The event, held around Savonlinna, turned into an extreme challenge due to the conditions. Warm weather had softened the special stages, making the slushy roads difficult to navigate – even for Kauppinen.
After his sensational victory at the Arctic Rally, Kauppinen was aiming for another strong result in Savonlinna, despite facing tough competition once again. However, he showed no signs of backing down against WRC veterans Esapekka Lappi and Jari-Matti Latvala.
After the third special stage, things were looking promising for Kauppinen. A fastest stage time had lifted him to second place, right behind Lappi. But then, trouble struck for the young driver.
On stage four, Kauppinen went off the road and got stuck in a snowbank for a couple of minutes.
“The conditions weren’t easy. We found a good rhythm after the start, but we didn’t want to take unnecessary risks. The grip just varied so much.”
“In the spot where we went off, the braking grip was good, but right after that, there was loose snow on the road, and we ended up going too deep into the corner,” Kauppinen explained.
On the final stage, he went off the road again.
“I knew the last stage would be tough, so we didn’t go in at full speed anymore. Still, I made a couple of mistakes, and the second time, we got stuck in a snowbank.”
“Of course, it’s frustrating, but in terms of pace, we were once again able to challenge the front-runners, which was our goal. Luckily, the championship continues in the summer,” Kauppinen said.
After retiring from the rally, Kauppinen lost the SM1 class championship lead to Teemu Asunmaa, who now holds an 11-point advantage. Meanwhile, rally winner Lappi closed the gap to just two points behind Kauppinen.
The Finnish Rally Championship continues in May.
