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| Image Source: http://www.emercedesbenz.com; Kimi Driving a Fuel Cell Bus like a boss. |
Many people have been perplexed by Kimi Raikkonen’s decision to move to oval racing in the US, but when I heard about it last week my first thought was: “So much win!” I didn’t really think about his motive all that much at first, but yesterday while perusing the internet it hit me. This move makes perfect sense; Kimi is gearing up to enter the $5 Million IZOD Indycar World Championships at Las Vegas this fall. He already had extensive single seater experience, and he is using trucks to gain the necessary oval experience to prepare himself for Vegas. Some may argue that he could make that much money racing in NASCAR so there is no point in going for the long odds and entering the Indycar race. This would be a good reason, but we aren’t talking about just anyone here, we are dealing with the Iceman. At this point it’s not about the money for him; it’s about doing his own thing and being a complete and utter badass. In today’s overly professional world of top tier racing there are not nearly enough drivers that have the same mentality that he has, sure Kimi has his quirks, but overall he is one of the most entertaining figures in the world of motorsport. His interviews could be a bit more colorful, but some of the things he does say are priceless, like when he was “having a shit” at Interlagos in 2006:
Also, who could forget when he retired from the Monaco GP in 2005 and decided to find a yacht in the harbor and drink away his sorrows with some fine examples of the fairer sex. Kimi is the perfect candidate for entering the Vegas Indycar race as he is one of the highest profile names in motorsport, he has no other driving commitments that weekend, and he has enough money to secure a top-class car capable of winning. Additionally, rumor has it that Red Bull is keen to get back into Indycar and this would be a good first step toward stepping up to a full program in 2012. I could be completely wrong, but based on Kimi’s character a move like this is certainly extremely plausible. Remember when this happens, you heard it here first!
-Austin Brauser
