Heikkilä begins his 2026 season with Arctic Lapland Rally
29.01.2026 / Mikko Heikkilä Racing Communications
Mikko Heikkilä kicks off his 2026 campaign from the Finnish classic event Arctic Lapland Rally. The WRC2 driver aims to have a good outing before his WRC2 campaign begins from WRC Rally Sweden.
Finnish rally driver Mikko Heikkilä and co-driver Kristian Temonen kick off their rally season of 2026 with the traditional Arctic Lapland Rally. Heikkilä, who won the event in 2024, competes for the win in the Finnish classic while preparing for the WRC Sweden in February.
- It’s nice to compete again in the Arctic Lapland Rally, and continue from there to WRC Sweden to kick off our WRC2 campaign. The weekend’s event is a part of our preparations for Sweden, and what better way to prepare than over 200 special stage kilometres and a competitive entry list. Compared to last year, I’ll have a lot of kilometres before Sweden, which is a good thing for the whole season as well. Arctic Lapland Rally is by no means a test event – we are here to compete, Heikkilä promises.
As the most prestigious national event in Finland, Arctic Lapland Rally has a special place in Finnish motorsports. The route, spanning above the Arctic Circle, is to the Skoda driver’s liking.
- Arctic has a special place in Finland, and is recognized internationally as well. It’s a traditional event, and one of the greatest events in Finland. Last time here I won the event, so the memories are good. This year there are some completely new stages for me, but then there are the classics such as Sarriojärvi and Aittajärvi as well. They are always fantastic to drive and unlike any other stage, Heikkilä sums up.
After the Arctic Lapland Rally, Heikkilä begins his WRC2 campaign from WRC Rally Sweden with the Finnish TGS Motorsport team. TGS and Heikkilä won Arctic Lapland Rally in 2024 and competed in the WRC2 category last year. Heikkilä trusts the experience of the Finnish team also in 2026.
- We are aiming to have a good kickoff to the season here, and continue with that momentum to Sweden. The conditions are different in Sweden, as well as the tires, but we’ve already started the work with the setup of the car with the TGS team. I’m happy to continue with them, everything works with the team and we have a great team spirit.
- Alongside Sweden, we are aiming to compete at least in Portugal, Estonia, Finland, and Sardegna. We do have plans alongside those events, but we will share the news in time, Heikkilä says.
Arctic Lapland Rally is contested from 29th to 31st of January in Rovaniemi, Finland. The event consists of 12 special stages and a total of 221,85 special stage kilometres. The event is shown live via FlyingFinn.tv streaming service.
Arctic Lapland Rally itinerary
Thursday 29.1.2026
13:00 SHAKEDOWN Kursunki
19:00 CEREMONIAL START Lordi Square
Friday 30.1.2026
10:53 SS1 Aittajärvi 1 / Rautio (22,25 km)
12:06 SS2 Venni–Mäntyvaara (12,42 km)
12:21 SERVICE Mäntyvaara racetrack (60 min)
14:54 SS3 Kellolampi (9,21 km)
15:27 SS4 Siikakämä (28,63 km)
16:40 SS5 Aittajärvi 2 (22,58 km)
18:23 SS6 Mäntyvaara (3,99 km)
18:33 SERVICE Mäntyvaara (40 min)
Saturday 31.1.2026
09:13 SS7 Veittivaara (27,94 km)
10:46 SS8 Jyrhämäjärvi (22,34 km)
12:49 SS9 MurtotunturI (24,01 km)
14:07 SS10 Hanhikoski (14,87 km)
15:30 SS11 Kemijärvi (2,27 km)
15:58 SS12 Sarriojärvi (31,67) km
17:48 FINISH Koskikatu
18:18 PODIUM Lordi Square
Photo: Bence Photo
