EnduroGP World Championship leader Josep Garcia wins day two of the GP of Finland by just 1.31 seconds ahead of Andrea Verona as the pair share the overall victories in Vierumäki. Steve Holcombe returns to the overall podium and wins E3, Kevin Cristino takes Junior honours and Yago Domínguez claims a first Youth world championship victory.

The second day of racing at the GP of Finland, round three of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship, got underway in Vierumäki with the special tests in a very different condition to Saturday.

The soft Finnish terrain had taken a beating after the opening day, with the special tests becoming rougher, looser and more unpredictable as roots and stones began to appear through the surface. In those conditions, Josep Garcia was determined not to let another win slip away.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider had been left frustrated on day one after leading for much of the race before Andrea Verona stole the victory at the very last moment by just eight tenths of a second.

“When you lose by so little, it hurts,” admitted Garcia, who knew exactly what he had to do on Sunday: attack from the start.

And that is exactly what he did. Garcia set the fastest time in the first and third tests of the opening lap, while Verona responded by winning the second. From very early on, it was clear the fight for victory would once again be between the two KTM riders. By the end of lap one, they had already pulled clear at the head of the classification, separated by almost 10 seconds, with Steve Holcombe half a minute behind.

Garcia again looked particularly strong in the Extreme Test, a special where he had been one of the benchmark riders all weekend. But Verona was not going away. The Italian claimed the Enduro Test and Cross Test on the second lap to reduce the gap, leaving Garcia with only seven seconds in hand before the final lap.

Behind them, Holcombe, Zach Pichon and Brad Freeman were locked in their own fight for the final step of the podium, already more than 30 seconds adrift of the leaders.

The final lap delivered another tense finish. Verona won the Extreme Test, Pichon topped the Enduro Test, and Garcia arrived at the last Cross Test knowing he had only a slim advantage to defend against the rider who had beaten him the day before.

Verona gave everything and was again faster in the final test, taking six seconds out of Garcia. This time, however, it was not enough.

Garcia crossed the line with 1.31 seconds to spare, taking a narrow but valuable victory. It was made even more impressive by the way it came.

“Today the goal was to start at 100 per cent, full gas, and that’s what we did,” said Garcia. “I would say it was even a better day than yesterday in terms of riding, because despite having three crashes, one of them quite a big one, we managed to win both EnduroGP and Enduro1. Incredible.”

The win was Garcia’s fourth overall victory of the season and leaves the Finland weekend perfectly balanced, with one win each for Garcia and Verona in Vierumäki. More importantly, the Spaniard leaves round three still leading the EnduroGP standings, 11 points ahead of Verona, while also extending his advantage in E1.

“We leave here leading EnduroGP and Enduro1, so we are super happy,” added the KTM rider. “Now, on to Portugal.”

Verona, meanwhile, came within touching distance of repeating his Saturday success. The Italian admitted he was just short of completing the overall double, but remained pleased with his speed and feeling on the bike.

“Today we came up a little short, only one second from the win, but I rode well and felt comfortable on the bike,” said Verona, who once again built his race as the day went on and reached the final test with a real shot at victory.

Steve Holcombe completed the overall podium after a solid performance on the Sherco. The British rider finished third, 38 seconds behind Garcia, ahead of Brad Freeman and Zach Pichon, who completed the top five.

Triumph Racing riders Morgan Lesiardo and Jeremy Sydow followed in sixth and seventh, ahead of Sweden’s Albin Norrbin. Sherco Factory Racing riders Hamish Macdonald, Julien Roussaly and Antoine Magain completed positions ninth to 11th.

E1: Garcia keeps his perfect run alive

Garcia’s overall victory also translated into another dominant result in E1, where the Spaniard continues to control the class.

The KTM rider claimed his sixth consecutive E1 victory of the season. Triumph Racing’s Morgan Lesiardo and Jeremy Sydow joined him on the podium, confirming another strong day for the British manufacturer in Vierumäki.

E2: Verona strengthens his lead

Although he narrowly missed out on the overall win, Andrea Verona again made the most of his pace and consistency to strengthen his lead in E2.

Second overall was enough for the Italian to take another class victory, his fifth of the season. Verona finished ahead of Zach Pichon, second once again, and Hamish Macdonald in third.

After winning the overall on Saturday, Verona again showed his ability to build through the day. He did not start at Garcia’s pace, but gradually recovered time and reached the final Cross Test with a chance of taking back-to-back victories.

E3: Holcombe cuts into Freeman’s lead

E3 again delivered a heavyweight battle between Sherco, Beta and Husqvarna, with Steve Holcombe coming out on top.

The British rider took the class win ahead of Brad Freeman and Albin Norrbin, a result that allows him to take three points out of Freeman’s provisional championship lead.

Holcombe was positive about his weekend in Finland, especially after a Saturday affected by a crash in the opening Enduro Test, where he hurt his shoulder and thumb. On Sunday, with better feeling, he made some bike changes after the first lap and improved his rhythm, particularly in the Enduro Test, although he admitted the Extreme and Cross tests were the areas where he struggled most.

Junior: Cristino wins on an unpredictable day

The Junior category once again delivered one of those open, unpredictable races that have become a regular feature this season, with several unexpected names fighting at the front.

Italy’s Kevin Cristino gave the NSA Racing Team its first victory of the year, while Australia’s William Dennett impressed by taking second place on the Triumph. Alberto Elgari completed the overall podium for TM Moto, finishing ahead of France’s Leo Joyon and championship leader Romain Dagna, who had to settle for fifth on the Farioli KTM.

In Junior 1, Elgari took the win ahead of Joyon and Clement Clauzier. In Junior 2, Cristino topped the podium, with Dennett second and Dagna third.

Youth: Yago Domínguez takes first world championship win

One of the standout stories of the day came in Youth, where Yago Domínguez delivered a strong ride to claim his first World Championship victory.

The RFME rider, racing under the guidance of Spanish team manager Jaume Betriu, beat Saturday winner Valentin Mersin to take the top step of the podium.

“There is no better feeling than winning your first race in the World Championship,” said Domínguez, who had already shown strong pace on Saturday before losing a podium chance on the final lap after a few mistakes and a crash.

This time, the Spaniard finished the job. After battling throughout the day with Scardina and Mersin, Domínguez closed out the win, with Italy’s Simone Caglioni completing the podium.

Open: Galera, Bernini and Puotsaari repeat

The Open categories followed much of the same script as day one, with several riders repeating their victories in Finland.

In Open 2T, Jordi Galera took another win ahead of Germany’s Robert Friedrich and Finland’s Riku-Robin Ratinen. In Open 4T, Lorenzo Bernini also repeated victory, followed by Sweden’s Anton Lindgarde and Robin Wiss.

Finally, in Open Senior, the all-Finnish podium from Saturday was repeated, with Juha Puotsaari taking the win ahead of Janne Mukkala and Arto Kallionen.

GP of Finland 2026 – EnduroGP day 2 scratch results

E1– Day 2

E2 – Day 2

E3 – Day 2

Junior Scratch – Day 2

Youth 125 – Day 2

Credit photos: Future7Media | Andrea Belluschi + Mastorgne