Kimi and Mika are gonna have a play on the Arctic Rally this month - see the organiser's release below - they seem quite pleased about the increased PR value!

Arctic Rally release below:

Formula One world champion Kimi Räikkönen attends Arctic Lapland Rally

We are proud to inform that F1 champions Kimi Räikkönen and Mika Häkkinen are both taking part in the 44th Arctic Lapland Rally. Their attending to the competition was confirmed late on Wednesday evening. After the release of this news, the interest of the international media grew exponentially. And why shouldn’t it? F1 champion 2007 Kimi Räikkönen and two-time F1 champion 1998 and 1999 Mika Häkkinen last met on the racetrack in October 2001, F1 Gran Prix in Japan. Räikkönen in Sauber and Häkkinen in McLaren. This will be very exciting!

Kimi Räikkönen will trade his Ferrari in for a Fiat

For his Arctic rally debut, Kimi will race a Fiat Abarth Grande Punto S2000, with Kaj Lindström as his co-driver. We can remember him from being a co-driver for Tommi Mäkinen. Mika Häkkinen, who has driven the rally three times before, in 2003, 2004 and 2006, will be at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9. Former co-driver for Markku Álen, the experienced Ilkka Kivimäki will be enjoying the ride next to Häkkinen as his co-driver.

Internationally interesting

We have also received entries from all over the world. Ioannis Papadimitriou from Greece, with his years of experience of the Arctic, is attending with Mitsubishi Lancer E9. Other competitors from abroad attending the Finnish Rally Champioship classes are Tamas Tagai and his co-driver Róbert Tagai from Hungary, Georg Gross and co-driver Kristo Kraag from Estonia, Michal Solowow and co-driver Maciek Baran from Poland, Andrey Yushin and Anastasia Selivanova from Russia, and our most farthest competitors, Brian Green and Fleur Pedersen all the way from New Zealand.

Antonio Forato and co-driver Alberto Bordin from Italy will attend the Finnish Rally Cup and Reg Britton from Great Britain and co-driver Gerry Buckley from Ireland are driving in the Historic class with Ford Escort RS.

Welcome to you all and wishing you all the best for the competition!

Arctic Lapland Rally, part of the Finnish rally championship, takes place between January 22nd and 24th

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