Day 1 – Part 1
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The opening day of racing for round three of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship resulted in Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona claiming victory in Vierumäki, Salpausselkä. The win marked the Italian’s first EnduroGP class triumph of the season, and his first with KTM.
- Salpausselkä UNESCO Global Geopark delivers exceptional day of racing
- Verona impresses for first EnduroGP win of the season
- Victory for Mersin in Putoline Youth Enduro
The GP of Finland saw the 122 competitors from 15 nations get down to business for the opening day of racing at round three of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship. Situated in the Salpausselkä UNESCO Global Geopark, the 59-kilometre course, to be ridden three times, would prove a physically demanding day as the sandy terrain became increasingly rougher with each passing lap.
After a rain-affected AKRAPOVIC Super Test, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia wasted no time in racing to the top of the leaderboard on day one by placing fastest on the opening POLISPORT Extreme Test. The Spaniard led TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Zach Pichon by 0.78 seconds, with both Sherco Racing Factory’s Steve Holcombe and Red Bull KTM Factory’s Andrea Verona just three seconds back in third and fourth, respectively.
As expected, the opening GMOTO Enduro Test shook up the classifications, with the sandy forest trails testing the riders. A win by Garcia moved him three seconds clear of Verona in second, with Pichon dropping back to third. Looking to maximise his attack on lap one of three, Garcia set another fastest time on the EXPOTRADE Cross Test to head into lap two with an 8.72 second lead over Verona.
The second GMOTO Enduro Test saw Verona begin to find his groove and fight back. Topping the special test by 0.3 seconds over Pichon, he importantly cut Garcia’s lead back to six seconds. However, Garcia responded on the penultimate EXPOTRADE Cross Test, pulling seven seconds clear of Verona as they began the final lap.
The final POLISPORT Extreme Test proved telling. Clocking the fastest time, Verona cut Garcia’s advantage to just 0.36 seconds, and then to 0.23 seconds as they exited the final GMOTO Enduro Test. With only the final EXPOTRADE Cross Test, it was all to play for.
A final strike by the Italian saw him go fastest to take his first EnduroGP victory of the season by 0.85 seconds. Unable to keep his teammate at bay, Garcia had to be content with second. Completing the top three, but 47.84 seconds behind, Pichon rounded out the podium in third. The Sherco Racing Factory pairing of Holcombe and Hamish Macdonald were fourth and fifth, respectively.
Holcombe claims top step of Enduro3 podium
The Enduro3 class saw Holcombe claim his first victory of the season since day one at round one in Italy. The Sherco rider led home NSA Racing’s Albin Norrbin in second, with Beta Factory Team’s Brad Freeman third.
Thanks to his overall EnduroGP win, Verona also won the Enduro2 category for the fourth time in 2026. Pichon finished 48 seconds behind him as runner-up, with Macdonald taking third.
Securing a commanding two-minute and two-second margin of victory, Garcia comfortably dominated the Enduro1 class. The fight for the remainder of the podium was much closer with Triumph Italia Racing’s Morgan Lesiardo edging out Sherco Racing Factory’s Antoine Magain by 3.91 seconds to claim the runner-up result.
Andrea Verona (KTM): “I’m really happy with today, my first EnduroGP victory of the season, but also my first win on KTM. It was a big fight all day long with Josep (Garcia). He was a bit faster than me during the first half of the day, but in the last half I found my pace and flow and that got me the win.
Romain Dagna (KTM): “It was a good day for me. I started fast on the first lap, but my last lap was not too good. The Extreme Test was getting difficult, lap by lap, but I’m happy to get this win and will try again for tomorrow.”
Valentin Mersin (Fantic): “The bike was perfect today. The Cross Test was so nice, it was fast and suited me. It’s a dream result for me to get this win. Thank you to my family and team for the support.”
DAY 1 – Part 2
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DAY 2 – Part 1
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DAY 2 – Part 2
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The second and final day of racing at an action-packed round three of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship saw another close battle for victory with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia topping the EnduroGP podium by one second.
- Garcia and Verona go head-to-head for EnduroGP victory
- Dominguez claims his first-ever Putoline Oil Youth Enduro win
- Exciting and close racing across all classes in Finland
The GP of Finland delivered yet another exciting day of racing for round three of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Vierumäki and the surrounding Salpausselkä UNESCO Global Geopark.
With many podium positions separated by a couple of seconds, there was also a career-first win for Team RFME’s Yago Dominguez in the Putoline Oil Youth Enduro class, while NSA Racing’s Kevin Cristino claimed his first victory of the season in the Tsubaki FIM Junior Enduro World Championship.
Day two in Finland marked another day of intense racing between the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo of Josep Garcia and Andrea Verona. With Verona taking victory on day one, Garcia was determined not to be outdone on day two.
Once again a fast-starting Garcia saw him exit the opening POLISPORT Extreme Test with a six-second lead over Beta Factory Team’s Brad Freeman and Sherco Racing Factory’s Steve Holcombe, with Verona fifth, and eight seconds adrift of his teammate.
However, unlike yesterday, the Italian was quicker to fight back. Winning the following GMOTO Enduro Test he moved up to second behind Garcia, with TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Zach Pichon jumping up to third ahead of Holcombe and Freeman.
Throughout lap two, Garcia was able to control his advantage, gaining on the POLISPORT Extreme Test and EXPOTRADE Cross Test, but losing out to Verona on the GMOTO Enduro Test. Beginning the third and final lap, the Spaniard’s advantage sat at seven seconds, but having learned from yesterday’s loss, he knew he wasn’t safe.
Arriving at the final test of the day, Garcia had held that seven-second buffer tight, knowing a final attack from Verona was to come on the EXPOTRADE Cross Test. True to form, the Italian gave it everything. But despite Verona going quickest by an impressive six seconds, Garcia held enough in hand to win by 1.31 seconds.
Behind the two KTM riders, Holcombe enjoyed a very strong day to take third overall. Holcombe had been locked in a fight for third with Pichon and Freeman. But as the day progressed, the Brit was able to keep his rhythm high to pull clear. With a much-improved ride compared to day one, Freeman could be happy with fourth, with Pichon completing the top five.
Double delight for Holcombe in Enduro3
Holcombe capped off a solid weekend in Finland by securing his second Enduro3 class victory on day two. An improved ride by Beta Factory Team’s Brad Freeman moved him up to second on day two, finishing 18 seconds behind Holcombe. NSA Racing’s Albin Norrbin joined them on the podium in third.
Despite missing out on the EnduroGP win, Verona still topped the Enduro2 class. Pichon was once again second, with Sherco Racing Factory’s Hamish Macdonald third.
Garcia raced to victory in the Enduro1 class, to make it six wins from six starts in 2026. Triumph Italia Racing’s Morgan Lesiardo beat Triumph Factory Racing’s Jeremy Sydow by 12 seconds to finish as runner-up.
Josep Garcia (KTM): “Today my goal was to start really strong, which I did. I did have a big crash in the second Enduro Test, but I’m happy because I came out ok.”
Kevin Cristino (Husqvarna): “After a tough start to the season, we were able to find the speed to win. I’m so happy with this comeback today. The hard work of the last month is paying off, and now the confidence is there for the rest of the season. Today is the comeback!”
Yago Dominguez (KTM): “It’s been an incredible day to get my first win. I managed to ride well all day and take the win. It feels incredible for me. Thank you to all my family, friends and team for support.
GP-Standings
E1-Standings
E2-Standings
E3-Standings
Junior-Standings
Youth-Standings
Source / Pictures: EnduroGP
