The driver from Finland and his co-driver Kristian Temonen have had successful preparations and are aiming for a strong performance in the highly competitive event.
The third round of the ERC season takes place in Karlstad, Sweden, on traditional special stages. Competing with a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 car from the Italian team Step Five Motorsport, Heikkilä is ready after successful testing.
“The starting points are good, as we had successful tests. We did extensive testing on Friday in Finland and fine-tuned the settings on Wednesday in Sweden. The car felt good on the test roads, and the tests left a positive impression,” Heikkilä says.
Karlstad, the city that has hosted the WRC Rally Sweden for years, is hosting the summer ERC rally for the second consecutive year. The three-day event features special stages that are similar to those in Finland but also have their differences.
“Last year’s special stages were similar in profile to Finnish roads, and this year we will drive four of the same stages. We have no idea about some of the new stages, not even from videos, and their character will be revealed during recce, “Heikkilä explains.
“The roads here are somewhat more slippery than those generally in Finland, most comparable to the roads of the Länisrannikon Rally. I haven’t driven much on Finnish-like roads recently. It’s been about a year, but we’ll go by muscle memory,” Heikkilä continues.
The 2022 Finnish Rally Champion was challenging for a podium position in last year’s event before suffering a puncture on the final loop of the last day. This year, the goal is to maintain a fast yet steady pace.
“The level here is very high, with tough competitors, including some at the WRC level. We won’t be overconfident but aim for the best performance we can achieve. If everything goes well, we can certainly place high,” Heikkilä concludes.
The Swedish ERC rally starts on Thursday evening with a spectator special stage. In total, the competition includes 17 special stages covering 191.05 kilometres.
