Rally Japan Day 2

RED BULL ON STAGE – RALLY JAPAN, DAY 2.
日本はモータースポーツを愛しているようだが、馬力は嫌いなようである。レッドブルのキミ・ライコネンと他のWRCコンペティターが北海道でステージをパワーダウンさせる中、彼らを見ている観客の多くは、キミのシトロエンジュニアC4WRCの馬力のおよそ1/6の車で帰る。日本の「軽自動車」の規則は、税金のアドバンテージを提供することによって、混んでいる道路で小さな車にペースを緩めさせるようになっている。軽自動車が昨年200万台近くを売り上げ、信じられないほど人気になったことは当然だろう。長さは最高で3.4m、これはキミのラリーカーよりおよそ1m短いが、軽自動車の多くはキミのように自由裁量で、4輪駆動でターボチャージャーを持っている。軽自動車は、それらに許された660ccのエンジンを最大限に使うために、利用できる全てのテクノロジーを利用しなければならない。
幸運にも、C4WRCでの9回目のイベントであるラリージャパンのDAY 2を成す8つの大変なステージにキミは取り組んだので、かなり多くのパワーがあった。ポイント圏内である10番手からスタートして、8番手に上がるために、前日までに積んだ経験を最大限に活用した。フライング・フィンにとっては、トリッキーなステージについての知識を得ることが、一年中直面していることの全てである。彼は一貫性を示し、6番手だった1つを除く全てのステージで8番手タイムを記録した。

キミ・ライコネン: 今日の結果には満足している。特に、トップとのギャップを見るなら、僕のフロントにいる選手たちが本当に激しくプッシュしていたから。僕達は今日はミスをしなかったし、一貫したペースを保った。これは僕達が学習しようとしている唯一の方法だ。このラリーが始まる前の僕のターゲットは、ただフィニッシュすることと、出来る限りの知識を得ることだった。そしてここまでのところは、このゴールを達成するために正しく進んでいると言えると思う。クルマも今日はすごくよかった。僕達はただ自分のドライブに集中することができたし、たくさん学習できた。もちろんまだ日程は残っているけど、もし明日このポジションでフィニッシュできたら、すごくハッピーだろうね。

カイ・リンドストローム: 1か月以上間隔が空いた後、グラベルの経験から利益を得られたので、今日は昨日よりも非常に良かった。我々のフロントの選手達とのギャップは一貫して縮まっており、これが我々が取り組み続けるつもりであることだ。

キミは一日中ミスなくドライブしたが、彼にとって明日は更に重要になるだろう。8つのステージが残っており、その間にはサービスは1つもない。これはタフなタスクで、ドライバー達にはクールでいることが必要だ。ちょうど、キミはIcemanだ…

RED BULL ON STAGE – RALLY JAPAN, DAY 2.
Japan seems to love motorsport but hate horsepower. While Red Bull’s Kimi Raikkonen and the other World Rally Championship competitors power down the stages in Hokkaido, many of the spectators watching them will drive home in cars that have about a sixth of the horsepower of Kimi’s Citroen Junior Team C4 WRC.
The Japanese ‘kei car’ regulations are designed to encourage mini cars to ease space on crowded roads by offering important tax advantages. It’s no surprise that they have become incredibly popular, with nearly two million of them sold last year. At a maximum of 3.4 metres long, they are about a metre shorter than Kimi’s rally car – but many of them also have four-wheel drive and turbochargers at their disposal, just like Kimi.
Mini cars have to make use of every bit of technology available to get the most out of their permitted 660cc engines. Luckily, Kimi had considerably more power at his disposal as he tackled the eight demanding stages that made up the second day of Rally Japan: only the ninth World Championship event of his brief career to date in the C4 WRC.
Having started the day in a point-scoring 10th place, Kimi made the most of the experience he had gained over the previous day to move up to eighth. For the flying Finn, it is all about gaining knowledge of some of the trickiest stages that he will face all year. Showing his consistency he set eighth-quickest time on all the stages today apart from one, where he was classified sixth.

“I’m pleased with the way that things have gone today, especially because the guys in front of me have really been pushing hard, if you look at the gaps at the top,” said Kimi, the winner of the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix. “We’ve made no mistakes today and we’ve kept a consistent pace, which is the only way we are going to learn. My target before this rally was just to get to the finish and take away as much knowledge as I can, and so far I would say that we are on course to achieve this goal. The car has been really good today too: we were able just to concentrate on our driving and we learned a lot. Of course there is still some way to go, but if we can finish in this position tomorrow I will be quite happy.”

Co-driver Kaj Lindstrom, who has been with Kimi ever since the former Grand Prix champion made his rally debut last year, added: “Today was actually much better than yesterday because we definitely benefited from the experience of driving on these roads after not being on gravel for more than a month. The gaps to the people in front of us have come down consistently, and that’s what we’re going to keep working on.”

Kimi has steered clear of mistakes all day but tomorrow it will be even more important for him to have a clean run over the eight stages that remain, as there is no service halt in between them. It’s a tough task that needs drivers to stay cool – so it’s just as well that Kimi is the Iceman…

CITROËN JUNIOR TEAM, RALLY JAPAN 2010 – DAY 2
Increasing their pace from the first day, Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström gained two places to climb to eighth overall.

Dani Sordo and Kimi Räikkönen checked out of parc fermé this morning occupying fifth and 10th places respectively. On the first stage of the day, Dani Sordo showed himself to be instantly comfortable with a second-fastest time.

Kimi Räikkönen benefited from Matthew Wilson’s retirement in the morning to make up a place in the overall classification. Then the Finn grew in confidence to overhaul Federico Villagra. By the end of SS12, he was up to eighth. “I’ve had a good feeling with the car since yesterday’s lunchtime service, so we’re not making any more adjustments to the set-up,” said Kimi. “Now our aim is to keep on going like this. We have to keep trying to improve our times all the way to the end.”

Kimi Räikkönen reinforced his position by putting together a string of eighth-fastest stage times, keeping consistently with 1.8 seconds per kilometre of the leader. “As always, the second run through the stages was easier for me,” he concluded. “Experience counts for a lot on these roads. I’m very pleased with my driving. Now we need to continue like this!”

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