Kouvola, where the Tykkimaki circuit is based, is about 320 kilometres from Topi’s house in Joensuu, so he can expected lots of his fans to turn out and support the number 57 Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo RX Supercar.
Although Topi has spent most of the last two years in the United States – where he won the Global Rallycross title last year – he has always been based in Finland and he knows the Kuovola track well. Topi is not the sort of person who ever needs extra motivation, but he says that driving in front of the home crowd is something special.
”You really feel the support,” he points out. ”Finnish people are so passionate about rallycross and rallying: in fact the whole of motorsport in general. It’s pretty incredible when you think that we come from this little country of about five million people, and yet we all do so well in motorsport all over the world! People ask all the time why this is, but I guess it’s because we grow up with this culture and interest in motorsport – and also because we have lots of gravel roads and farms where it’s easy to practise driving and get a feel for what a car is doing and how it can slide. There’s not a big population in Finland and a lot of space: let’s just say that most of us probably start driving before we’re old enough to have real driving licences!”
Topi’s fans mean a lot to him, and so the Finn has made special arrangements for all the people who are travelling to Kuovola, in the centre of Finland, to watch him in action.
”We’ve made some special arrangements and viewing areas so that people can have a weekend to remember,” adds Topi. ”So now it’s down to me to provide that! I really hope I can do well, but I know that I’ve got the equipment and capability to do it. We were a bit unlucky at the last round in Norway, but hopefully that’s our bad luck out of the way now and we can concentrate on what we do best, which is winning.”
As well as season-long team-mate Anton Marklund, Topi will be joined in the Marklund Motorsport team by American motorsport ace and TV presenter Tanner Foust, who previously drove for the Marklund team at Lydden Hill.
”It’s great to have Tanner back with me and Anton,” said Heikkinen, 23. ”We know each other really well – we actually raced as team mates for two years in GRC – so he’s basically one of the family. I know we’re all going to have a lot of fun in Finland: the track is really up and down and spectacular; you’ve got a jump and it’s the sort of place that you need to stay completely concentrated. My tip for anyone watching is to go to the first corner: with five cars piling in there, side by side, you can be sure that something is going to happen there at some point.”
Topi starts the Kouvola weekend holding third place in the drivers’ championship, just 12 points behind current leader (and Norway winner) Reinis Nittis. He’s going to be flat-out to try and close that gap, but before he heads to Kouvola Topi has an important message that he wants to pass on.
”Our home event is really the perfect opportunity for me to thank all the people from home who have supported me over the years,” concludes Topi. ”Without the help and the sponsorship that I had from Finland, there is no way I would be where I am today and I am very aware of that and grateful for that. There are so many people who helped and supported me: they know who they are and I want to say a big thank you. I’m sure there’s going to be a great weekend ahead of us!”
