Last year, Kauppinen joined Rautio Motorsport, led by businessman Markku Rautio, who also became his manager. Rautio’s goal is to shape Kauppinen into the next star at the top of the rallying world.
During the Arctic Lapland Rally, Rautio revealed that a major plan has already been set for Kauppinen. The young driver has been one of the most active competitors in recent years, and his pace won’t slow down this season.
What’s different this year is the number of international events. Kauppinen will compete in the full Finnish Rally Championship, but he’ll also gain experience in the WRC, ERC, and in Italy.
Next week, Kauppinen will race in Rally Sweden in the WRC2 category with a Toyota Rally2 car. According to Rautio, his calendar will also include WRC rounds in Estonia and Finland.
In the ERC, Kauppinen is set to compete with a front-wheel-drive Lancia Rally4 car. Additionally, he will race in the Italian Rally Championship with the same brand.
Rautio’s ambitious plan is for Kauppinen to contest a full WRC2 season as early as next year. A year later, Kauppinen could already make the leap to the top class of the World Rally Championship.
An impressive start to the season
Kauppinen has made an outstanding start to the Finnish Championship season. In January’s SM Rally Kuopio, he flashed his potential by securing second place and setting his first fastest stage times in the top class.
Last weekend, he made headlines by securing a brilliant victory at the Arctic Lapland Rally.

Kauppinen got his first taste of Rally2 machinery last summer, competing in the HYAcenter Rally and Rally Finland with a Skoda Fabia. Back then, his performances were still developing, but this year he’s let the results speak for themselves.
“I’ve definitely made big steps forward. Switching to Toyota has helped a lot,” Kauppinen told RallyJournal.com.
“It’s felt great from the very first tests. I can adjust the Toyota better to suit my driving style.”
Competing in the ERC and Italian Rally Championship will provide Kauppinen with crucial experience on asphalt. He’s already proven his pace on gravel and snow, but he has little to no rally experience on tarmac.
However, he’s not a complete novice on asphalt, having started his motorsport career in karting.
“We’re now trying to learn asphalt. It’s an important part of rallying to be able to drive well on it,” Kauppinen acknowledged.

Measuring up to the best
At the Arctic Lapland Rally in Rovaniemi, Kauppinen had the chance to compare his pace against top-tier talent like Esapekka Lappi. While Lappi may have been slightly handicapped by older equipment, Kauppinen still beat the two-time WRC rally winner outright.
Next week, he’ll face new benchmarks at Rally Sweden. The toughest competition will likely come from Oliver Solberg, also driving a Toyota Rally2 car, and considered the favourite for the WRC2 victory.
“Of course, I’d like to push hard there, and we’ll probably drive as fast as we can. We’ll pick some stages to really go for the maximum. But the goal is still to reach the finish,” Kauppinen outlined.
Kauppinen hopes to secure a permanent seat in the WRC as soon as possible.
“We’ll see how this year goes. Hopefully, I’ll get to compete in more WRC events next year.”