Heikki Kovalainen closed out his demanding Italian rally season with key takeaways after piloting a Dunlop-shod Citroen C3 Rally2 run by Gino Motorsport. The Finnish veteran took on a fresh challenge in European rallying following his dominant JN-1 class title victory in the 2025 Japanese Rally Championship aboard a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
The Finn's primary objective in Italy involved spearheading Dunlop's European tyre development programme while simultaneously sharpening his own driving prowess across unfamiliar terrain. Although nearly all stages across the Italian championship proved new to him, he consistently challenged the series' front-running contenders.
Partnered with co-driver Patrick Ohman, he secured ninth place in the overall championship standings. He also finished a mere 2.5 points shy of second place in the Promozione class—a category specifically tailored to nurture newcomers and young drivers—highlighted by his best result of the season with a fourth-place finish at Rally del Lazio Cassino in September.
Reflecting on his progress, the former Formula 1 star noted clear improvements in his operational methods inside the rally car. "I think the pace-note system we use has improved since we started. The notes are also more detailed than before," Kovalainen said in an interview with Rally Plus. "Nowadays, we don’t need to change the notes as much between the first and second passes as we did before. I can be pleased with that, and it is an area in which we have made steady progress."
Conscious of his ongoing development, he emphasized that the intense competition in Italy served as the ideal benchmark to push his limits further. "The standard of competition in Italy is extremely high, and the local drivers provide an excellent benchmark. That was one of the reasons why I decided to go to Italy," he stated. "I don’t think I have reached my limits yet. There is still plenty of room for improvement, and I see that as a positive thing." Read our in-depth analysis for more motorsport updates.
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