The second round of the 2025 Finnish Rally Championship thundered into action at the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi over the weekend. The Arctic Lapland Rally, staged for the 60th consecutive time, once again offered unforgettable moments and the celebrated magic of the Tunturi. The rally’s history books were also rewritten, as the mythical reindeer antlers went to the youngest-ever victor in the event’s illustrious history.
In the SM1 class, the fight for victory remained intense right up until Special Stage 10 on Saturday. Eighteen-year-old Tuukka Kauppinen led the way in his Toyota GR Yaris, with Esapekka Lappi in hot pursuit just four seconds adrift in a Škoda Fabia. The rest of the field had already fallen behind. However, the battle took a dramatic turn on the Sarriojärvi stage when Lappi slid straight into a snowbank early on.
“We went straight off in a braking zone for a junction right at the start of the stage. I braked far too late, and the tyres didn’t grip at all. The front end got clogged with snow, which cost us a lot of time, but we still made it through,” Lappi explained at the stage finish.
That incident allowed Kauppinen to calm his pace and focus on a measured run to the finish. Lappi ultimately reached the finish 38 seconds in arrears. Third place in the class went to Kauppinen’s team-mate Roope Korhonen, also in a Toyota Yaris, who ended the rally over a minute behind the winner.
“The final stage was pretty tough. We tried to drive carefully and keep it clean, and that worked out well. We just concentrate on our own job, and the team is working brilliantly. We’re aiming for the very top, and this is a very good start,” Kauppinen reflected calmly.
“We achieved our main objective, we had a lot of fun, and there was plenty of laughter. All right, so we didn’t manage to win. Tuukka drove a magnificent weekend and I’m extremely proud of him. This will surely give him the boost he deserves—it’s a fantastic story all round,” Lappi added with a smile.
Kauppinen ultimately finished ahead of Kalle Rovanperä in the overall classification. Rovanperä was competing in a Toyota Rally1 car and using the weekend to test the World Rally Championship’s new tyres for the first time.
“It was a good and important weekend for us. Unfortunately, there was so much snowfall on the final stage that our tyres were of no use. I had to drive incredibly slowly and still had constant moments. Studded tyres have so little contact patch on fresh snow that it feels like driving on summer tyres once they ride up onto the snow. Until that final stage, though, we’d had a really positive weekend,” Rovanperä commented.
It is worth noting that while Kauppinen is now officially the youngest SM1-class winner in Tunturiralli history, Kalle Rovanperä remains the youngest SM1-class event winner overall, having triumphed in the 2017 Mikkeli SM Rally at the age of just 16.
SM2: An International Duel Won by Estonia
Heading into the SM2 class, Patrick Enok was widely considered the dark horse. Although the young Estonian is known for his speed, he had only two Estonian Championship winter rallies’ worth of four-wheel-drive experience prior to arriving at the Tunturi.
Despite that, Enok seized control of the class early on Friday and never relinquished his lead. On the Kemijärvi stages, he had to give up a little ground, but still reached the finish with a 6.4-second advantage over runner-up Ville Vatanen. Vatanen was followed by Pekka Keski-Korsu in third, some two minutes further back from Enok’s winning time.
SM3: High Attrition and Korhonen on Top
Ten crews began the arctic adventure in the SM3 class, but only four saw the finish ramp in Rovaniemi’s Lordi Square. Amidst a wave of technical issues, Joni Korhonen took the victory, with Vili Hakala finishing a distant second, some nine minutes adrift. Niko Kalmi claimed third, over 13 minutes behind the winner.
This season, the SM2 and SM3 classes are also competing for the coveted Flying Finn Future Star title. The drivers in contention are Toni Herranen (SM2), Aatu Hakalehto (SM3), Verneri Aallontie (SM3), Niko Kalmi (SM3), and Raoul Dahlqvist (SM3).
Of the FFFS contenders, Herranen finished 12th in SM2, with Kalmi and Hakalehto placing third and fourth in SM3, respectively. Verneri Aallontie was forced to retire with a gearbox failure at the end of the fifth stage, while Raoul Dahlqvist did not enter the rally.
Halonen Heals Wounds with Class Victory – Vuokila Takes Another Tunturi Triumph in SM5
Fifteen-year-old Lauri Halonen found exactly what he was looking for in Rovaniemi. Having been forced to retire from the lead in Kuopio due to technical problems, this talented youngster delivered a composed drive—barring a couple of close shaves—and crossed the finish line a minute clear of the field for a well-earned class win. Tomi Tikkinen claimed second, with Roope Hirvonen in third.
Meanwhile, the SM5 class saw a fierce duel between Miikka Vuokila and Jarno Pentinpuro. Vuokila began the final stage with a 9.1-second lead and quickly extended it, ultimately celebrating the second SM5 class victory of his career. Pentinpuro had to settle for the runner-up spot at the end of an absorbing contest.
Photos: Taneli Niinimäki / AKK
Results
SM1
- Tuukka Kauppinen 1:52:16,4
- Esapekka Lappi +38,1
- Roope Korhonen +1:11,0
- Teemu Asunmaa +1:37,9
- Niclas Grönholm +3:59,4
SM2
- Patrick Enok 1:57:50,6
- Ville Vatanen +6,4
- Pekka Keski-Korsu +2:15,7
- Takumi Matsushita +4:04,2
- Shotaro Goto +5:23,3
SM3
- Joni Korhonen 2:07:33,7
- Vili Hakala +9:46,6
- Niko Kalmi +13:22,0
- Aatu Hakalehto +18:25,6
SM4
- Lauri Halonen 2:13:15,3
- Tomi Tikkinen + 59,7
- Roope Hirvonen +2:46,4
- Jose Kangas + 4:32,9
- Miska Tuomisto +6:01,1
SM5
- Miikka Vuokila 2:04:43,5
- Jarno Pentinpuro +55,6
- Risto Lokka +3:55,4
- Jukka Ikonen +5:06,0
- Juha Karilainen +9:30,7