The Fin took part in the Rally della Marca this weekend, through the tarmac-surfaced roads of Italian region Treviso, using the same Tommi Makinen-prepared Fiat Abarthe Grande Punto. Raikkonen had used this car during his other two rally outings this year, inside the Finnish Rally Championship.
Unlike his winter experience, however, the 2007 Formula One champion never got to cross the finish line, as he ended his Rally della Marca campaign into a rock verge. Placed 8th overall at the start of rally's special stage 3, Raikkonen crashed his car into a rock and produced intensive damage to the right rear corner of his Fiat.
The news comes as a surprise, as it is a well-known fact that Finnish rally drivers are usually tarmac specialists. One can never blame Raikkonen for crashing out, however, as he admitted prior to the rally that this would be his first outing on tarmac since he'd taken on rallying.
“I really enjoy myself (rallying) and it will be my first experience on tarmac after some tests on snow last winter. As I'm coming from the race track it will be interesting to see what I will be able to do behind the wheel on the roads,” sounded the optimistic statement coming from Raikkonen, days before signing for the aforementioned rally.
The Ferrari-an will now return to preparation for the upcoming race in Turkey, as his team needs to hold on to their momentum in the championship. Following a 3rd and 4th finish in Monaco, Ferrari are now expected to make one further step in performance in order to soon challenge for race wins in 2009.
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