The winter season of the Finnish Rally Championship (FRC) concludes on Saturday, with competitors fighting for points in the Savonlinna region for the first time in decades. Tuukka Kauppinen, who leads the SM1 category, heads into the event after a sensational victory in the previous round, the iconic Arctic Lapland Rally.
In Lapland, Kauppinen managed to beat Esapekka Lappi and Kalle Rovanperä, who was testing Toyota’s Rally1 car in the event. In Savonlinna, he will face another tough challenge, as Jari-Matti Latvala, the most experienced driver in WRC history, joins the competition alongside Lappi.
Toyota team principal Latvala will compete in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, just like Kauppinen. Latvala last drove the Rally2 car in last summer’s WRC Rally Finland, where he impressively finished second in the WRC2 category.
Kauppinen remains ambitious despite the formidable competition.
“It’s hard to say whether our starting position will be an advantage or a disadvantage, as we don’t yet know what the weather will be like on Saturday. But it could turn out to be good. We won’t overthink it, though—we’ll just go flat out,” he adds.
“I’ve never competed in Savonlinna before, but of course, I’m aiming for the win and hoping for a clean run,” Kauppinen states.
Representing Rautio Motorsport, Kauppinen has been busy this winter. Since the Arctic Lapland Rally just over a month ago, he has entered no fewer than four rallies: Toivakka Rally, Rally Sweden, Jyväskylä Winter Rally, and Peurunka Rally.
His Rally Sweden weekend proved challenging, despite flashes of speed. At just 18 years old, Kauppinen hopes for a much smoother run in Savonlinna.
“We plan to do one test with the Toyota before Savonlinna. I have to admit, I lost a bit of confidence in Sweden, but I’m sure it will come back after the test,” Kauppinen says optimistically.
The Savonlinna Finnish Rally Championship round on Saturday features a total of seven special stages, covering 104 kilometres.
