The hugely popular ice racing series takes place over seven rounds between December and February with a host of star names battling for glory in high performance cars adapted to provide traction and power aplenty in quick-fire races on compact circuits.

Heikkinen, a 23-year-old Finnish motorsport sensation, will compete in a Motul-backed Mazda 3 entered by Mazda France and run by the experienced Sainteloc Racing team. He will face opposition from ex-F1 racers Franck Lagorce and Olivier Panis, Pikes Peak contender and multiple Andros Trophy champion Jean-Philippe Dayraut, plus nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb.

”I can’t wait to get started in the Andros Trophy once more,” said Heikkinen, who made a one-off appearance in the series back in January. ”I don’t have a lot of experience in this type of car and racing, but I know a little bit about how to slide and I was competitive when I took part in the Andros Trophy last time, so I am quite optimistic, especially as we have a good car here. In this championship you have to get up to speed quickly as the action is short and sharp, a bit like rallycross! I think it would be asking a lot to win for my first time this weekend but if I can get on the podium I will be really happy. In the past I have done some rallysprint events on snow and ice back home in Finland, so I am hoping this will help get me up to speed. Also I have some very fast and experienced team-mates, so I can definitely learn a lot from them.”

Like all the Andros Trophy cars, Topi’s Mazda 3 uses spiked ice tyres, a space frame chassis and a mid-mounted turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine, which puts out more than 350 horsepower within a very light bodyshell. As a result, his rallycross experience is directly relevant to the spectacular racing held at some of Europe’s best-known ski resorts.

The 760-metre Val Thorens circuit is located at an altitude of 2200 metres in the Savoie region of France.