Fact three: Turkey’s inaugural World Rallycross Championship round takes place next weekend (October 11/12) on an all-new track at Istanbul Park.

Fact four: Flying Finn Toomas ’Topi’ Heikkinen will be among the favourites for victory in his Volkswagen Polo RX Supercar as he bids to cement his second place in the World RX standings.

With two rounds remaining, 23-year-old Heikkinen occupies the current runner-up spot behind provisional world champion Petter Solberg and eight points clear of Reinis Nitiss in third. Topi will be looking to take inspiration from countryman Räikkönen when he chases his second World RX victory of the season to add to his championship score, boosted by the knowledge his Polo has the grunt required for some Turkish delight.

”The track is new for everybody and purpose-built for rallycross,” said Topi, who drives for Marklund Motorsport supported by Volkswagen in World RX. ”The Tarmac section is the F1 track – really fast, wide and requiring a lot of power from the engine. It should suit our Volkswagen Polo RX Supercar and it should suit me. I will of course fight for second place in the championship but our goal is to win the Teams’ title this year.”

Not only will Heikkinen be determined to land a strong result in Turkey, he’ll also be eager to hit back from a frustrating trip to Italy last week when driveshaft failure slowed his Polo RX Supercar at the semi-final stage.

”I was not always the fastest but my speed throughout the weekend in Italy was very consistent and close to the top,” said Topi. ”We knew we had the speed for a podium, even the win. I was full of confidence for my semi-final but it wasn’t to be. My focus now is on helping Marklund Motorsport to the teams’ title and keeping my second place in the drivers’ standings.”

Following two open practice sessions on Saturday morning, there are two rounds of heats on Saturday afternoon and again on Sunday. The semi-finals and final will take place on Sunday afternoon.