Friday 05/28/2010

Rally Portugal: The Ken Block / Kimi Räikkönen showdown (w/ photo Finnish).

Rally Portugal skipped on the traditional opening ceremonies in favor of a stadium-based Super Special that consisted of a series of tight turns, hairpins and one tabletop jump. But it was the rally’s clever head-to-head selections that really made the night, including the brothers Solberg, Loeb vs Hirvonen, and of course, the WRC Rookies. "As soon as we found out that we'd be going up against Kimi on opening night on a tarmac Super Special, pressure started building, so to raise the stakes even more, I decided to bet Kimi that I'd beat him,” says Block. “To be honest, I wasn't expecting to win, but was willing to lose a 100 Euros on the chance to wax a former F1 World Champ.”

In front of the packed Algarve Stadium, Block and Gelsomino lined up against Kimi Räikkönen and his co-driver Kaj Lindström for two laps of the 1km course. Off the line, Block took the jump and from that point until the last turn the two were neck and neck, swapping minor leads but eventually crossing the finish line at the exact same time (2:11:0). “What are the chances of that?” said Block immediately after the race. “But either way, I am stoked to have tied Kimi, afterall he does know a thing or two about driving on tarmac surfaces, plus I didn’t lose 100 Euros.”

Watch the fan-filmed clip of the race below: