Heikkilä will compete this year as expected in the European Rally Championship, but in addition, he will also compete in the Italian gravel rally series. Heikkilä collaborates with the Italian Step Five Motorsport team, with whose equipment he will race both in Italy and in the ERC.
The Finnish driver’s first national competition in Italy is scheduled for this coming weekend when the Citta di Foligno rally is held on Sunday in Central Italy. In this event, Heikkilä will drive a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 car, but later he is supposed to compete in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 car at least in the ERC.
“The proposal to compete in the Italian gravel championship came from the team. They are eager to win the championship, and I’ll do my best to help them achieve it,” Heikkilä said.
We aren’t taking anything for granted, though, as the entry list has some big names on it. Local drivers will surely go fast, so we’ll try to keep the pace up as well”
A special feature of the competition is the narrow and winding mountain roads, in addition to the special stages that are driven three times.
“Driving each stage three times might sound extreme for a Finn, but after watching the recce videos, I doubt it’ll be a problem. The roads look solid, and the stages are challenging. The stages also look slippery, and if the forecasted rain comes, they surely will be. By the third pass, we should have memorized the stages pretty well,” said Heikkilä
Heikkilä’s main goal for the season is the European Championship, which starts in mid-April, with the opening event held in Hungary. Kristian Temonen will read the pace notes for Heikkilä in the European Championship and the opening of the Italian gravel series.
“The beginning of the ERC season is closing in fast. After this weekend’s event, as well as Rally Sweden and Arctic Lapland Rally, we can build a good routine and charge for Hungary’s season opener. While the roads here aren’t quite like the ones we’ll face in the ERC this year, it’s good practice nevertheless and a nice new challenge for us,” Heikkilä stated.
