The Kimi Rally Monster Cool Lounge

[Kriss]

You're welcome
I've enjoyed translating it

[Mar]

Raikkonen commits to 10 WRC events

25 Jan 11

More details have emerged about Kimi Raikkonen's second term in the World Rally Championship following Citroen Racing's season launch at its Versailles headquarters near Paris on Monday.

Raikkonen, 31, finished 10th in his debut campaign at world level last season but has held off confirming his 2011 programme following the sudden death of his father Matti prior to Christmas, and amid uncertainty over the continued support of sponsor Red Bull.

However, Citroen Racing boss Olivier Quesnel has said that the ex-Formula One world champion will definitely begin his campaign on Rally Sweden next month and will go on to tackle a minimum of nine further events.

Raikkonen will run under the ICE1 Racing banner from Citroen Racing’s base and with a full complement of Citroen engineers and mechanics. He will skip the rounds in Mexico, Italy (Sardinia) and Argentina and is due to get behind the wheel of the DS3 WRC for the first time at a test in Sweden this weekend.

“Kimi has signed up for 10 rallies and if everything goes well maybe [it will be] more rallies,” said Quesnel. “We are very pleased to have him. Of course we would like to have him for all rallies but it depends of him what he does.”

Quesnel said he expected Raikkonen to make more progress in 2011 following an encouraging learning year in 2010, when he claimed a best result on Rally of Turkey back in April.

“I don’t know when it will happen but when everything clicks for him it will be impressive,” said Quesnel. “I am not sure he can beat Sebastien Loeb or Sebastien Ogier or [Jari-Matti] Latvala and so on but I am sure he can be [in the] top five without any problem.”

http://www.wrc.com/news/raikkonen-commi ... ?fid=14051

I like the vote of confidence from Quesnel

So mechanics and engineers are from Citroën: I like it.

At least the rallies Quesnel say Kimi will do fits with the FIA rules: there're at least 7 rallies and at least two of them are outside Europe (Jordan and Australia). I find a bit surprising that Kimi has chosen Australia, unless Citroën thinks they will have enough DS3 units by then so they can send the cars by sea to Australia, while they're still racing in Europe, whereas they will have to send the things by air to Mexico and Argentina (because they only have the cars they'll be using in Sweden and Sardinia)? That's the only explanation I can come with.

Quesnel seems to be confident Kimi could do more than 10 rallies. Let's wait for good news, I think they may come.

Top 5? As usual, Quesnel being very optimistic about Räikkönen. Let's hope he's right. I have not heard him yet talking about what he expects from Petter or van Merksteijn.

PS. Thanks Kriss

[f194girl]

@Kriss: Thank´a lot for translating the article! The text is so touching...

[Ice-Ludy]

@Kriss: Thank´a lot for translating the article! The text is so touching...

I agree with you f194girl, it was very touching!!! It's a must read for Kimi fans!!! For sure! Thanks again Kriss!!

[SpaMaster]

Thanks, Kriss. It is a lovely article..

[luviceman]

thank u Kriss and all for the posting

[Julia]

thank you all for the news and thanks Kriss for translating the article it was very good read

About Kimis overalcolor ... I think Pink is actually quite cool if you use it as accents but too much is too much NO wholepink overall please

just for the fun of it but did somebody of you notice in Monte Carlo this years color of the overalls on the PH-sport boys... you know PH-sport = the company that run CJT last year for Citroen racing and we are used to see in the red Citroen overalls... and are inwolved in running Kimis car this year.

Cool pink accents boys


picture is from Petters site...

[Julia]

Raikkonen commits to 10 WRC events

25 Jan 11

Raikkonen will run under the ICE1 Racing banner from Citroen Racing’s base and with a full complement of Citroen engineers and mechanics. He will skip the rounds in Mexico, Italy (Sardinia) and Argentina and is due to get behind the wheel of the DS3 WRC for the first time at a test in Sweden this weekend.

http://www.wrc.com/news/raikkonen-commi ... ?fid=14051

I like the vote of confidence from Quesnel

So mechanics and engineers are from Citroën: I like it.

At least the rallies Quesnel say Kimi will do fits with the FIA rules: there're at least 7 rallies and at least two of them are outside Europe (Jordan and Australia). I find a bit surprising that Kimi has chosen Australia, unless Citroën thinks they will have enough DS3 units by then so they can send the cars by sea to Australia, while they're still racing in Europe, whereas they will have to send the things by air to Mexico and Argentina (because they only have the cars they'll be using in Sweden and Sardinia)? That's the only explanation I can come with.

Quesnel seems to be confident Kimi could do more than 10 rallies. Let's wait for good news, I think they may come.

Top 5? As usual, Quesnel being very optimistic about Räikkönen. Let's hope he's right. I have not heard him yet talking about what he expects from Petter or van Merksteijn.

PS. Thanks Kriss

Ok, that can possibly be the logic behind the possible Sardinia - Australia switch ... although from learning and future point of wiev i would have tought that mexico s much, much better but then again we dont know everything that makes the decicion...


hmmm... so Kimi is testing in the end of the week... I think I read somewhere that also Petter is suppose to test in the end of the week.

[Julia]

and now when I started ... I looked up PH-sports site and this is what they had writed about sweden:

google translate from french:

...

After earlier this year with much fanfare in the IRC, PH-Sport is about to return to WRC. During the Swedish Rally, the first race of the season, two new Citroen WRC DS3 will "brood" by the team members. Petter Solberg / Chris Patterson will have a car alongside Kimi Raikkonen / Kaj Lindström.

http://www.ph-sport.com/fr/index.php?20 ... onte-carlo

[sleenster]

You're welcome
I've enjoyed translating it

Great translation Kriss

(Also, great find Luie )

[sleenster]

thank you all for the news and thanks Kriss for translating the article it was very good read

About Kimis overalcolor ... I think Pink is actually quite cool if you use it as accents but too much is too much NO wholepink overall please

just for the fun of it but did somebody of you notice in Monte Carlo this years color of the overalls on the PH-sport boys... you know PH-sport = the company that run CJT last year for Citroen racing and we are used to see in the red Citroen overalls... and are inwolved in running Kimis car this year.

Cool pink accents boys
http://www.pettersolberg.com/html/wp-co ... 0-1114.jpg

picture is from Petters site...

Daniel Elena's pink car at the Monte

Off-Topic: show

[SpaMaster]

That pink addition looks pretty cool on the PH team.

[Ice-Ludy]

That pink addition looks pretty cool on the PH team.

+1

[Ice-Ludy]

thank you all for the news and thanks Kriss for translating the article it was very good read

About Kimis overalcolor ... I think Pink is actually quite cool if you use it as accents but too much is too much NO wholepink overall please

just for the fun of it but did somebody of you notice in Monte Carlo this years color of the overalls on the PH-sport boys... you know PH-sport = the company that run CJT last year for Citroen racing and we are used to see in the red Citroen overalls... and are inwolved in running Kimis car this year.

Cool pink accents boys
http://www.pettersolberg.com/html/wp-co ... 0-1114.jpg

picture is from Petters site...

Daniel Elena's pink car at the Monte

Off-Topic: show

I liked Elena's pink car!!!

[luieluv]

Team Ice1 Racing

Fast Facts :

Based:Versailles, France

Established:2011

Team Principal:Benoit Nogier

Current Car:Citroen DS3 WRC

Driver : Kimi Raikkonen

Why Support Them?

- They’ve got a cool name

- Benoit Nogier is a respected figure in team management

- Driver Raikkonen remains a motorsporting hero

Career Summary :

Citroen Racing has restructured its WRC Team operations for 2011, taking the decision to disband the Citroen Junior Team. Despite its success last term, the squad’s objective of grooming Sebastien Ogier for Citroen’s main attack - and aiding Kimi Raikkonen’s transition to rallying from Formula One - has been carried out and it’s now surplus to requirements.

But while the Citroen Junior Team is no more, there will be an air of familiarity when ICE 1 Racing breaks cover this season with Raikkonen and respected team manger Benoit Nogier much in evidence.

Raikkonen will drive the team’s lone Citroen DS3 WRC on every round of the world championship this year with the exception of the rallies in Mexico, Italy (Sardinia) and Australia, while Nogier will again be on hand to oversee the outfit.

ICE 1, which is a play on Raikkonen’s Iceman moniker, will be housed at Citroen Racing’s headquarters in Versailles on the outskirts of Paris. It will be eligible to score WRC manufacturers’ points as a WRC Team entrant.

As well as Nogier, ICE 1 will rely on the services of several Citroen engineers and technicians.

The squad has attracted financial backing from Raikkonen’s native Finland.

link:
http://www.wrc.com/drivers-and-teams/te ... /?teamid=2