Raikkonen confirma participação no Arctic Lapland Rally 2010

Raikkonen confirms Arctic warm-up in Citroen C4

World Rally Championship convert Kimi Raikkonen will make his competitive debut in a Citroen C4 on January's Arctic Lapland Rally - a fortnight before his 2010 WRC campaign kicks off in Sweden.

Based from Rovaniemi, on the edge of the Arctic Circle, the event, the opening round of the Finnish championship, has been run for 45 years and is sometimes used as a test for the winter rallies in the WRC. Previous winners include former WRC champions Marcus Gronholm, Tommi Makinen and Hannu Mikkola.

Raikkonen made his rally debut on the snowy event earlier this year, finishing 13th in a Fiat Abarth Grande Punto S2000 co-driven by Kaj Lindstrom. The pair will tackle next year's edition, which starts on 29 January, in the same C4 World Rally Car they will use on 12 rounds of the WRC.

Contracted to Ferrari until the end of 2009, Raikkonen is limited in what he can say about his rally programme until the New Year and confirmed the appearance via a statement on his website.

However speaking exclusively to wrc.com, Lindstrom felt the Arctic would be invaluable experience for Kimi, who is yet to drive a Citroen C4 World Rally Car.

Lindstrom said: "Getting the Arctic Rally in our programme was a key factor - we really wanted to include it as a pre-season test. It's a rally that Kimi and I have already done together in the Fiat, so he knows the stages - more or less - and it will be a good opportunity for him to build confidence in his driving and the pace notes.

"He hasn't had the experience of listening to, or working with, pace notes since rally Finland. As far as I know the route for the Artic this year will be same as it was last year, so we can use the old notes, and that will be very useful preparation - both for Sweden and the championship," he added.

Lindstrom revealed a test in Finland before the Arctic Rally was also being discussed, to help Raikkonen make the transition from his Super 2000 Fiat to a turbocharged World Rally Car.

"The ideal would be to return to the test roads [near Jyvaskyla] we used before the Arctic and Rally Finland this year," he said. "Kimi knows those stages well now, so that would be the ideal place to get to grips with the new car. That's what we'd like, but at this stage we haven’t agreed a plan with Citroen. We'll find out more in the New Year."

Fonte: WRC

Pronto. O primeiro treino é mês que vem!!! Que venha o ALR 2010, porque o deste ano já foi bem bacana!!!!

Beijinhos, Ice-Ludy