 
White Hell!
What a start to the season! While the stars of EnduroGP might have thought
they knew how to tackle the race, as the Päijänne GP was also held last year,
they might not have been counting on much more snow than in 2017! 15 to 70cms
(from South to North) and temperatures dipping to -14°C. Let's look back at the
very first Grand Prix of 2018...
1000
That's the number of volunteers at the 83rd edition of the legendary Päijänne
Enduro! Mauri PENTTINEN and Kenneth LAAKSONEN, organisers of this Finnish GP,
were thrilled to have so many people ready to help the HMK during the event! The
strategically placed special tests, key locations and important points on the
liaison were perfectly marked and the volunteers did an incredible job...
Congratulations to the Helsinki Moto Klub and these 1000 volunteers for this
very professional organisation!
"It's difficult....but I'm having a lot of fun!”
That's how the first day of racing was described by 2017 Junior World Champion
Brad FREEMAN (GB - Beta). Injured last year, the Brit had not participated in
the very first Päijänne GP and he did not know what to expect... but from the
first special tests onwards, the Beta Boano rider was at home in the snow and
even came close to winning Enduro 1 for a good part of the first day before he
made a mistake in ST 12. But this did not prevent him from winning the first two
night tests on Saturday evening, and finishing 3rd on the day! He reiterated
this strong result on Sunday and assumes the position of the most serious rival
of his compatriot Jamie MCCANNEY (GB - Yamaha) in the battle for the E1 title!
New Experience
On Friday afternoon, ABC Communication organised a snowmobile and dog sled ride
to create a nice Nordic introduction for the 26 minute magazine programme of the
Finnish GP - which will be broadcast on EnduroTV on Thursday! Matthew PHILLIPS
(AUS - Sherco) joined us for this unique experience and he was able to enjoy
blasting around on snowmobiles, as well as his first dog sledding experience...
"It was a really great experience! I had never been in a dog sled before
and I loved every minute!”
 Facebook
Live « Press Conference »
In order to allow all fans to experience the build-up to a GP weekend, ABC
Communication organised a Press Conference on Friday at 17.00. It brought
together 2017 EnduroGP World Champion Steve HOLCOMBE (GB - Beta), Jamie MCCANNEY,
Matthew PHILLIPS and Loïc LARRIEU (F - Yamaha), Eero REMES (SF - TM) and
Christophe CHARLIER (F - Beta). To increase the visibility of the Championship
on social media, this press conference was broadcast live on Facebook. Other
conferences throughout the season will be organised every Friday before the
Grand Prix at around 15:00 CET!
Relieved & Proud!
This was the feeling that every non-Finnish rider felt upon completing this
year's "Päitsi"! This mix of emotions at the finish line - between
the relief of having finished a race as demanding and physical, as well as
having the mental fortitude and a reliable bike to back it up! The joy of having
got to the end of this mythical race and of conquering your own demons! Truly,
each and every rider in this year's Grand Prix of Finland became, on Sunday
evening's arrival at the airport of Malmi (Helsinki), a true hero for Finnish
Enduro fans, and for fans all around the world!
Subterfuge!
 In
order to protect your bike from snow, cold and ice, anything goes! From the foam
on the engine frame to protect it from the snow, to Matthew PHILLIPS' (AUS -
Sherco) 'Dumbo' handguards, we have seen a lot of ingenuity among the
competitors and their mechanics. But the crown has to go to the manager of the
Honda RedMoto team and legend of Enduro, Tullio PELLEGRINELLI; in order to avoid
snow and ice building up between the spokes of his bikes he filled in the front
wheels with... duct tape!
PHILIPPAERTS & GOTTS Shine
While some 'favourites' had difficulties during this weekend of racing, there
were dark horses who surprised us with their brilliance - especially Deny
PHILIPPAERTS (I - Beta Boano) and Josh GOTTS (GB - TM). While the Italian had
announced that he was stopping at the end of the 2017 season, he finally decided
to take another year and it's a good job he did because he showed great pace in
the snow and is now 5th in the Enduro 2 standings, 2 points behind 3rd place! A
similar story for the Brit, who trained tirelessly in Finland before the race.
He was rewarded for his hard work with an excellent and unexpected 5th place on
Saturday! Just deserts for these 'underdogs' who may not grab the headlines but
prove their skill and talent when it counts... and prove that Enduro is a very
accessible sport, provided you have a strong will.
Night Mode
In 2017 the stars of EnduroGP finished the Finnish GP at dusk, but this year,
they could not escape the night! Indeed, three special tests on Saturday took
place in the dark! Extra lights were fitted on the headlight units, as well as
on the helmets of the riders. It was finally FREEMAN who came out best in these
three tests - winning two of them in front of the local specialists. A
surprising performance from the Beta Boano rider who was a Päijänne rookie!
Josh GOTTS (GB - TM)
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