Just over a week ago, at Rally Sweden, Heikkilä finished ninth overall. In the WRC2 class, his pace was good enough for fifth place.
Heikkilä was outpaced in Sweden by the host country’s Oliver Solberg, who clinched a commanding class victory, as well as Finnish drivers Sami Pajari and Roope Korhonen. Estonia’s rally hope, Georg Linnamäe, also finished ahead of Heikkilä.
Heikkilä had high expectations for Sweden, but they were not met. Overall, Heikkilä couldn’t be satisfied in any way. He was in contention for a podium spot until Saturday evening, when problems began.
“In one word, the race was a disappointment,” Heikkilä admitted bluntly.
“It didn’t go anywhere close to how I wanted or had aimed for. Friday was spent testing the car. It wasn’t the right place to test, but there wasn’t much we could do about it. Saturday still had good times, but then we hit that rock, and practically, the rally ended there,” Heikkilä lamented, referring to a broken wheel and suspension arm.
However, Heikkilä did manage to set one fastest time in Sweden and finished in the top three on several special stages. This proved that the Finn’s pace is more than capable at the WRC level.
Heikkilä couldn’t talk much about his future in Sweden, but the goal is clear.
“The European Rally Championship is the goal; I would like to get there. I’d also like to compete in these individual WRC events. Let’s see,” Heikkilä revealed.
“Of course, results like these don’t exactly bring extra races. These are the kinds of opportunities where you need to succeed if you want to compete in them,” Heikkilä criticised himself.
