Raikkonen starred in the heat of Jordan

One year after taking his first World Rally Championship points on the roads of Jordan, Kimi Raikkonen has once more shown his class in the Middle East.

The Iceman was sixth at the wheel of a Citroen DS3 WRC prepared by Citroen Racing Technologies. Petter Solberg and Peter Van Merksteijn Junior were not quite as successful, having been forced to retire on the final day.

As they have been doing since the start of the season, Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström perfectly managed their rally on the challenging roads of Jordan’s World Rally Championship event. The Finnish crew were sixth at the end of the opening stage, leading the pack just behind the uncatchable top five, who were in a class of their own. Only a puncture 15 kilometres from the end of the penultimate stage prevented the Ice 1 Racing driver from scoring an even better result.

Petter Solberg came to Jordan with the podium as his target, and was ideally placed in fourth at the end of a strategic opening day. The Norwegian was in the thick of the fight for a podium place on SS17, but then he went off the road and found himself unable to get back on…

Peter van Merksteijn Jr used the beginning of the rally to gain experience at the wheel of the Citroën DS3 WRC. The Dutchman, who was still getting to grips with the territory, upped his pace during the second loop of stages on day one. By the end of SS14 he was 14th, but then he was forced to stop in Mahes 1 with a technical problem.

Kimi Räikkönen (Ice 1 Racing): « My goal was to attack a little bit more after Portugal. Now I think I’ve driven one of the best rallies in this new career of mine. Our pace was good and I was also able to stay consistent throughout the rally. I’m very happy and this result is encouraging for the future! »

Petter Solberg (Petter Solberg World Rally Team): « I’m really disappointed. I hoped to be on the podium in Jordan. But things did not quite turn out as they should have done. We have to concentrate now on the next rally and the rest of the season. Our Citroën DS3 WRC worked perfectly during the two days of the rally and I’m also happy with the new Michelin tyres. »

Peter van Merksteijn Junior (Van Merksteijn Motorsport): « Everything went really well. I didn’t push too hard on the stages that were difficult and unpredictable. I’m disappointed not to have finished the rally but once more we have learnt a lot. This is very valuable experience for the rest of the season. »