Raikkonen to skip Rally Australia

ICE 1 Racing’s Kimi Raikkonen is set to skip Rally Australia next month - despite having originally intended to tackle the event when his programme was announced at the start of the season.

Logistical and organisational difficulties mean that Raikkonen is now going to miss the Coffs Coast-based event, which takes place from 8-11 September on mainly gravel stages. Since switching to the WRC in 2010, the Finn has tended to miss the long-haul events, with the exception of Mexico, Japan and Jordan.

With Raikkonen’s programme depending largely on sponsorship input this year after energy drinks giant Red Bull scaled back its involvement compared to last season, less budget has been available for the 2007 Formula One world champion to use for tests and events.

Last year Raikkonen contested 12 rounds, missing only Rally New Zealand during the first half of the year, but also competed on some smaller regional rallies as tests. This season he will have entered nine world championship rallies, with a best result so far of sixth in Jordan (compared with fifth in Turkey last year).

However, his time difference to the frontrunners has improved considerably compared to the two seconds per kilometre he was lacking at the start of the 2010 season, and in Germany last week he showed himself capable of setting top six stage times, even on the most demanding tests such as Arena Panzerplatte - where he was fifth-quickest on Saturday evening.

After missing Australia, Raikkonen will compete in France, Spain and Great Britain: all rallies that he has entered before (although he was forced to miss the Catalunya round last year following a shakedown accident).

The 31-year-old Finn is yet to finalise his plans for next season, but has not ruled out the possibility of a full WRC campaign in 2012. Other possibilities in the frame include a return to Formula One or an extended NASCAR programme.

Raikkonen finished sixth on last week’s ADAC Rallye Deutschland. He’s currently eighth in the drivers’ standings, six points behind M-Sport Stobart driver Matthew Wilson.