Seven days, August 9

Toomas Heikkinen continued his strong GRC season by winning the X Games event, this year held at at Irwindale. Heikkinen went to the final with little fuss and was ahead of the trouble in the first corner that put Liam Doran and Scott Speed out of the race immediately while Ken Block, Patrik Sandell and Brian Deegan managed to limp to the finish with damaged cars.

“It’s cool to have a lot of points. Still we’re leading, and now we have a little bit less pressure, but the next race is in six days, and we have work to do. I think the gap opened a little bit, because Tanner didn’t win his heat and I got the one extra point, plus three points more in the final. (Since last year) I just made my own work, what I had to do. I exercised at home and the gym to get myself ready for this season. Everything is good right now, and I’m not doing anything else than smiling,” said Heikkinen.

The final was led by Sverre Isachsen who jumped the start with his Subaru. A stop-go penalty dropped the Norwegian briefly down to fourth place before he cut past Travis Pastrana’s overheating Dodge to take third. “I had a good start. They said it was a jump start, but anyway, we sat in the penalty box, took our punishment, and then went back in the race. It was a perfect race the whole way. Third place today is like winning for us at Subaru,” Isachsen said.

There was also a big crash in the last chance qualifier race, five cars being eliminated and Anton Marklund being taken for medical checks before returning to the track.

The rallycross field had also taken part in the previous day’s Gymkhana Grid event which was won by Tanner Foust.

The GRC Lites class also ran at X Games and was again won by Joni Wiman who led home Mitchell de Jong and Sebastien Eriksson, the latter also jumping the start but making it to the podium despite as stop-go penalty.

In Britain the BTRDA and Croft Circuit confirm that a clubmans rallycross event will be held at the track on November 24. The event will mark the BTRDA’s 75th anniversary. The standalone event is not a part of any championship and will be open to all class that usually feature in the BTRDA championship – basically any two-wheel drive car. The BTRDA has not been able to run its Clubmans championship in 2013 but hopes that a successful event at Croft will help to pave the way for the series to return in 2014. The event will be organised by Darlington & District MC which has already received 50 entries.

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