{"id":24810,"date":"2014-06-03T18:05:23","date_gmt":"2014-06-03T16:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enduro.nl\/?p=24810"},"modified":"2014-06-03T18:05:23","modified_gmt":"2014-06-03T16:05:23","slug":"preview-grand-prix-of-finland-heinola","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enduro.nl\/wordpress-enduronlnewsite\/24810\/preview-grand-prix-of-finland-heinola\/","title":{"rendered":"Preview Grand Prix of Finland \u2013 Heinola"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In the country of legends… <\/strong>Only a month after the\u00a0Grand Prix\u00a0Maxxis\u00a0of Greece<\/strong>, the\u00a0Maxxis FIM Enduro World Championship<\/strong> heads to Finland, more precisely to\u00a0Heinola <\/strong>for the fourth round of the season and the first race of the two-event Scandinavian tour.<\/p>\n

Two years later!<\/strong><\/p>\n

After\u00a0Heinola <\/strong>in 2012 and the ISDE in 2011, Finland returns to the EWC series where\u00a0Suomen Moottoriliitto ry (SML)<\/strong> has decided, with the approval of the\u00a0Federation International of Motorcycling (FIM)<\/strong>, to give the honor of hosting this event to\u00a0Heinolan Moottorikerho ry,<\/strong> two years after its second organisation on the EWC. Indeed, this Moto Club, chaired by\u00a0Henri SAARI<\/strong>, organised already rounds in\u00a0Heinola <\/strong>in 2005 and 2012. This club is very experienced as it is also the origin of multiple rounds of Motocross World Championship (1992, 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2008).<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Heinola Moottorikerho ry <\/strong>drew a 50 km track that racers will tackle four times during the two days of racing with two time controls. The paddock is situated next to the city center of\u00a0Heinola<\/strong>. The\u00a0Xtreme Test<\/strong> and the\u00a0KTM Super Test<\/strong> on Friday evening will be held at\u00a0Motocross Stadium<\/strong> while the\u00a0Enduro Test <\/strong>will take place in the forest next to this Stadium. The\u00a0Cross Test <\/strong>(6 minutes minimum) will be located inLusiin<\/strong>. Note that the terrain is, of course, very sandy.<\/p>\n

Heinola<\/strong>, which was founded in 1776, is located in the region of\u00a0P\u00e4ij\u00e4t-H\u00e4me<\/strong>. The city covers an area of 835.9 kms2 with 20,735 inhabitants, is situated on a moraine between the lakesRuotsalainen <\/strong>and\u00a0Konnivesi <\/strong>and near the starting point of the river\u00a0Kymijoki<\/strong>. The town is surrounded by many municipalities, it is also the border with\u00a0Kymenlaakso <\/strong>and\u00a0South Savoni<\/strong>.Heinola <\/strong>is internationally known for being the host city of the World Championships of sauna resistance which takes place every summer since 1998! This city of the Southern-center of Finland is located 140 kilometers north of the capital,\u00a0Helsinki<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Can REMES win again?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In\u00a0Enduro 1<\/strong>, although\u00a0Christophe NAMBOTIN (FRA – KTM) <\/strong>is 29 points ahead and dominates the category, there has been a rider that has stood in front of him. It is the local star\u00a0Eero REMES (SF – TM)<\/strong>. He remains so far the only rider to have stolen a win from the Frenchman this season and arrives at his home race in high spirits. In addition to the TM rider,\u00a0Jeremy TARROUX (F – Sherco)<\/strong>and\u00a0Anthony BOISSIERE (F – Sherco)<\/strong> show that they are closer to the podium but they need to be more consistent if they really want to be a serious candidate to the first three places. Fourth man to “hunt”\u00a0NAMBOTIN<\/strong>,Cristobal GUERRERO (ESP – KTM)<\/strong> has to get back to his best. Enduring a mixed start to the series, the rider many had as the most serious rival to double E3 ChampionNambotin <\/strong>will be gunning for glory in\u00a0Heinola<\/strong>. For his part, the Catalan\u00a0Jaume BETRIU (HVA) <\/strong>, very consistent since the beginning of the season, will try to get closer to the Top 5 but he will have to face the attacks of\u00a0Thomas OLDRATI (I – HVA)<\/strong>,\u00a0Maurizio MICHELUZ (I – Suzuki)<\/strong>,\u00a0Rudi MORONI (I – KTM) <\/strong>and\u00a0Kevin Rohmer (F – Yam)<\/strong>…<\/p>\n

Is\u00a0Alex SALVINI (I – Honda) <\/strong>sufficiently recovered from his collarbone injury? Will\u00a0Johnny AUBERT (F – Beta) <\/strong>manage to win a first day? Can\u00a0Pierre-Alexandre RENET (FRA – HVA)<\/strong> reduce the gap with\u00a0Antoine MEO (FRA – KTM)<\/strong>? Many questions about the exciting\u00a0E2 <\/strong>class should be answered in Finland. The KTM rider is still leading by eight points, ahead of the official HVA rider\u00a0Renet <\/strong>and seeks to make the break in the Special tests of\u00a0Heinola<\/strong>, where he has been crowned champion in 2012. Despite very slim title hopes,\u00a0Alex SALVINI <\/strong>will give his all, if he is not too hampered by his shoulder, to prove to the three French riders that he can win days. Behind the quartet, another fight will settle between the three Spaniards\u00a0Lorenzo SANTOLINO (Sherco)<\/strong>,\u00a0Oriol MENA (Beta) <\/strong>and\u00a0Jonathan BARRAGAN (HVA)<\/strong> for the final spot in the Top 5.<\/p>\n

Will CERVANTES and SALVINI be sufficiently recovered?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Victim of a big ankle injury in the final lap of the second day in Greece, it\u2019s\u00a0Ivan CERVANTES (ESP – KTM)<\/strong> just operated two weeks ago that we will see in Finland. Even if he is 18 points behind his teammate,\u00a0Matthew Phillips (AUS)<\/strong> continues his rise and seems more able to compete with the Spanish. This will require a very strong mentally and physically “Torito<\/strong>” to face the onslaught of World Junior Champion in 2013. But\u00a0CERVANTES <\/strong>will also have to keep an eye on\u00a0Mathias BELLINO (FRA \u2013 HVA)<\/strong>, currently third in the standings and keeps improving at each Grand Prix,Matti SEISTOLA (SF – Sherco)<\/strong>,at home, who\u2019s getting closer to the victory, and\u00a0Luis CORREIA (P – Beta)<\/strong> who is still looking for his first podium in 2014. On his side,\u00a0Jeremy JOLY (FRA – KTM)<\/strong> will be hard to deal with\u00a0Aigar LEOK (EST – TM)<\/strong>, whose \u201cwake up\u201d is expected, to keep his 6th place. Mean while\u00a0Antoine BASSET (F – Gas Gas)<\/strong>,\u00a0Fabien PLANET (F – Sherco) <\/strong>and\u00a0Deny PHILIPPAERTS (I – Beta)<\/strong> will not be gifts in the fight for 8th place.<\/p>\n

In the under 23 class, the race for the title is now relaunched as\u00a0Danny MCCANNEY (GB – Beta)<\/strong>, the current leader, has only six points ahead of\u00a0Giacomo REDONDI (I – Beta)<\/strong> while\u00a0Lo\u00efc LARRIEU (FRA – HVA) <\/strong>remains in ambush. Behind this trio,\u00a0Nicolo MORI (I – KTM)<\/strong>,\u00a0Alessandro BATTIG (I – Honda)<\/strong>,\u00a0Diogo VENTURA (P – Gas Gas)<\/strong>,\u00a0Jamie MCCANNEY (GB – HVA)<\/strong>,\u00a0Eloi SALSENCH (ESP – KTM)<\/strong> and\u00a0Rannar UUSNA (EST – KTM) <\/strong>can also claim a place in the Top 5. In FIM Youth Cup 125cc<\/strong>,\u00a0Jeremy MIRROR (F – YAM)<\/strong>,\u00a0Nicolas PELLEGRINELLI (I – KTM)<\/strong>,\u00a0Michele MARCHELLI (I – KTM)<\/strong>,\u00a0Albin ELOWSON (S – HVA) <\/strong>and\u00a0Benjamin HERRERA (CL – TM)<\/strong> will have to react if they don\u2019t want to see\u00a0Davide SORECA (I – Yam)<\/strong> flying over in the standings…<\/p>\n

Finally, the\u00a0Women’s Cup<\/strong> is back on the occasion of the\u00a0Grand Prix of Finland <\/strong>and even if\u00a0La\u00efa SANZ (E – Honda)<\/strong> is in the lead, the gap is narrowing with her two main rivals\u00a0Jane DANIELS (GB – HVA) <\/strong>and\u00a0Jessica GARDINER (AUS – Sherco)<\/strong>.\u00a0Juliette BERREZ (F – Yam)<\/strong>,\u00a0Jemma Wilson (AUS – Yam)<\/strong>,\u00a0Geraldine FOURNEL (F – Sherco)<\/strong> and\u00a0Samantha TICHET (F – KTM) <\/strong>seek to overturn the hierarchy and provide a first podium while\u00a0Marita NIQVIST (FIN – Yam)<\/strong> for her Grand Prix will look to finish inside the top five at here home GP.<\/p>\n

With all the necessary ingredients, this\u00a0Grand Prix of Finland<\/strong>, Scandinavian first step, should be a great vintage in a field where the Nordic riders will shine and where the cards could be redistributed! So, appointment on June, 6th, 7th and 8th in\u00a0Heinola <\/strong>for the 4th Grand Prix of theMaxxis FIM Enduro World Championship<\/strong> where a fanatic public support is expected.<\/p>\n

Information: <\/strong><\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Heinola (Region of P\u00e4ij\u00e4t-H\u00e4me);
\n–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 140 kilometers North from Helsinki;
\n–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Friday 6th of June: KTM Super Test: 19.00
\n–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th of June: Start: 9.00 and Finnish at 16.00;
\n–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Organisation:\u00a0Heinola Moottorikerho ry<\/strong>;
\n–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Websites: www.enduro-abc.com and http:\/\/www.hemk.net\/mm;
\n–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Track: 50kms \u2013 4 laps;
\n–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Free Access;
\n–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Airport: Helsinki (140 kms)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the country of legends… Only a month after the\u00a0Grand Prix\u00a0Maxxis\u00a0of Greece, the\u00a0Maxxis FIM Enduro World Championship heads to Finland, more precisely to\u00a0Heinola for the fourth round of the season and the first race of the two-event Scandinavian tour.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ekwk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enduro.nl\/wordpress-enduronlnewsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enduro.nl\/wordpress-enduronlnewsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enduro.nl\/wordpress-enduronlnewsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enduro.nl\/wordpress-enduronlnewsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enduro.nl\/wordpress-enduronlnewsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/enduro.nl\/wordpress-enduronlnewsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24810\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enduro.nl\/wordpress-enduronlnewsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enduro.nl\/wordpress-enduronlnewsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enduro.nl\/wordpress-enduronlnewsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}