Heikkilä, who was in contention for a European Rally Championship (ERC) win on the gravel roads of Portugal in 2023, heads into the competition this year with the support of Skoda’s new update package.
Competing in a Skoda run by the Finnish team TGS Motorsport, Heikkilä will tackle his second event of the season in Portugal, having placed third in his class at the season opener in Sweden.
“We’ve had a couple of good test days, and it’s great to be racing again after a while. Preparation has also included quite a bit of watching videos, since the route—except for a few exceptions—is practically the same as last year’s WRC rally. The feeling is optimistic, it’s always nice heading to Portugal,” Heikkilä says.
Although only two of the special stages are familiar to Heikkilä, the Skoda driver brings solid experience from the Portuguese gravel. The puncture that cost him the lead during his ERC debut in 2023 no longer lingers on his mind.
“My own experience in Portugal only comes from the ERC rally, and from those stages, only two Sunday stages are the same this year. I really liked the ERC stages. The team also has strong experience from the rally in previous years. I haven’t built up any mental blocks about pushing hard. The level here is high, but we’ll let the clock worry about that and just focus on our own performance,” Heikkilä describes.
Heikkilä and TGS’s Skoda will also benefit from the factory’s new “Packet 25” update package. The improvements brought by the package further enhance the car’s competitiveness.
“The car has Skoda’s latest updates, including changes to the exhaust system and several improvements related to the protection of various car parts. Only the newest dampers are missing from this event. In testing, the car felt extremely good, and we’re confident it’ll perform brilliantly on the stages as well,” Heikkilä explains.
