Raikkonen: Motocross charges with positive energy

A year and a half ago, we said that Kimi Raikkonen, having completed his career in Formula 1, took up a new project – his motocross team began to cooperate with the Japanese company Kawasaki and received factory status. She has had some impressive success lately, suffice it to say her rider, Frenchman Roman Febvre, has won five consecutive MXGP titles.

In an interview with the Kawasaki press office, Kimi spoke about his long-standing love for motocross and the Kawasaki Racing Team.

Q: Have you ever raced motocross yourself?
Kimi Raikkonen: As a child, like many boys, I loved to ride the Italjet minimotor. These motorcycles were equipped with 50 cc engines. Then I learned how to balance correctly, how to attack correctly, how to add gas and how to work with technique. I think that’s when my love for motocross was born.

Then I raced at the club level on a Kawasaki KX250. I’ve always enjoyed the challenges of motocross because it’s really energizing.

Q: Were you allowed to be on a dirt bike when you competed in Formula 1?
Kimi Raikkonen: Sometimes I participated in club races just for fun, but in Finland I have my own small track near my house, where I sometimes train with my children. I don’t race at a serious level, but throughout my career I’ve always considered motocross a part of the training program.

I have no idea what the teams I played for in Formula 1 thought about it, but I didn’t tell them about it.

Q: How did you organize your team to compete in the Motocross World Championship?
Kimi Raikkonen: When we started this project, there were completely different people in it, and at first things didn’t go as I imagined. In the beginning there was no special order in our affairs, but then I turned to Antti Pürhonen, it was around 2010, because I wanted him to become a rider for my team. Six months later, when I heard he was retiring, I called him again and asked if he would lead our team. After that everything got better.

We have always wanted to ride Kawasaki motorcycles again and this is the second year of our cooperation with this Japanese company – we have established a good business relationship with them. Kawasaki strives to succeed – we enjoy working with them and helping them improve their bikes.

Question: Are you satisfied with the fact that your team recently achieved five wins in a row?
Kimi Raikkonen: Of course it’s nice to win races. We worked towards this for years, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, partly because our riders got injured, but that’s part of motorsport. You always want to win, but often the difference between winning and 5th place is quite small.

Overall, wins are encouraging, but we also know that the pendulum can easily swing the other way. Last year was very difficult for us because Roman Febvre was injured, but now he has recovered and is winning.

Question: Are you satisfied with how things are going?
Kimi Raikkonen: Yes, although we’ve had a lot of these cases for the second year. We changed motorcycle suppliers and had to adapt to the new technology. Actually, we had to start a lot from the beginning, but now we are well prepared, we have everything we need.

Of course there is still a lot to improve, but this process should make sense. We can change things quite quickly, but these innovations have to be effective. The work continues and we just want our riders’ mood to be even better.

Q: Have you ridden the new KX450 yourself yet?
Kimi Raikkonen: Our third child was born this year, so I’m busy with family matters. I haven’t had a chance to try this bike yet, but I have a Kawasaki with a 250cc engine at home. cm and a capacity of 450 cc. They are very easy to operate, allowing you to reach the next level of skill.

Q: For daily use, which one do you prefer?
Kimi Raikkonen: I don’t train every day so I prefer a 250cc bike. I drive it on my circuit in Finland, although a bike with a more powerful engine might be better suited for longer distances. If I had more time I would train more, because the technique with a 450 cc engine is not a toy and requires a serious approach.