Heikkinen goes stateside

Toomas Heikkinen has confirmed today what many observers had long expected, that he will drive an OMSE Ford Fiesta in the Global Rallycross Championship this year.

The 20-year-old Finn was one of the drivers to test with OMSE at the end of last year and, while the confirmation of his decision to drive in the GRC has been a while coming, it was fairly certain that he would be the fifth man in the Ford team this year. Heikkinen placed sixth in the 2011 ERC, making to the A final in four of the ten events. A convert from circuit racing, Heikkinen has raced with Eklund Motorsport over the last two years, winning the Finnish championship in one of the Swedish team’s Saab 93s in 2010. Also taking in a handful of ERC events in ’10, Heikkinen made a full time move to the ERC last year, again under the wing of Per Eklund. The 2010 season was rounded out with a trip to America where Heikkinen won the last of the ‘Rallycross America’ events run at New Jersey Motorsports Park, so winning in America is not entirely new to him.

“My aim is to win at least one event. In the overall standings I want to be in the top three. Thats a tough goal. No more watching or practising. Those times are over, now its time to get some results,” said Heikkinen who is slated to start in “a couple” of ERC events, his home event at Kouvola in Finland the only confirmed start so far.

Along with Heikkinen and Best Buy Racing pair Marcus Grönholm and David Binks, the Ford OMSE team is expected to field cars for Tanner Foust and Brian Deegan in the GRC events.

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