Matsushita claimed victory in the SM2 class after a strong day of driving. However, luck played a role in his win, as Ville Vatanen was on course for the class victory after a nearly flawless day until fate intervened.
Vatanen, who had led the class all day, was forced to retire on the final stage due to a technical issue when his Renault began leaking coolant.
Matsushita’s victory is the first of its kind for drivers from Toyota’s WRC team’s Challenge Program, which has seen several participants compete in Finnish Rally Championship events over the years. The programme’s most notable graduate to date is Takamoto Katsuta, now competing in Toyota’s WRC team.
Matsushita joined Toyota’s Challenge Program at the beginning of 2024. Last season, he competed in three Finnish Championship rallies with a Renault Clio Rally3, achieving his best result of fifth place in the SM2 category at the Lahti Rally. He also reached the podium at the HYACenter Rally.
Now, Matsushita has secured his first win, bringing a big smile to his face.
“Did I really win? Thank you so much for the congratulations. I’m very happy to hear this. I felt good in the car from the morning. I just enjoyed the rally, and the result came,” Matsushita said enthusiastically in an interview with FlyingFinn.tv.
“A huge thank you to everyone supporting me, and thank you also to my co-driver Pekka (Kelander).”
This season, Matsushita’s rally schedule will expand. In addition to the Finnish Rally Championship, he will also compete in international rallies. His first major challenge will be Rally Sweden in February.
Another Toyota Challenge Program driver, Shotaro Goto, also competed in Kuopio but was forced to retire due to a technical issue.
Henri Altomaa finished second, just 7.5 seconds behind Matsushita, while Pekka Keski-Korsu secured third place in the SM2 class.
The Finnish Rally Championship continues at the end of January with the traditional Arctic Lapland Rally.
Kuopio Rally, SM2 class final results:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1. | Takumi Matsushita | Renault | 50:28.0 |
| 2. | Henri Altomaa | Renault | +7.5 |
| 3. | Pekka Keski-Korsu | Renault | +12.8 |
| 4. | Eamonn Kelly | Ford | +13.9 |
| 5. | Ossi Pohjanharju | Renault | +59.0 |
| 6. | Kristian Nieminen | Ford | +2:44.9 |
| 7. | Mikko Nevalainen | Renault | +3:34.3 |
