Raikkonen ready for action after successful asphalt test

Former Grand Prix star Kimi Raikkonen has been encouraged by an extremely successful two-day asphalt test in the south of France, as he prepares to make his WRC competition debut on sealed surfaces.

Raikkonen, who won the Formula One World title in 2007, has only ever driven his Citroen Junior Team C4 WRC on gravel, with a best result so far of fifth on the Rally of Turkey in April.

However, both he and his team believe that the Finn has turned a corner after running his car in asphalt specification for the first time: a surface he is much more familiar with from his years of circuit racing.

He led for the majority of the Rally della Lanterna, a small practice event that the team undertook in Italy, and he has also been quick in Citroen’s latest asphalt test prior to the Rally Bulgaria at the beginning of next month.

The two-day test took place on narrow asphalt roads close to Mazamet, in the south of France, with Raikkonen and his team mate Sebastien Ogier using the car normally earmarked for Italian privateer Felice Re - who also took part in the Rally della Lanterna.

Observers reported that Raikkonen and Ogier were closely matched on pace, with the Finn appearing the more aggressive of the two. Citroen Junior Team manager Benoit Nogier commented: “We expected Kimi to feel more confident on asphalt, as this is more his background, and we’re very pleased to note that this appears to be the case.”

However, Raikkonen will face quite different conditions in Bulgaria, as the roads are expected to be more broken up in places and notably faster. This should still play to Raikkonen’s strengths as in Formula One he always favoured the quicker circuits, with his favourite track being Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium