Disappointed by his performance in the second race at Riga last month, Joni Turpeinen is determined to make the most of the upcoming RallyX round at KymiRing—a golden opportunity to live up to his 2024 champion status in front of a home crowd.
Although he secured a strong second-place finish behind Janis Baumanis in the opening race of that weekend in Latvia, the young Finn admitted to falling short the following day, exiting in the semi-finals and settling for ninth place overall.
Now sitting fifth in the RallyX North standings, Turpeinen is ready to bounce back.
“KymiRing is a brand-new track, so naturally, it brings some completely fresh sensations for us,” said the Ford Fiesta driver.
“That said, after the issues we ran into in Riga, I believe we’ve got a solid shot here. We’ve made the right changes since then. There’s no big secret behind what went wrong in Latvia—it simply came down to a bad setup. But I’m feeling fully confident in our chances of doing something special this weekend.”
Aware of the expectations that come with racing at home, Turpeinen doesn’t shy away from the emotional weight of the event.
“Racing here, at home, definitely hits differently. There are so many familiar faces in the stands, and of course, I want to win—to show them I’m here to compete at the front. The atmosphere is great, the level of competition is high, and I’m looking forward to a tough battle with Maiko Tamm, Anton Seppa, Victor Vranckx, and the rest.”
To make a difference, though, he’ll have to conquer what promises to be a particularly challenging circuit.
“The layout is demanding: a long straight followed by some really technical corners on gravel. It won’t be an easy track to master. I just hope the surface conditions hold up through the weekend.”
And while overtaking opportunities may be few and far between, Turpeinen knows exactly what’s at stake.
“It’s a narrow track with very few real passing zones. Ideally, I want to get out front right from the first corner so I don’t have to battle through the pack. On the tarmac, there are a few different lines you can take, but it’s still unclear whether they’ll actually help gain an advantage over someone running just ahead of me.”