Ford keen to offer Kimi a rally test

Thursday 7th August 2008

Ford team principal Malcolm Wilson has said he's willing to offer Kimi Raikkonen a World Rally test following the Finn's admission that his future could lie in rallying.

Raikkonen recently said that when he opts out of F1 he would still like to continue in motorsport, singling out rallying as a sport he would like to try his hand at.

"At some time I want to try rallying. That interests me; asphalt, gravel and ice," he told Auto, Moto und Sport last month.

And one man who would love to see the Finn in a world rally car is Ford boss Wilson, who says that when the time comes he would happily give Raikkonen a test.

"I'd offer him a test. It'd be a great opportunity for us," Wilson told Eurosport. "We can do it because we've got the forest (stages) on our doorstep."

"I'm really pleased guys that are in Formula One would like to be driving a world rally car. One or two of them would like to be driving a world rally car rather than an F1 car if the same sort of rewards were there.

"Sadly we're not in that position but I'm sure that at some point the three drivers we're talking about would end up behind the wheel of a rally car."

Meanwhile defending WRC Champion Sebastien Loeb admitted he would love to see Raikkonen in a world rally car.

"I would welcome [Raikkonen] because it's good to have big names coming into rallying," the Frenchman said.

"It's difficult to come from circuit racing to rallying because you have pacenotes and gravel driving is different to what he is used to.

"But with the talent he has and with some practice he will adapt and find the feeling."

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