Korhonen needed a solid performance in the season’s final race to confirm his first SM1 title. Driving cautiously to avoid mistakes, Korhonen finished second on the fast gravel roads of Eastern Finland.
Korhonen was not overly celebratory at the finish line of the final special stage.
“This wasn’t an easy rally. Under no circumstances could we afford to make a mistake, so I found myself easing off the throttle, especially at the beginning. This result should also secure the team championship for us, so big thanks to the team, sponsors, and Toyota for providing a great car,” said Korhonen, who drives for Rautio Motorsport.
Teemu Asunmaa, who finished third in Kitee, had to settle for silver this time. However, Asunmaa wasn’t aiming for the championship this year.
“We didn’t plan to compete in all the races this season, so considering that, the overall result is quite good,” Asunmaa summed up.
Asunmaa added that he intends to continue rallying next season.
Lauri Joona, who has spent more time in the World Rally Championship, won the final event of the season, driving his Skoda. Joona set the fastest time on nine special stages in Kitee, ultimately taking the victory by more than half a minute ahead of Korhonen.
“Today was a great day. We enjoyed every metre, had a few jumps, and there was a bit of everything along the way. This was a fantastic way to end the season,” Joona said with joy.
Jooa Iivari finished fourth in Kitee, ahead of Anssi Rytkönen. The SM2 category winner was Ville Vatanen, who impressively finished sixth overall. Vatanen, who had already secured the SM4 title earlier in the season, also moved up to third place in the final standings of the SM2 category.
Henri Hokkala had already clinched the SM2 championship earlier in the season and finished second in his class in Kitee, placing seventh overall. Ahead of him on the leaderboard was Rasmus Tuominen, who won the SM5 category and finished third in the final standings for that class. The SM5 champion for this season is Arttu Lähdeniemi.
Tuukka Kauppinen was crowned Finnish champion in the SM3 category, finishing ninth overall in Kitee. Kauppinen revealed that next year he will be moving to a four-wheel drive car, though he did not specify whether it would be a Rally2 or Rally3 car.
The 2025 Finnish Rally Championship season will kick off in Kuopio in January.
SM Rally Kitee results after SS10/10:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1. | Lauri Joona | Skoda | 49:08.5 |
| 2. | Roope Korhonen | Toyota | +31.6 |
| 3. | Teemu Asunmaa | Skoda | +40.0 |
| 4. | Jooa Iivari | Skoda | +1:32.5 |
| 5. | Anssi Rytkönen | Skoda | +2:02.9 |
| 6. | Ville Vatanen | Renault | +2:28.1 |
| 7. | Rasmus Tuominen | Mitsubishi | +2:39.4 |
| 8. | Henri Hokkala | Ford | +3:19.3 |
| 9. | Tuukka Kauppinen | Ford | +4:15.3 |
| 10. | Valentino Ledda | Renault | +4:38.8 |
