Global Rallycross Race Recap: Atlanta

If you think you’ve heard this one before, you may be right—for the second race in a row, Toomas Heikkinen, Tanner Foust, and Sverre Isachsen comprised the podium in Saturday’s Sylvania SilverStar zXe Global Rallycross at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Heikkinen swept both heat 1A and 2A, earning two bonus points, while Scott Speed earned the second transfer spot from 2A. Ken Block swept heats 1B and 2B as well, taking Steve Arpin with him into the final. Tanner Foust earned a front row spot by winning 2C, while 1C winner Brian Deegan also transferred. In the last chance qualifier, Dave Mirra passed Timur Timerzyanov to take the victory, while Sverre Isachsen earned the final transfer spot.

On main event, Heikkinen’s quick start may have been overshadowed by Block’s failure to launch, a mechanical problem that relegated him to one lap completed. From there, Foust attempted to chase down his OlsbergsMSE teammate to no avail, as Heikkinen’s pure pace and a flat tire kept the defending series champion at bay.

Deegan seemed like a lock for third place until a late mechanical failure sent him off, yielding the final podium spot to Isachsen. A persistent Mirra, in his first final of the year, held on for fourth, with Timerzyanov in fifth. The cars that failed to finish belonged to Deegan, Speed, Block, and Arpin.

– I think the pressure is gone right now. We have a long holiday after this one, and I think I’ll just go home and relax and test. The team has done good work, and that’s why I’m here. Without Andreas Eriksson, this is not possible. I want to win every race!, commented Heikkinen.

RESULTS: The results from Saturday’s Sylvania SilverStar zXe Global Rallycross at Atlanta Motor Speedway:

1. Toomas Heikkinen, #57 OlsbergsMSE Ford Fiesta ST
2. Tanner Foust, #34 OlsbergsMSE Ford Fiesta ST
3. Sverre Isachsen, #11 Subaru PUMA Rallycross Team WRX STI
4. Dave Mirra, #40 Subaru PUMA Rallycross Team WRX STI
5. Timur Timerzyanov, #199 Pastrana Racing Dodge Dart
6. Brian Deegan, #38 OlsbergsMSE Ford Fiesta ST
7. Scott Speed, #77 OMSE2 Ford Fiesta
8. Ken Block, #43 Hoonigan Racing Division Ford Fiesta ST
9. Steve Arpin, #32 OMSE2 Ford Fiesta
10. Henning Solberg, #99 Pastrana Racing Dodge Dart
11. Patrik Sandell, #18 OlsbergsMSE Ford Fiesta ST
12. Bucky Lasek, #81 Subaru PUMA Rallycross Team WRX STI

DRIVER POINTS:

1. Toomas Heikkinen, 139
2. Tanner Foust, 96
3. Brian Deegan, 84
4. Ken Block, 80
5. Patrik Sandell, 75
6. Sverre Isachsen, 65
7. Scott Speed, 63
8. Liam Doran, 59
9. Steve Arpin, 58
10. Bucky Lasek, 35
11. Timur Timerzyanov, 34
12. Travis Pastrana, 32
13. Dave Mirra, 31
14. Mattias Ekstrom, 26
15. Anton Marklund, 26
16. Bryce Menzies, 21
17. Townsend Bell, 16
18. Guilherme Spinelli, 14
19. Nelson Piquet Jr., 13
20. Rhys Millen, 13
21. Buddy Rice, 7
22. Henning Solberg, 7
23. Mauricio Neves, 5
24. Stephan Verdier, 5
25. Edu Marques, 3
26. David Sterckx, 1

MANUFACTURER POINTS:

1. Ford, 264
2. Subaru, 109
3. Dodge, 94

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