At the EnduroGP of Finland, Thibault Giraudon secured a third-place finish in the Junior class aboard the Fantic XE 300. With Riccardo Pasquato sidelined due to injury, Team Specia rider Valentin Mersin impressed in the Youth category, taking his maiden GP victory and a second-place finish on the Fantic XE 125.
The 2026 FIM EnduroGP World Championship season reached its third round in Finland from 22–24 May. After the opening races in Italy and Spain, teams and riders faced one of the most anticipated events on the calendar, hosted in Vierumäki by the Salpausselän Moottorikerho club.
The Finnish terrain made the race particularly demanding, with soft sand, rocks, roots and long forest sections challenging the riders throughout the 59-kilometre course. The schedule featured three special tests to be tackled three times per day across Saturday and Sunday, combining technical, fast and highly physical sections.
Fast and consistent from the very beginning, Fantic Factory Racing Enduro’s Thibault Giraudon secured third place in both the Junior overall and Junior 2 classes on Saturday. Riding the Fantic XE 300 with Minarelli engine, the talented Frenchman also fought for the podium on day 2, eventually finishing fourth in J2 and fifth in Junior overall.
While Riccardo Pasquato was forced to withdraw from the EnduroGP of Finland due to an arm injury sustained during training, Valentin Mersin stepped up in the Youth class. The Team Specia rider claimed an impressive victory on the opening day before securing second place on Sunday aboard the Fantic XE 125.
Despite missing two race days, Pasquato remains firmly in contention for the top positions in the championship. He now sits fifth in the overall standings, just 14 points away from the lead and right behind fourth-placed Mersin.
In the provisional E3 standings, Théo Espinasse currently holds fifth position despite a more challenging Finnish outing for the French rider aboard the Fantic XE 300. Nevertheless, he still collected valuable championship points thanks to sixth- and eighth-place class finishes.
With the Finnish round completed, attention now turns to Portugal, where Fafe will host rounds four and five of the EnduroGP season in June.
Thibault Giraudon:
“Another positive race weekend for me. On Saturday I achieved a great result by finishing third in both the Junior and Junior 2 classes. The goal was to repeat the podium on Sunday, and we came very close, narrowly missing out on the J2 podium. We confirmed that we are heading in the right direction, and now we need to keep pushing like this. Thanks to the whole team for the great support.”
Théo Espinasse:
“It was a pretty challenging weekend here in Finland. I made a few too many mistakes and wasn’t able to perform at my best. We will keep working ahead of the double round in Portugal, where we aim to get back to fighting at the front.”
