Finnish racing driver Toomas Heikkinen, who has competed in the FIA World Rallycross Championship since its inception in 2014, has stated that he will not join 2016 Teams’ Champions, EKS RX, for a third season in 2018.
“After two brilliant years driving the Audi S1 RX quattro in the FIA World Rallycross Championship, it’s time for me to say goodbye to EKS,” he said.
I want to thank the whole team and especially Mattias [Ekström] for everything over the last two years. We’ve had a lot of fun and some amazing moments. I’m really happy that we both finished on the podium in Germany, in one of my last races with the team. I have made a lot of friends in EKS and wish them all the best for the future.
Now it’s onto the next stage. I’m not yet sure what the future will bring, but I will be able to announce more about my future in January.”
The 26-year-old Finn made his rallycross debut in 2010, contesting a few events on the European championship calendar in a SAAB 9-3 by Per Eklund Motorsport. With the same car, the following year he entered the whole season, with his best result being a third-overall finish in Sweden. In 2012, he moved across the Atlantic to race in the US-based Global RallyCross Championship with OlsbergsMSE‘s Ford Fiesta, becoming Drivers’ Champion in 2013 with five straight victories and three more podiums out of nine events.
2014 saw him return to Europe, hired by Marklund Motorsport to drive a Volkswagen Polo alongside Anton Marklund of Sweden in the new-born World RX, winning one round in Belgium on his way to second overall, only behind Petter Solberg. Confirmed by Marklund for the following year, he repeats his feat of winning the Belgian round, finishes second in Canada, but as Marklund joins forces with Kristoffersson Motorsport to form Volkswagen RX Sweden for 2016, ‘Topi” joined two-time DTM champion Mattias Ekström at his own team, helping them get the Teams’ crown by scoring three podiums in Portugal, Germany (Hockenheim) and Argentina, while Ekström is Drivers’ Champion. Confirmed by EKS for 2017, Heikkinen managed no better than a third place at the penultimate event of the season in Germany at the Estering, his only podium this year.
