Tuukka Kauppinen claims his first SM1-Class stage win and second place in Kuopio
Rautio Motorsport's Tuukka Kauppinen and his co-driver Sebastian Virtanen drove their Toyota Yaris Rally2 to second place in the SM1 class at the Kuopio Finnish Rally Championship event. The duo's plan for a consistent and error-free rally was successfully executed, earning them the second-highest points in the championship standings.
18-year-old Kauppinen started the rally strongly, finishing just 2.6 seconds behind Teemu Asunmaa, who set the fastest time on the opening stage. After three forest stages in the morning loop, the crews tackled a short spectator stage near the service park at Kuopio’s trotting track before heading into the midday service. At this point, Kauppinen was in second place in the SM1 class, trailing Asunmaa by 19.4 seconds. Making his debut in the top class, Kauppinen was satisfied with his performance but admitted there was room for improvement.
– Not bad, considering I don't have that many competitive kilometers in a four-wheel drive car yet. There are still many places where I lift off too much, but my confidence is building all the time. We'll try to pick up the pace for the afternoon loop, Kauppinen planned during the service.
After the service break, the short spectator stage was repeated before moving on to the final loop of the rally. Tuukka began the afternoon in the best possible way by claiming his career-first stage win. The driver from Laukaa continued his upward trajectory on the final stages of the day and finished the rally second in the SM1 class, 6.8 seconds behind winner Teemu Asunmaa. Kauppinen, who set three fastest times in his debut rally, was pleased with his performance.
– I’m feeling really good. The roads were super fast, and we achieved the upward trajectory we were aiming for. We managed to pick up the pace at the end, and now we can shift our focus to Rovaniemi. The goal there is to fight for the win. Big thanks to the team and all our partners, Kauppinen concluded.
The Finnish Rally Championship continues next in Rovaniemi on January 30–February 1.
Photo: Merita Mäkinen