By Open Supersport/Superstock 600 Race 1:
All-time great Supersport race duel is a pertinent way to describe the Open SSP/Superstock 600 contest opener.
Endless leadership changes, striking manoeuvres, hard-fought, clean racing, it had it all.
Ultimately, ending in first place, taking his first Imatranajo victory was pole-sitter, Team Schleizer Dreieck’s Gary Johnson, despite been only fourth in terms of quickest lap times achieved.
Kallio Racing’s Rasmus Nurmi took second just 0.048 in arrears to Johnson with Niko Tanskanen, Juho Kantola respectively only 0.155, 0.209 further adrift.
Race Result:
1st – Gary Johnson
2nd – Rasmus Nurmi
3rd – Niko Tanskanen
4th – Juho Kantola
5th – Juho Mahonen
6th – Erno Kivimaki
7th – Sebastian Frotscher
8th – Mikko Uski
9th – Ari-Petteri Kuivalainen
10th – Ville Kultti
11th – Topi Mustonen
12th – Mike Mace
13th – Markus Karlsson
14th – Rushab Shah
15th – Brian Fuidge
Classic Superbike/Retro Superbike Race 1:
Seasoned Finnish road racer Anssi Koski led home an all Finland 1-2-3 in the weekend’s opening Classic Superbike/Retro Superbike race burst.
Aprilia apparated Koski, final race winning gap to P2 finisher Ari-Petteri Kuivalainen, neared 5.2 seconds.
Sami Siimesto wrapped up the rostrum members with Juha Pesonen, Aku Korhonen the only other racers to complete the six-lap race distance.
Race Result:
1st – Anssi Koski
2nd – Ari-Petteri-Kuivalainen
3rd – Sami Siimesto
4th – Juha Pesonen
5th – Aku Korhonen
Open Superbike Race 1:
Making good on impressive qualifying pace, Velt Motocenter Aprilia Estonia Team’s Eemeli Lahti, stormed to Open Superbike Race 1 victory.
Lahti, fresh from breaking the Bikernieki lap-record, was a comprehensive 7.852 clear of top pursuer, RVS Motorsport’s Niko Lehtiranta.
Kenny Koskinen joined Lahti, Lehtiranta on the rostrum whilst top non-Finnish rider in fourth was former IRRC Superbike Champion Lukas Maurer.
Race Result:
1st – Eemeli Lahti
2nd – Niko Lehtiranta
3rd – Kenny Koskinen
4th – Lukas Maurer
5th – Ville Valtonen
6th – Anssi Koski
7th – Rasmus Lindstrom
8th – Pekka Pouhakka
9th – Roope Ollonqvist
10th – Janus Saarmaa
11th – Lasse Karki
12th – Olivier Lupberger
13th – Jakub Sprojcar
14th – Heikki Mannila
15th – Jesse Riihonen
16th – Emil Krchnavy
17th – Sander Telve
ICGP Race 1:
Expected post qualifying, today’s sole ICGP (International Classic Grand Prix) race was the Topi Mustonen show.
Mustonen piloting Honda tackle topped an all-Finnish top three leaderboard (Ilari Nieminen P2, Reino Ijas P3), winning by nigh on 23.86 seconds (23.859 to be exact).
Race Result:
1st – Topi Mustonen
2nd – Ilari Nieminen
3rd – Reino Ijas
4th – Matthias Bormann
5th – Stefan Tennstadt
6th – Richard Peers-Jones
7th – Jens Kohler
8th – Gunter Hinze
9th – Markku Taurama
10th – Pasi Huomanen
11th – Juha Kaljunen
12th – Vesa Kaartinen
ESR Supersport Race 1:
Not as drama filled as the prior middleweight category encounter, the ESR Osmo’s Cosmos Supersport race curtain raiser, still oozed quality.
The UK national anthem serenaded the crowd again at Imatranajo, as Gary Johnson made it back-to-back triumphs.
Johnson lapping sub 1 minute 56.2 seconds, finished the eight-lap contest 4.3 seconds plus in front of Ducati vaulted Juho Kantola.
Rasmus Nurmi gained third, 13.104 adrift of six-plate carrier Kantola.
Race Result:
1st – Gary Johnson
2nd – Juho Kantola
3rd – Rasmus Nurmi
4th – Juho-Oskari Mahonen
5th – Mikko Uski
6th – Erno Kivimaki
7th – Sebastian Frotscher
8th – Ari-Petteri Kuivalainen
9th – Ville Eemil Kultti
10th – Mike Mace
11th – Osvaldas Lazdauskas
12th – Topi Mustonen
13th – Sami Siimesto
14th – Brian Fuidge
Sidecars Race 1:
New to Imatranajo, 2025 World Sidecar Champions, the Christie brothers from Beverley, Sam Christie/Tom Christie caused something of an upset this afternoon, beating Finnish racing royalty Pekka Paivarinta/Adam Christie to first.
A ding-dong battle amongst the three wheeling giants, finalised with the Christies, getting the verdict by 0.087 of a second!
On route to a momentous first win at Nordic nations top pure road race, they set a new Sidecars lap-record of 2 minutes 04.895 seconds.
Race Result:
1st – Sam Christie/Tom Christie
2nd – Pekka Paivarinta/Adam Christie
3rd – Jaanus Saarmaa/Sander Telve
4th – Bennie Streuer/Manon Vissenberg
5th – Jari Vainionkukka/Iina Musakka
ESR Superbike Race 1:
The inaugural ESR (European Series Road Racing) Superbike race at Imatranajo, saw Eemeli Lahti prove again why he is the 1000cc force to beat this weekend.
Lahti not a million miles away from Erno Kostamo’s outright lap-record, winning gap to P2-clincher Niko Lehtiranta, dipped past the seconds’ mark.
Switzerland’s top international road racer, Lukas Maurer banked third, Kenny Koskinen, Ville Valtonen were fourth, fifth with sixth placed Fedrik Matthys, top full-time ESR competitor.
Race Result:
1st – Eemeli Lahti
2nd – Niko Lehtiranta
3rd – Lukas Maurer
4th – Kenny Koskinen
5th – Ville Valtonen
6th – Fedrik Matthys
7th – Laurent Hoffmann
8th – Anssi Koski
9th – Pekka Pouhakka
10th – Roope Ollonqvist
11th – Jakub Sprojcar
12th – Lasse Karki
13th – Heikki Mannila
14th – Emil Krchnavy
15th – Olivier Lupberger
16th – Jesse Riihonen
17th – Jean-Pierre Polet
Photo credit: Jan Vavra
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
