On The Pegs April 2018 - Volume 3 - Issue 4 | Page 71

On The Pegs
Finnish Gas Gas rider
Eemil Pohjola won the E1
class on Day Two and was
sixth overall after two
days of competition.
“On Saturday I had a
problem in the 13th spe-
cial while leading and very
close to victory. Today
was a good day, I have
given 100% and every-
thing went very well. I am
very happy with my first
victory in the E1 World
Championship and I want
to thank GasGas for this
opportunity and espe-
cially to Jani for making it
possible. We’re going to
train hard to prepare for
the next race in Spain.”
Vol. 2 Issue 4 - April 2018
P 71
The opening round of the Enduro GP World
Championship, the 83rd running of the Finn-
ish winter classic at Lake Päijänne, was held
in the snow and cold of Finland. The two-day
event included a brutal first day that was
composed of more than 500 kilometers and
12 hours of competition, including 16 spe-
cial tests - two of them at night. Local rid-
ers dominated this extremely tough event,
which was marked by freezing temperatures
and great banks of snow. Finnish KTM rider
Aleksi Jukola, who won the E3 class on both
days and sits atop the EnduroGP standings
after one round, will begin round two of the
series in Spain with the red number plate.
Jukola topped the EnduroGP results on Sat-
urday and finished third on Sunday en route
to the overall EnduroGP win.
Steve Holcombe made an impressive start
to the 2018 Enduro World Championship by
finishing as the highest placed non-Finnish
rider on each of the two days. Battling
through true winter conditions, the factory
Beta rider finished 10th on day one and sixth
on day two. Holcome also placed fifth and
third in the Enduro 3 class.
Two other series regulars, Christophe Nam-
botin and Danny McCanney, made their
maiden appearances for new teams, after the
two riders signed to ride GasGas for 2018. On
Day One, Nambotin was seventh and McCan-
ney was right behind in eighth place after a
strenuous first day.
On the second day of competition, McCan-
ney climbed to fifth place and Nambotin
repeated in seventh position. With this result,
both added valuable points in the fight for
the World Championship, in the most unique
and demanding test of the championship,
usually dominated by the great Scandinavian
specialists.