a lot better than just coming over from Formula One cars to be able to adapt to what we do,“ Ren said. “I think the rally cars will be a plus for what we do.

“I’ve worked with new guys before, but it was when racing wasn‘t nearly as challenging. Back when I did it the playing field had a lot more have-nots than haves. There weren’t a lot of good teams. Now, the playing field is so even, it really puts a lot of it into the driver's hands. It will be a challenge, but every situation is challenging, you just have to go into it with an open mind. I think it’s a great avenue for Kyle Busch Motorsports to be involved with a guy that’s trying to get his career started here.”

During his nine seasons in Formula One, Raikkonen won the 2007 title and 18 races. He’ll become the sixth F1 racer to make the move to stock cars including fellow champion Jacques Villeneuve, Juan Pablo Montoya, Nelson Piquet Jr., Scott Speed and Narain Karthikeyan.

Richard “Slugger” Labbe worked with Villeneuve when he first attempted the move from open wheel to NASCAR. Labbe described the experience as “tough.”

“I remember the first test we went to with Jacques and he couldn’t find reverse,” Labbe said. “We had to back him up. It’s a challenge and whoever is going to be working with him will need a lot of patience. The hard part with Kimi is, with some of these tracks, where are you going to take him to test for Charlotte? We were forced to take JV to Chicago before he went to Vegas but it’s tough with the NASCAR’s new rules to try to find a place to test that’s comparable to Charlotte. That’s going to be the challenge.”

Former Truck champ Travis Kvapil is looking forward to competing against Raikkonen at Charlotte. Kvapil believes Raikkonen will be fine “once he gets some seat time” and familiarizes himself with the vehicle.

“Charlotte is a tough track, but in the Truck series you almost run wide open,“ Kvapil said. “It’s not like you come to Martinsville or Bristol for your first race.

“I was excited when Juan Pablo came to NASCAR. I’m a motorsports fan. I love Formula One and I was a Ferrari/Kimi Raikkonen fan, so to have the opportunity to compete against one of the world’s finest drivers will be pretty cool.”

http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/F ... CAR-040511

[Anelise]

Courtesy Cécile Terenzi

[Mar]

Courtesy Cécile Terenzi

Anelise, you're the best!

[Kriss]

Courtesy Cécile Terenzi

Anelise, you're the best!

+1

[Soren]

Wow, thank you for that Anelise and sleenster!
I wonder who took that pic.

[Mar]

Wow, thank you for that Anelise and sleenster!
I wonder who took that pic.

First two things coming to my mind are:

a) somebody who’s job was to take a picture and “filter” it to the media
b) somebody who’s going to lose his/her job soon.

Isn’t it taken from the inside of the car? weird!

[momo]

Wow, thank you for that Anelise and sleenster!
I wonder who took that pic.

First two things coming to my mind are:

a) somebody who’s job was to take a picture and “filter” it to the media
b) somebody who’s going to lose his/her job soon.

Isn’t it taken from the inside of the car? weird!

By sterla:
"it seemed too much the same as Dale Earnhardt Jr
in fact, is not Kimi but the NASCAR driver with more fans"
http://www.gettyimages.it/detail/110886 ... ages-Sport

[Soren]

According to a Nascar guy on Autosport, that pic is not of Kimi, but Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Edit: Beat me to it, momo

[Mar]

Ok, now we know why it was weird

Earnhardt Jr has the same nose as Kimi. As a matter for fact, they look relatively similar.

[sleenster]

These were the two pictures on the foxsports nascar website, really, can anyone tell that they are different people?

[Mar]

These were the two pictures on the foxsports nascar website, really, can anyone tell that they are different people?

Almost clones! Kimi has a red headed twin!