On Sunday morning, having extended his lead to 10.1 seconds, Heikkilä was in excellent pace before a rim broke during the third special stage of the day. The rim exploded on a high-speed section, and there was nothing that could be done.
For the driver from Finland and his co-driver Kristian Temonen, the disappointment was, of course, immense. According to Heikkilä, it was purely bad luck.
“The rim broke first, and the wheel coming off damaged the suspension. I tried to dodge the rocks throughout the stage, and we were a bit behind in the split times, but it wasn’t enough. There was no clear impact, nothing I could have done differently,” Heikkilä recounted the events leading to his retirement.
Competing for the Italian Step Five Motorsport with a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, Heikkilä took the lead during the second special stage on Saturday and held a 2.3-second lead going into the night break. On the final day of the rally, Sunday, Heikkilä increased the gap by winning both of the morning’s opening stages before the premature end of his race.
“The race was in our hands. Despite the minor troubles on Saturday, we led the rally and everything was under control. Despite being cautious, this happened. We’ve had disappointments before, but they just don’t seem to let up on us,” Heikkilä lamented.
The European Rally Championship series continues in the Canary Islands from May 2 to May 4.
