Heikkinen Seeking Fifth Win In A Row At AMS Global Rallycross Event

HAMPTON, GA – Fresh off his victory in the Los Angeles X-Games, Toomas Heikkinen will be looking for his fifth win in a row Saturday in the SYLVANIA Silverstar zXe Global Rallycross Atlanta at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Heikkinen successfully navigated an intense opening sequence as Sunday’s event began before pulling away to win. Tanner Foust finished second, giving him two runner-up finishes in the past three GRC finals.

Heikkinen, who leads the points standings by 39 markers ahead of Foust, will be looking to extend that lead on Saturday as GRC racing makes its debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“It’s cool to have a lot of points,” Heikkinen said. “Now we have a little bit less pressure, but there’s still work to do. Everything is good right now, and I’m not doing anything else but smiling.”

Fans of short track racing will be accustomed to the event structure of SYLVANIA Silverstar® zXe Global Rallycross Atlanta.

Global Rallycross events employ four heat races and a last chance-qualifying event to set the field for the final race, which consists of ten cars. To qualify for the final race, which is 10 laps, drivers must either finish in the top two of their six-lap heat or place in the top two in the last chance qualifier.

As a result, GRC drivers have little margin for error in any event of which they race, making the heat races as much, if not more exciting than the final race.

“These are sprint races. It’s much more up tempo, much quicker reacting,” said Scott Speed, a GRC competitor who has raced in NASCAR and Formula One. “In this form of racing, you have to be on full attack mode all the time.”

GRC racers come from some of the most diverse racing backgrounds in motorsports, with drivers having raced in NASCAR Formula One, motocross and competed in drifting prior to foraying into GRC.

That background also includes skateboarding. Bucky Lasek, winner of more than 18 X-Games medals, comes to Atlanta after adding another gold medal to his list of accomplishments last weekend in the skateboard vert event. The victory gave him a clean sweep in all four of this year’s Global X-Games skateboard vert events.

With his experience in the X-Games, the 40-year old Lasek is used to being in the spotlight.

“I have that competitive nature. I’ve been in the spotlight performing at a high level,” Lasek said. “That’s what I’m up against in GRC. Some of these guys are the world’s best drivers.”

Grandstand tickets for SYLVANIA Silverstar® zXe Global Rallycross Atlanta on Aug. 10 are on sale now. Adult general admission tickets are $20. Ages six to 12 gain admission for just $10, with ages five and under entering free.

Parking for SYLVANIA Silverstar® zXe Global Rallycross Atlanta is $5 per vehicle and no smoking is permitted in the grandstands during the event.

For more information, visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com or call the AMS Ticket Office at (877) 9-AMS-TIX or (770) 946-4211.