The second and final day of the GP of Finland delivered another close affair at round three of the 2026 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship, with Josep Garcia taking a hard-fought EnduroGP victory by just 1.31 seconds over teammate Andrea Verona.
Set in Vierumäki and the surrounding Salpausselkä UNESCO Global Geopark, Sunday once again produced incredibly close racing across all classes, with podium battles often decided by just seconds and breakthrough wins in both the Junior and Youth categories.
Garcia and Verona renewed their front-running duel after Verona struck first on day one, with Garcia determined to respond. The Spaniard came out firing on day two, opening with a strong ride in the POLISPORT Extreme Test to build an early six-second buffer over Bradley Freeman and Sherco Racing Factory’s Steve Holcombe, while Verona sat fifth and eight seconds adrift.
Unlike Saturday, Verona quickly fought back, winning the following GMOTO Enduro Test to move into second behind Garcia. Zach Pichon also pushed forward into third ahead of Holcombe and Freeman, tightening the fight at the front.
Through the second lap, Garcia controlled the pace, extending time in the POLISPORT Extreme Test and EXPOTRADE Cross Test, while Verona struck back in the Enduro Test to keep himself within range. Heading into the final lap, Garcia held a seven-second advantage, but with Verona closing, the pressure was firmly on.
That pressure intensified late, with Verona throwing everything at the final EXPOTRADE Cross Test and going six seconds quicker than anyone else. But Garcia held firm to secure victory by 1.31 seconds in one of the closest finishes of the season.
Behind the KTM duo, Holcombe produced a strong and consistent ride to secure third overall after an early battle with Freeman and Pichon. As the day progressed, the Brit found his rhythm to pull clear of the fight, while Freeman showed clear improvement from day one to finish fourth, with Pichon rounding out the top five.
Holcombe also doubled up in the Enduro3 class, taking the win ahead of Freeman in second and Albin Norrbin in third.
Despite missing the overall win, Verona still topped Enduro2, ahead of Pichon in second and Sherco Racing Factory’s Hamish Macdonald in third.
Garcia was untouchable in Enduro1, making it a perfect six-from-six start to his 2026 campaign, a run he described as satisfying despite a late scare after a big crash in the second Enduro Test that he was able to recover from and continue.
The Tsubaki Oil Junior Enduro World Championship saw more changes at the front, with NSA Racing’s Kevin Cristino claiming his first win of the 2026 season after a composed and aggressive ride.
Cristino’s day began in third behind TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Alberto Elgari and day one winner Romain Dagna, with just one second covering the leading trio after lap one. Triumph Factory Racing’s Leo Joyon sat fourth, while Australian Will Dennett completed the early top five.
Dennett moved forward in lap two after a strong POLISPORT Extreme Test, while Elgari briefly built a small gap at the front. But Cristino responded strongly, winning both the GMOTO Enduro Test and EXPOTRADE Cross Test to take control heading into the final lap.
From there, Cristino continued to apply pressure, again winning the POLISPORT Extreme Test and GMOTO Enduro Test before managing the final Cross Test to seal victory by 28 seconds. A strong late push from Dennett secured second place, six seconds ahead of Elgari in third, with Dagna recovering to fourth and Fantic Factory Racing’s Thibault Giraudon completing the top five.
In the Putoline Oil Youth Enduro class, Team RFME’s Yago Dominguez produced a breakthrough win after a dramatic late twist in the battle for victory.
Pietro Scardina had controlled the early running, leading by two seconds over Dominguez at the end of lap one while both riders had already stretched a 20-second gap over Valentin Mersin in third.
Scardina extended his advantage to almost 15 seconds heading into the final lap and looked set for victory, but heartbreak struck when he failed to finish the final GMOTO Enduro Test, handing the lead to Dominguez.
With a 35-second buffer heading into the final EXPOTRADE Cross Test, Dominguez kept his composure under pressure to secure his first world championship win. Mersin capitalised on the drama to finish second, while Team KTM Pro Racing Sport’s Simone Cagnoni completed the podium in third ahead of Sweden’s Wiggo Lifvendahl and Gabriele Giordano in fifth.
EnduroGP now heads to Portugal for round four of the 2026 season on June 12–14.
