Karting ja Crosskart

2021

Kauppinen first entered the world of motorsports on karting tracks. A calm driving style and strong ability to concentrate brought him impressive speed. Through karting, Tuukka achieved many victories and championship medals. In 2018, Kauppinen won the Raket Junior regional championship, the federation championship, and the Champions' Race. During the 2019 season, his achievements included a bronze medal in the Karting Raket SM series.

In 2020, Kauppinen claimed victory in the Crosskart Xtrem Junior Winter Championship, as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented racing during the summer season.

Tuukka entered rally racing for the first time in 2021. His goals were to compete in the Rallisprint and Rally Finnish Championship series. The season proved highly educational in many ways, and Kauppinen developed significantly throughout the year. As a reward for his perseverance, he won the Finnish Junior Championship in Rallisprint and the Finnish Junior Rally Championship. Tuukka is the youngest Finnish rally champion in history, having secured the title at just 14 years of age.

2022

Kauppinen competed in the Finnish Rally Championship in the SM5 class. The season was inconsistent, but it included many great successes. Kauppinen finished the season by securing the bronze medal in the Rally SM5 class.

2023

Next came the Rally SM4 class and the F-Cup rally series. The pace was intense throughout the year, although the season also included some setbacks. The enormous workload and continuous development were rewarded at the end of the season with the Finnish Championship title in the SM4 class, along with prestigious honors: the Young Champion Award and the Hannu Mikkola Trophy. Kauppinen also drove at a blistering pace in the F-Cup series, but technical issues dropped Tuukka out of the title fight, resulting in a fourth-place finish in the overall standings. One of the highlights of the 2023 season was undoubtedly second place in the Vetomies competition, held in conjunction with the FIA World Rally Championship event in Finland, Secto Rally Finland.

2024

A year of change. The goal for the season was quite simple: to win the Finnish Championship in the SM3 class. Before summer, Kauppinen was also able to add a team championship to his list of goals after joining the Rautio Motorsport team. Overall, the season was extremely eventful, with more setbacks than in all previous years combined. Fortunately, Kauppinen received support from partners, relatives, and Rautio Motorsport, which ultimately made an outstanding season possible. The intense season concluded with a great rally in Kitee, where Kauppinen secured his third Finnish Championship title as well as the team championship.

Although the third Finnish Championship was one of the highlights of the season, another major milestone was Kauppinen's first World Rally Championship event. Through cooperation with Škoda Finland, Tuukka had the opportunity to compete in the Secto Rally Finland. The rally was an excellent chance to gain valuable experience in the world of WRC. He competed in a stunning Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 car in the highly competitive WRC2 class. Beyond the unforgettable experience itself, one standout moment was Kauppinen setting the third-fastest time in the shakedown.

2025

It could be described as an extremely fast-paced year. Three full rally championships and a few additional events. In the Finnish Championship series, we competed with the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, with the goal of gaining experience in a four-wheel-drive car and chasing a fourth Finnish Championship title. The series started strongly with top results, and the victory at the Arctic Lapland Rally in particular remained in many people's minds. The Finnish Championship title is still a dream for the future, but we secured the silver medal.

In the European Championship, the car of choice was a Lancia Rally4. The diverse roads across Europe presented challenging conditions and provided valuable international experience. Third place in the Polish round stood out as the highlight of the series.

Asphalt experience was pursued in the Italian Championship with the same Lancia rally car. The demands of asphalt came as a surprise at first, but over the course of the season we developed significantly and began to challenge for top times.

Overall, the season was very diverse and busy. We gained a great deal of international experience, while in Finland we were able to build valuable four-wheel-drive experience. In the autumn, I began my compulsory military service at the Hamina Sports School.