X Games: RallyCross driver injured in crash during practice
RallyCross driver Toomas “Topi” Heikkinen broke his left ankle and suffered abdominal injuries when his car crashed into the metal jump ramp on the RallyCross course during a practice run Friday.
Heikkinen, a 21-year-old Finnish driver, came up short attempting a jump over a 50-foot gap, where he collided head-on before falling upside down into the gap.
Heikkinen is conscious and alert and is set to undergo a CT scan, according to X Games officials. He is not currently scheduled to compete in Sunday afternoon’s final event.
Following the crash, RallyCross practice was canceled as emergency crews worked to put out a fire that had started in Heikkinen’s Ford Fiesta. According to an ESPN report, the front of the vehicle caught fire after he made it out following the crash.
VIDEO: X Games Los Angeles 2012
Heikkinen was set to compete in his first X Games event this year. He had recent success racing in Europe and was the Finnish RallyCross champion in 2010.
Heikkinen’s crash is the first reported at X Games 2012.
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