29/6/09
Kimi Raikkonen to make WRC debut in Finland
Ferrari Formula 1 star Kimi Raikkonen will make his World Rally Championship debut at the next round of the WRC, Neste Oil Rally Finland, which starts on 30 July.
Raikkonen, who was F1 world champion in 2007, will drive his own Abarth Grande Punto S2000 in front of his home crowd in the country widely regarded as the home of rallying.
He will be co-driven by fellow Finn Kaj Lindstrom, the man who formerly partnered multiple WRC champion Tommi Makinen.
Alongside Lindstrom, Raikkonen has already contested three non-WRC rallies this year but the upcoming round in Jyvaskyla will be his maiden outing on gravel.
Raikkonen 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.
A total of 90 crews have registered for this year's Rally Finland, the highest number for a WRC qualifying round this year. There are 18 World Rally Cars amongst the entries and drivers representing 25 different nationalities.
Simon Long, the boss of WRC promoters ISC, said: "I've said before that the WRC is built on heroes and iconic figures - and they don't come any bigger than Kimi Raikkonen. It's superb news for the Championship and hugely exciting that he'll be competing in Finland."
