Heikkilä Kicks Off ERC Campaign In Hungary

Mikko Heikkilä starts his ERC season next weekend in Hungary, where ERC Rally Hungary is to take place. Wielding a Step Five Motorsport Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, the fast and bumpy gravel roads of Hungary await the Finn.  

Mikko Heikkilä kicks off his ERC campaign next weekend on the gravel stages of Hungary. Challenging the other top European drivers with Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, fielded by Step Five Motorsport, Heikkilä has had the opportunity to get to grips with the new for the season Toyota on both snow and gravel, winning on both surfaces. As the ERC is the primary championship for the Michelin-driver in 2024, there’s been a fair share of anticipation during the winter.

-We’ve been waiting for quite a while now, as ERC is what we’re mainly focusing on this year. Rally Hungary is sure to be an interesting start to the season. Based on photos and videos, the conditions are at times closer to Safari Rally, but there are also fast and bumpy sections too. There doesn't seem to be many ditches either, which makes brave cuts possible, Heikkilä describes.

Making his debut with the Italian team Step Five Motorsport in the Italian Gravel Rally Championship, the winner of the opening round trusts the Italian squad in the upcoming season.

-Step Five has proven to be a great team based on the Italian championship rounds. Everything works, and the atmosphere within the team is fantastic, Heikkilä says.

Compared to his debut season last year, there have been other changes too. Apart from a new team and car, also the co-driver has changed to the fresh Arctic Lapland Rally winner Kristian Temonen. Heikkilä, who was getting used to English pace notes last weekend, is back to pacenotes in his mother tongue in the ERC.

-We work very well together with Kristian, and the year has kicked off well together. It was fun to drive with English pacenotes with the Italian Francesco Pezzoli sitting next to me, but it feels nice to return to Finnish pacenotes with Kristian. It’s still a bit easier to understand the notes in Finnish than in English, Heikkilä ends.

ERC Rally Hungary is held from 12th to 14th of April in the city of Veszprem. The event consists of 13 special stages and 192,43 special stage kilometres. The rally can be watched via Rally.TV streaming service.

ERC Rally Hungary schedule:

Friday 12.4. – 2,05 km

11:00 Shakedown 4,60 km
18:05 SS1 – Királyszentistván 2,05 km

Saturday 13.4. – 104,25 km

09:48 SS2 – Hegyesd 1 15.30 km
11:06 SS3 – Kislőtér 1 27.40 km
12:04 SS4 – Várpalota 1 8.40 km
15:17 SS5 – Hegyesd 215.30 km
16:35 SS6 – Kislőtér 2 27.40 km

Sunday 14.4. – 88,18 km

09:27 SS8 – Iszka 1 15.34 km
10:35 SS9 – Tés 1 10.25 km
11:35 SS10 – Nagylőtér 1 11.50 km
13:59 SS11 - Iszka 2 15.34 km
15:07 SS12 – Tés 2 10.25 km
17:05 SS13 – Nagylőtér 2 (Power Stage) 18.50 km  

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