The Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship prepares for round three with the GP of Finland taking place in Vierumäki, Salpausselkä, from 22-24 May.
- Vierumäki, Salpausselkä ready to welcome EnduroGP to Finland
- Racing to take place in Salpausselkä UNESCO Global Geopark
- 122 competitors from 15 nations entered for round three
After two action-packed race weekends in Italy and Spain, the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship travels to Finland for round three on 22-24 May. As a passionate enduro nation, Finland is always a much-anticipated Grand Prix on the EnduroGP schedule, with Vierumäki, Salpausselkä set to play host to the world’s best enduro riders.
A strong pre-entry list sees 122 competitors from 15 nations entered for the GP of Finland. The EnduroGP category is heavily supported for round three with 37 riders entered and 10 manufacturers represented.
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Organised by the Salpausselän Moottorikerho club, the GP of Finland will be located in the expansive Salpausselkä UNESCO Global Geopark, which promises to be a spectacular backdrop for world-class enduro racing.
From the paddock in Vierumäki, the terrain in Salpausselkä will be some of the best Finland has to offer for enduro. The region’s sandy terrain, stones and rooted forest trails will ensure a physically demanding and energy sapping race for all.
In total, a 59-kilometre long course, featuring the POLISPORT Extreme Test, GMOTO Enduro Test and EXPOTRADE Cross Test, will be completed three times each day, on Saturday and Sunday.
AKRAPOVIC Super Test set to kick off GP of Finland in style
On Friday evening, the AKRAPOVIC Super Test will get racing underway at the Vierumäki Sports Institute, from 18:30 EEST. Fastest at both the GP of Italy and the POLISPORT GP of Spain, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia will aim for his third AKRAPOVIC Super Test victory of the season this weekend.
The Spaniard has had an edge on his rivals each time out, and now leads the standings by 10 points over his teammate Andrea Verona, with TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Zach Pichon third.
Garcia looks to strengthen EnduroGP points lead at round three
In the EnduroGP standings, Josep Garcia arrives at round three holding a 11-point championship lead. The Spaniard dominated last time out at his home Grand Prix in Spain, winning both days. With a switch to sandy and stony terrain for the GP of Finland, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider will look to prove his worth and add further victories to his 2026 tally.
With four podium results from four starts, Andrea Verona is second overall in the EnduroGP category. The Italian knows he’s got some ground to make up on his teammate this weekend and will be pushing hard to do so. Victory will be firmly on the KTM rider’s mind in Vierumäki.
TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Zach Pichon lies third overall after round two. So far, it’s been a difficult start to the Frenchman’s season, nursing a hand injury in Italy and Spain. But, despite the injury, Pichon hasn’t lost too much ground to his KTM rivals and will be ready to fight for a spot on the podium in Finland.
After his day two win at the GP of Italy, a crash denied Beta Factory Team’s Brad Freeman the chance to win on day one in Spain. Nevertheless, the 10-time world champion pushed through the pain barrier to score valuable points in Oliana and stay inside the top five overall with fourth. Freeman clearly has the pace to fight for victory this season and will look to push Garcia for the win this weekend.
Sherco Racing Factory’s Steve Holcombe closes out the top five in the EnduroGP standings in what’s so far been a mixed season of results for the nine-time world champion. Holcombe has been in contention for victory numerous times, but unfortunate crashes and a mechanical issue have hampered his true potential. As a rider who tends to excel on the terrain expected in Vierumäki and Salpausselkä, he’ll be hoping to turn his fortunes around in Finland.
Holcombe’s teammates, Antoine Magain and Hamish Macdonald are sixth and seventh overall, respectively. Macdonald claimed a career-best second place last time out on day one in Spain and will be motivated to do well once again. So too will NSA Racing’s Albin Norrbin. The young Swede was also in the fight for podium results in Spain, while clinching a debut Enduro3 class victory on day two. With the Scandinavian terrain feeling extra familiar for Norrbin, expect him to challenge for a place on the podium.
Home Grand Prix for KR69 WET
For KR69 WET, the GP of Finland marks a home Grand Prix for the Finnish team. Roni Kytonen flies the flag for Finland, while his Swedish teammate, 2025 FIM Junior Enduro World Champion, Axel Semb continues to impress in his debut season in the EnduroGP class. With plenty of home support behind KR69 WET, there is added motivation to secure some surprise performances.
At the head of the Tsubaki Junior Enduro class, it’s TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Alberto Elgari who leads the way. The young Italian has impressed with his speed and consistency since stepping up to the Junior Enduro category for 2026. He currently holds a four-point championship lead over Team KTM Pro Racing Sport’s Romain Dagna, 2025 FIM Youth Enduro World Champion.
Both rookies to the class, the duo have stolen a march on their Junior Enduro rivals. Dagna, in second place, is now 21 points clear of Triumph Factory Racing’s Leo Joyon in third, and a further one point ahead of NSA Racing’s Kevin Cristino in fourth. Fantic Factory Racing’s Thibault Giraudon completes the top five.
Injury sidelines Pasquato in Putoline Oil Youth Enduro title chase
The Putoline Oil Youth Enduro category is proving super competitive with two different race winners and multiple podium finishers so far. Currently, Fantic Factory Racing’s Riccardo Pasquato holds a six-point lead over TM MOTO Costa Ligure’s Pietro Scardina in second thanks to a 2-1-2-1 scorecard.
But that looks set to change in Finland with news breaking that Pasquato will miss round three due to an arm injury. While it comes as a cruel blow to the Fantic rider’s title hopes, Scardina will be hoping to capitalise on his rival’s absence this weekend. A strong ride by the TM MOTO rider should see him take control of the championship lead at the end of round three.
Behind the top two, Team KTM Pro Racing Sport’s Simone Cagnoni holds third overall, resulting in an Italian lock-out of the top three positions. WP Eric Ague’s Yago Dominguez arrives at the GP of Finland in fourth overall following a strong showing at his home round in Spain. Gabriele Melchiorri (TM MOTO) rounds out the top five.
The Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship continues with round three in Vierumäki, Salpausselkä, Finland, from 22-24 May.
Words and Images by EnduroGP
