Heikkilä second in Mamaia Rally Show in Romania

Mikko Heikkilä competed in the Mamaia Rally Show in Romania last weekend with the invitation from the event organizers. The well-run show brought rallying close to the public and earned thanks from the Skoda driver. Heikkilä still has his eyes on one more ERC event this year, but there are no guarantees of attendance as of yet.

Finnish rally driver Mikko Heikkilä competed last weekend in the Mamaia Rally Show event held in Romania. Invited by the event organizers to compete in the one-on-one face-off style event, Heikkilä compliments the concept of the event that made the sport accessible to the public.

-The journey was pleasant and the event atmosphere relaxed, we didn’t need to have such a serious mindset this time. A good amount of spectators were present and I was surprised how well we were welcomed.

-The event concept was good as well. It really brought the sport of rallying close to the people, and we got time to talk with the public. Overall a very well organized event. A big thanks for Mamaia Rally Show organizers for the invitation and a great weekend, here’s to hoping we can contest next year again, Heikkilä said.

Besides a positive experience, Heikkilä brought home the second place from the event.

-We had some good battles. Sure, when you drive the same one kilometer long stage you start to reach the maximum pace naturally, but the margins were always small. It was also interesting to watch how the co-competitors were doing.

-I slightly hit a hay bale in the final heat, which caused a time penalty and lost us the win. Of course, every time the helmet goes on the will to win is present, but this time it wasn’t so clear in the mind and didn’t have an effect in the mood. We had a lot of fun, Heikkilä stated.

Competing with the TGS Motorsport Skoda in both WRC and ERC this year, Heikkilä took home his maiden ERC win in Sweden this Summer. With the 2026 season concluding soon, Heikkilä has his eyes on one more event for the year; ERC Portugal. The event has been both positive and cruel for Heikkilä, as the Finn was close to taking home the win from the 2023 edition only to be denied by a puncture on the last stage of the rally.

-We’d be eager to compete in ERC Portugal, and that’s what we’re aiming for. There are no guarantees yet however, we need to find a package in order to do so. But we are working on it, so we’ll see what the future brings, Heikkilä commented.

Mamaia Rally Show results:

1. Norbert Maior           ROM

2. Mikko Heikkilä         FIN

3. Efren Llarena            ESP