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 Oil Youth Enduro

The GP of Finland saw the 122 competitors from 15 nations competing 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.

Verona and Garcia fight it out for EnduroGP honours

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 classification, 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 reduced 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 EXPOTRADE Cross Test remaining, 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.

Dagna delivers strong ride to win Tsubaki Junior Enduro

Team KTM Pro Racing Sport’s Romain Dagna claimed his second victory of the season in the Tsubaki Junior Enduro class on day one in Finland. The Frenchman hit the ground running this morning by setting the fastest time on the opening POLISPORT Extreme Test to take control of the race lead, ahead of Fantic Factory Racing’s Thibault Giraudon and TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Alberto Elgari.

With the EXPOTRADE Cross Test closing out lap one of three, Dagna continued to lead by one second over NSA Racing’s Kevin Cristino in second, with championship leader Elgari in third. By the end of lap two, Dagna had built a lead of 26 seconds and was looking strong for the day’s win.

A mistake by Elgari on the final GMOTO Enduro Test saw him slip down the leaderboard to fifth, with Cristino now in second place behind Dagna with just the final EXPOTRADE Cross Test to go. Making no major errors, Dagna controlled his advantage to win, with Cristino and Giraudon completing the podium in second and third, respectively.

A strong finish by Triumph Factory Racing’s Leo Joyon saw him take fourth, just missing out on a top three result by 0.21 seconds, while Elgari ended his day in fifth.

Day one win for Mersin in Putoline Oil Youth Enduro

Day one at the GP of Finland saw a new winner emerge in the Putoline Oil Youth Enduro class with Fantic Factory Racing’s Valentin Mersin taking victory. Despite placing second in the AKRAPOVIC Super Test, the young Frenchman exited the opening POLISPORT Extreme Test of the day in seventh overall, and 13 seconds behind early pacesetter TM MOTO Costa Ligure’s Pietro Scardina. 

Scardina led lap one, ahead of WP Eric Auge’s Yago Dominguez and Gabriele Melchiorri (TM MOTO) in second and third, respectively, with Mersin fourth. At the end of lap two, Mersin had fought his way into the lead as Scardina dropped to fourth following a crash on the POLISPORT Extreme Test.

Melchiorri briefly led at the end of the final POLISPORT Extreme Test, but Mersin fought back to put his Fantic out front and held on to win by 11 seconds. Scardina recovered to finish second, with Melchiorri impressing for third.

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.”

For complete GP of Finland results: https://www.endurogp.com/2026-results/

2026 Information
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2026 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship
Round 1: GP of Italy – Custonaci, Sicily – 10-12 April
Round 2: GP of Spain – Oliana – 1-3 May
Round 3: GP of Finland – Vierumäki, Salpausselkä – 22-24 May
Round 4: GP of Portugal – Fafe – 12-14 June
Round 5: GP of Portugal II – Fafe – 19-21 June
Round 6: GP of France – Saint-Agrève – 17-19 July
Round 7: GP of Wales – Rhayader – 7-9 August

2026 Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship
Round 1: GP of Italy – Custonaci, Sicily – 10-12 April
Round 2: GP of Spain – Oliana – 1-3 May
Round 3: GP of Portugal – Fafe – 12-14 June
Round 4: GP of Portugal II – Fafe – 19-21 June
Round 5: GP of Wales – Rhayader – 7-9 August