Ferrari F1 star Kimi Raikkonen (during the British Grand Prix a week ago, middle) has already taken part in an Italian asphalt surface rally (top) and two ice rallies in his native Finland (bottom) so far this year.

F1 star Kimi Raikkonen is preparing to take his budding rallying career onto the world stage when he takes part in the Neste Oil Finland Rally, the ninth round of the FIA World Rally Championship which gets underway on July 30, again behind the wheel of his Tommi Makkinen-prepared Grande Punto Abarth S2000.

This will be the Ferrari driver's fourth rally this year, but it will be his first on a gravel surface. The 2007 F1 World Champion made his rally debut, in a Grande Punto Abarth S2000 that he bought himself, on the Arctic Lapland Rally in January, finishing in a very respectable 13th place. He followed this up quickly in February with another snow-and-ice rally in his native Finland, this time the Rally Vaakuna, and he had been well on course for a top-10 finish before he landed in a ditch on the penultimate stage and as a result slid down the order to finish 17th. Slotting his budding rally career in between his F1 commitments with the Scuderia, Raikkonen made his asphalt rally debut at the beginning of this month on the Italian Rally della Marca, but, after hitting a wall early, on he retired with suspension damage in the Super 2000 car which is run by former WRC champion and fellow Finn Tommi Makkinen's rally team.

Now Raikkonen will step up to the world stage and also return to the rally tracks of his native Finland, but this time without any snow or ice in sight. A total of 90 crews have registered for this year's Rally Finland, the highest number for a WRC qualifying round this year. There will be 18 World Rally Cars amongst the entries and drivers representing 25 different nationalities. "It's always a great rally and for Kimi it's of course an even bigger thing because this is his first time," Kaj Lindstrom, who has been in the co-driver's seat alongside Raikkonen in his first three rallies, told the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti this week. "It's one of the world's fastest rallies and double the length of for example the Arctic rally," the experienced navigator added.

Simon Long, the boss of WRC promoters ISC, also said: "I've said before that the WRC is built on heroes and iconic figures - and they don't come any bigger than Kimi Raikkonen. It's superb news for the Championship and hugely exciting that he'll be competing in Finland."

Formerly known as the 1000 Lakes, Neste Rally Finland is one of the most popular events on the WRC calendar. It's a fast gravel affair, with high-speed runs along tree-lined tracks, peppered with fast, flying 'yumps' that demand absolute, balls-out commitment. Rally Finland is based in the bustling student town of Jyvaskyla, located in the lake district area in the centre of the country. To win a driver needs a combination of tactical nous, smooth and efficient technique and flat-out commitment to cope with the high speeds, fast kinks and mammoth jumps that litter the smooth, loose-surface stages. Over the years, the event has been dominated by the Scandinavians. They're used to driving on roads and that local experience counts.