He's really improving in the WRC, I was so impressed with this I had to share. Former Grand Prix champion Kimi Raikkonen has been encouraged by his performance on the second day of the Rally Japan - and he says that the experience gained on the tricky gravel roads will stand him in good stead for the future. Raikkonen started the day 10th and ended it eighth, having set eighth-fastest time on all of the days eight stages bar one - where he was sixth. The Finn steered clear of mistakes and is now targeting his fifth points finish from the nine WRC rallies that he has contested to date this year. For me, the main thing is that the consistency is coming, said Raikkonen, who drives for the Citroen Junior Team. Today we were able to go at a good pace and keep the same sort of gap to the guys in front, even though they were all pushing very hard. It helped me to have some experience of the roads: until yesterday we had not driven on gravel for more than a month, and the second passage through the stages is always much easier. The 30-year-old reported no mechanical problems, but was also pleased that he had remained error-free throughout the rally so far. If we can get to the end with no mistakes at all, then that would be very positive, he added. OK, it would be nice to be closer to the front but you have to be patient. I need to learn and that takes time. The 2007 Formula One World Champion is also hoping that the experience gained in Japan will help him on the season-closing Rally Great Britain. Maybe there will be some things in common, he concluded. The surface could be quite similar, but I dont really know. In any case its good to have this experience of driving on soft gravel. http://www.wrc.com/news/raikkonen-makes-experience-pay/?fid=13626
Finishing rallies instead of crashing out early pays off as the seat-time learning to read the road and listen to, digest and put into motion the pacenotes from the codriver are so valuable in the learning process. He'll improve next year as events he did this year will be familiar to him and he'll have a set of pacenotes to edit rather than starting from scratch.
I can't still understand all the hype about Raikkonen switching to rallying. Kimi may improve with time, but I cannot see him ever win a WRC. Maybe never a rallye! There are too many younger talented guys there, and people with plenty of experience under their belt. Really, I liked Kimi in F1, but I don't expect him to reach the top in international rallying. If he wasn't for his reputation and the publicity he generates, neither Red Bull, not Citroen would never have given him a car to rally. There are plenty of young talents waiting to get such drives, who have already a proven record in the lower echelons of rallying. Rallying is a different speciality, just like NASCAR or Le Mans. Crossing over from one speciality to the other is increasingly difficult. Raikkonen moving to rallying, reminds me when Jean-Michel Bayle moved from the Moto-Cross championship to motorcycle GP. In spite of a Honda factory ride (if I am correct), Bayle never repeated the succes he had in Moto-Cross.
Welcome to motorsports. Its not always the fastest who get the seat, its who has the $ or publicity. Look at Ken Block in WRC. As small as the US championship is, he's never won it yet has a ride in WRC.
Of course you are right. There are a few exceptions. Lauda's example comes to mind. Having started his motor racing career by buying drives, he never won anything of any importance in the lower categories, and landed himself in F1 as a fluke with BRM. He impressed his team mate Reggazoni enough, though, to be recommended to Ferrari who recruited him. The rest is history ... Sometimes commercial considerations are more important than skills for some sponsors. When there was a lot of sponsorship coming from France (a tax loophole at the time), there were up to 7 French drivers in F1. Now there is none! The same has been said about the proliferation of Brazilian drivers (some quite good Fittipaldi, Piquet, Senna, Massa) sponsored by banks! I suspect that the arrival of Petrov in F1 has something to do with Renault's desire to penetrate the Russian automobile market, more than his skills.
I honestly thing it has to do with the talent and desire to win for the competitor making the switch. JMB is a good example of talent going to waste by switching. On the other hand look at Jeff Ward going from MX/SX over to Indy Car, SuperMoto, and now driving off road trucks. Don't over look JPM going from CART to F1 to NASCAR it has been tough for him but he has won in each division.
