Newly-crowned Global Rallycross champion Toomas Heikkinen qualified fourth at the final round of the Global Rallycross Championship in Las Vegas.
Despite winning his heat, ‘Topi’ will have to start from fourth after Tanner Foust, Scott Speed and Ken Block all won their respective heats, meaning a strong start will be vital in the all-important final as the track continues to evolve and tyre wear proves a challenge for the drivers.
“It was quite difficult in the beginning as track is brand new and the Tarmac sections have no rubber laid down yet,” explained Topi. “The grip got better, but as the track layout includes three long right-hand corners, the left-front tyre gets some heavy use. So for tomorrow’s final you definitely need to think about your tyres, or you’ll find that they can’t take all 10 laps. We’re happy with our pace, so there’s no problem with that from our end. The location of the track, in the middle of Las Vegas, is just awesome!”
Foust will be hoping to consolidate second place in the final, currently sitting just two points ahead of Brian Deegan, while Block is just 11 points shy of Foust’s 104 points. Speed sits 20 points behind in fifth.
The finals take place tonight, with Supercar heats, Last Chance Qualifier and Finals starting at 4:00pm local time (Midnight UK time).