Mikko Heikkilä well-prepared for the new, more compact WRC Estonia

Mikko Heikkilä continues his rallying season of 2026 with the Delfi Rally Estonia. The compact schedule of the event is to the Skoda driver’s liking, and with results such as win in the ERC Sweden last month Heikkilä is feeling confident going into the event.

Finnish rally driver Mikko Heikkilä and co-driver Kristian Temonen continue their competitive season this weekend in Estonia as the WRC embarks to the Tartu area with Delfi Rally Estonia. The event marks the Skoda driver’s fourth time competing in an international event in Estonia.

-If we include the ERC event of 2024, this is our fourth time out in Estonia. I believe the previous rallies will benefit us, and this year the route is close to the same as last year. For sure it’s easier to drive on familiar roads, we have good experience and fresh memories from them, Heikkilä said.

This year, the Delfi Rally Estonia has something new in store: a more compact 2,5 day format. Shakedown has been moved to Friday morning, and the rally kicks off with forest stages on Friday afternoon. Super Specials have been moved into Friday and Saturday evenings, and the event ends on Sunday at around 2 PM. The more compact form is to Heikkilä’s liking.

-It’ll be fun to try out the new concept of Estonia. The organizers seem to have great ideas regarding creating a rally, and the itinerary is above all sensible. Morning loop is around a set area with stages driven twice, and then the rally moves to another area in the afternoon. I think this is a good thing for everyone. A shorter event technically allows us to save a bit of the budget too, Heikkilä explained.

In the week before the rally as well as on rally week’s Monday, Heikkilä was testing his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 together with the TGS Motorsport team. The tests, as well as previous events including the victorious ERC Sweden, leave Heikkilä confident going into Estonia.

-We’ve had a good amount of time behind the wheel before the rally. Of course, there’s always small things here and there, but we know quite well what works for us, so the main agenda of the tests was just practice.

-We are confident heading into Estonia. The goal is high for sure, and with two well-preparing events I’m confident we are up to the task. The rally will show us how we’ll manage, but currently the feeling is most of all confident, Heikkilä stated.

Delfi Rally Estonia is held 17th to 19th of July in Tarto, Estonia. The event consists of 18 special stages and 301,8 special stage kilometres. Mikko Heikkilä heads into the stages with number 37 in the WRC2 category. The rally is shown live via Rally.tv streaming service.