WRC: Räikkönen not getting carried away after impressive Rallye Deutschland

Citroën Junior Team driver Kimi Räikkönen says his impressive display in last month's Rallye Deutschland doesn't alter his goals for the upcoming Rally Japan, with the 2007 Formula One World Champion making the completion of the event his main target.

Räikkönen netted seventh place in Germany, the second highest finish of his fledgling rally career, setting his maiden fastest stage time along the way.

But the Finn doesn't feel ready to switch his focus to a points finish when the championship arrives in Japan next weekend, preferring a wait and see approach as he continues to get to grips with WRC machinery.

“My targets are exactly the same,” said Räikkönen. “From the first few stages in Japan we will be able to see the pace we can run at. But once more the main thing will be to be there at the end of the rally.

“We’ve not been testing since we finished the Rallye Deutschland. When we get to Japan, I’m going to have to get straight back into the rhythm again, and I’m expecting it to be a very tricky event for us. From what I’ve heard, the Rally Japan is particularly complex, and it’s sure to be even more complicated for a beginner like me.”

Meanwhile Citroën Junior Team boss Benoit Nogier has praised Räikkönen's performances thus far, and is hopeful the Finn can have a solid run in Japan.

“Kimi is making progress from rally to rally and he is getting closer to the performance of other drivers who have a lot more experience than him," said Nogier. "His most recent performances underline the improvements he has made and he is becoming increasingly more consistent.

“In Japan we will be competing against other crews who don’t have a huge amount of past experience on this route, which is relatively new. If Kimi could repeat the same sort of performance that he has put in on the other rallies that are new to everyone this year, like Turkey or Bulgaria, this would be a great outcome.”

Räikkönen currently sits tenth in the WRC standings, having scored points on four occasions. The Finn's best performance came in Turkey, where he and co-driver Kaj Lindström registered a fifth place finish.
 
Watch WRC highlights from Rally Japan on Motors TV.


James Weeks

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