Mikko Heikkilä has won the Rally Ciudad de Granada by 12,5 seconds. The highlight of the event for Heikkilä was without a doubt the show stage in the heart of Granada, on which the Finn put on a show for the spectators.
Finnish rally driver Mikko Heikkilä and co-driver Kristian Temonen switched up the rainy Finnish autumn to the sun of Spain by competing in the Rally Ciudad de Granada. Invited by the event organisers, Heikkilä was met with something the Finn is familiar with – Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo.
-It was a pleasant trip and it’s amazing to be here by the invitation of the organisers, massive thanks for that as well as to Ceferino Cervera for making this possible. The support was amazing from the spectators as well, so what’s not to like. It was nice to have Martins Sesks there as well, we had a really good fight, Heikkilä said.
Heikkilä’s flight to Spain landed on Thursday – a day before the shakedown. With no pre-event tests, Heikkilä quickly got to grips with his former car.
-The setup came from memory as we’ve had an extensive history with the Rally2 Evo in both Finland and Europe. I sent the team my view of the setup, and it worked out well. The touch and old feeling was there only after a few hundred meters on the shakedown, the current Toyota driver recapped.
The speciality of the event was a super special stage held in the middle of the city that was not timed. Heikkilä enjoyed the stress-free opportunity to show off his considerable car control skills, giving the numerous spectators a show full of burning rubber and tire smoke.
-The super special stage was a great invention, as it was purely for show. First, we made notes by foot just to tell us where the stage went, and the performance itself was completely free. We took the car for a spin in all directions and burned rubber in front of thousands of spectators, which was amazing! The local organisers really know how to make a show. A big thank you to them once again, this was a memorable trip, Heikkilä thanked.
Rally Ciudad de Granada results:
1. Mikko Heikkilä 1:00:53,0 Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo FIN
2. Martins Sesks +12,5 Ford Fiesta Rally2 LVA
3. Xavi Vidales +3:25,1 Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 ESP
4. Alexander Villanueva +3:53,4 Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 ESP
5. Alejandro Mauro +4:14,1 Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 MEX
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