Global Rally Cross : Heikkinen Makes His Comeback in Vegas

PASADENA, Calif., Oct. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 29th RallyCross sensation Toomas "Topi" Heikkinen took the first step in his comeback from a devastating crash at last June's X Games, when he went head-to-head with the likes of Tanner Foust , Samuel Hubinette and Brian Deegan during the fifth round of the Global RallyCross Championships (GRC) at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Despite blowing out a tire during the final two laps of the main event and racing against his mentor and team leader – Andreas Eriksson – Topi just missed a third place finish. Today, Topi and his team are releasing an exclusive, behind-the-scenes video documenting his comeback which can be viewed here.

"I received so much support from my sponsors, team, fans, family and friends following my crash at the X Games, that I wanted to document my comeback to share the excitement with everyone," said Heikkinen. "I had a lot of challenges to overcome, but in the end I just wanted to get back out there and prove I could compete with the best. That's what we did in Vegas, and I couldn't be any more excited to hit the track again later this month at SEMA."

Returning to the race track in his new Bluebeam sponsored Ford Fiesta, Topi showed no fear and hit the gap jump during the first lap of his qualifying heat. This made quite the statement considering he is still only able to walk with crutches, and the pedals in his new car have been modified to make it more comfortable to race on his right ankle, which was shattered just three months ago. Topi continued his aggressive driving straight through to the main event where he held the third position for the majority of the race until being slowed by a flat tire that still left him with an impressive fourth place finish.

"We weren't surprised by Topi's impressive comeback. He absolutely dominated and we're proud of what he accomplished," said Richard Lee , CEO of Bluebeam Software, sponsor for Topi's 2012 GRC debut. "We are excited to see how Topi finishes the season. It will be a nice preview of what to expect from him in the future – aggressive, no-limits racing."

Follow Topi on Facebook for the latest updates as he prepares for the final race of the GRC season, taking place during SEMA on October 30th in front of the Las Vegas Convention Center.