Turpeinen: ‘Mixed feelings’ over ‘up-and-down’ season

Joni Turpeinen fairly bolted out-of-the-blocks at the beginning of the 2026 FIA European Rallycross Championship campaign, stunning observers with his prodigious raw pace and polished racecraft. While the following rounds transpired to be somewhat tougher, the flying Finn is nevertheless justifiably ‘proud’ of what he achieved.

In his maiden full season in Euro RX1 and as the youngest driver in the high-calibre, 30-strong field, Turpeinen was a revelation in the curtain-raising contest in Rīga, where he proved to be Kristoffersson Motorsport’s closest challenger on his way to a third-place finish in the Final, holding multiple European Champion Andreas Bakkerud at bay to the chequered flag.

The 17-year-old replicated that stellar result next time out at Nyirád, this time beating the two Volkswagens to the line to become the lone competitor to reach the rostrum in each of the opening two rounds.

A potential title tilt looked to be on the cards, but the remainder of the campaign would be marred by a combination of punctures, ill-fortune and missed opportunities, with a fourth-place finish at Mondello Park – a whisker in front of SET Promotion stablemate and countryman, Juha Rytkönen – Turpeinen’s sole subsequent Final appearance.

In last month’s double-header finale at Lousada, the Kotka native exited proceedings at the Semi-Final stage on both days. After boldly standing his ground in a crowd-pleasing duel with eight-time World Champion Johan Kristoffersson in Q2, a puncture dashed his hopes of progressing any further on the Saturday, with rising engine temperatures similarly scuppering his chances on the Sunday. 

Turpeinen nonetheless concluded the campaign a superb fifth in the overall classification – the best-placed rookie and outscored only by big-hitters of the sport Kristoffersson, Rytkönen, Bakkerud and Ole Christian Veiby. It was, by any yardstick, an excellent effort.

“I have mixed feelings,” the Kotka native reflected. “The beginning of the season went really well – it was podium after podium and we had really good pace – but then we had some bad luck and it was a bit of a downward trend.

“Of course, it was disappointing not to make the Final on either day in Portugal, but the level was really high. Especially on the Sunday, I ended up in a really tough Semi-Final. There was a bit of fighting in the first corner, and I came out of it in fifth. After that, so much dirt got into the cooler that the temperatures went up and the power dropped, so that was that. 

“Still, it was great to be part of the SET Promotion team this year. All of the guys worked really hard, and we have to be proud of what we accomplished together.

“It was obviously a bit up-and-down, but when you look at who finished ahead of us [in the standings], it was a great season. Many of the other drivers have been racing in this championship for much longer than me, so of course they have a lot more experience. All I can do is keep pushing and try to put even more obstacles in their way in the future. Hopefully, we will get the opportunity to come back stronger next year...”