Lahti Fastest in Friday’s ESR Superbike Qualifying at Imatranajo – Unsettled Weather Failed to Slow the Pace
The opening day of the Imatranajo international road races was completed successfully on Friday near the centre of Imatra despite periods of rain. Eemeli Lahti topped the first qualifying session in the Superbike class of the European Road Racing Series (ESR).
Friday’s programme concluded with the opening qualifying session for the European Road Racing Series Superbike class (ESR Superbike). Although the weather remained unsettled throughout the day, alternating between dry spells and showers, the racing line was relatively dry when qualifying began, even with rain threatening in the background. The international class was dominated by Finnish riders, who claimed the top three positions.
Eemeli Lahti and Niko Lehtiranta traded the fastest lap for much of the session before Lahti produced a lap more than three seconds quicker than anyone else. For most of the session, Lahti was the only rider to break the two-minute barrier around the Imatra street circuit. Kenny Koskinen, who had already moved into second place, joined him on his final lap with a sub-two-minute time. Lehtiranta ultimately finished third fastest.
“The riding really got underway with the Open Superbike practice session in the wet. The conditions dried out towards the evening, and a dry racing line started to appear. I went out on slick tyres to get a feel for things. At the beginning it was still wet enough that I took it cautiously, figuring out where I could push on slicks and where I needed to back off significantly so there was no unnecessary risk. The track dried enough for me to put together some strong laps. The feeling is good. We’ll see what Saturday’s weather brings. If it rains, that could prove to be a very strong time and perhaps enough for pole position. Hopefully it stays dry so we can really push hard. I’m happy – the bikes have been working well, and we’ve been improving all the time,” said Lahti, who is competing in both the Open Superbike and ESR Superbike classes at Imatra.
Switzerland’s Lukas Maurer was fourth fastest in ESR Superbike qualifying, with Finland’s Anssi Koski completing the top five.
The rainy weather caused only minor changes to Friday’s schedule at Imatranajo, with every class still able to get on track and spectators enjoying the action. Originally, ESR Superbike had been the only class scheduled to hold qualifying on Friday as the day’s finale. Qualifying for the remaining classes, a second ESR Superbike qualifying session, and the first races of the weekend were all planned for Saturday.
In the end, however, Friday’s practice sessions for every class were designated as qualifying sessions. Saturday will follow the original concept, with qualifying taking place in the morning. Grid positions for the races will be determined by each rider’s fastest lap from either Friday or Saturday’s qualifying sessions.
Competition at the 2026 Imatranajo features the following classes: ESR Superbike, ESR Supersport, Open Superbike, Open Supersport, Classic/Retro Superbike, ICGP (250cc and 350cc two-strokes), Sidecars, and the weekend-closing King of Imatra race featuring the fastest riders.
“There were plenty of spectators cheering us on, and the rain doesn’t really affect racing. It looks like it’s only raining lightly enough for us to keep the bikes on track. Rain is simply another racing condition—it doesn’t stop us riders, and it certainly didn’t seem to stop the spectators either. It’s fantastic to see so many people here.”
First Qualifying Sessions Completed
Juho Kantola set the fastest time in Friday’s ESR Supersport qualifying session, ahead of Niko Tanskanen and Juho-Oskari Mähönen. Norway’s Osvaldas Lazdauskas was the quickest international rider, finishing seventh.
In the Sidecar class, Pekka Päivärinta and Adam Christie topped the timesheets. Tero Manninen and Jaana Soppa posted the second-fastest lap, while Estonia’s Jaanus Saarmaa and Sander Telve were third. Reigning circuit racing world champions, the British Christie brothers Sam Christie and Tom Christie, qualified on the fourth.
Niko Lehtiranta was the fastest rider in Open Superbike, followed by Eemeli Lahti and Germany’s Nico Muller. In Open Supersport, Tanskanen set the quickest time ahead of Mikko Uski and Lazdauskas.
In the ICGP class for classic Grand Prix motorcycles, the top three qualifying times went to Topi Mustonen, Ilari Nieminen and Aimo Mauravaara, respectively.
Anssi Koski was the fastest qualifier in Classic / Retro Superbike. Roope Pitkonen was second fastest, with Ari-Petteri Kuivalainen taking third.
Saturday’s programme at Imatra features more qualifying sessions along with the first races of the weekend and the opening prize-giving ceremonies, running from 9:30 AM to 8:00 PM. Racing continues on Sunday, with the day’s programme and prize ceremonies taking place from 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM.
Results
60th Imatranajo – Imatra, Friday, 3 July 2026
ESR Superbike – Qualifying 1
- Eemeli Lahti (Aprilia, Finland) – 1:57.738
- Kenny Koskinen (Aprilia, Finland) – +1.979
- Niko Lehtiranta (BMW, Finland) – +3.105
- Lukas Maurer (BMW, Switzerland) – +3.226
- Anssi Koski (Yamaha, Finland) – +6.019
Full results:
https://speedhive.mylaps.com/livetiming/A1C26E0E6307C0E9-2147484145
60th Imatranajo
3–5 July 2026
Jarno Saarinen Circuit Imatra – Street Circuit
www.imatranajo.fi
www.facebook.com/imatranajo
www.instagram.com/imatranajo
Tickets
www.lippu.fi/artist/imatranajo
Official Programme
Vauhdin Maailma 6/2026
Imatran Moottorikerho ry.
www.imk.fi
European Road Racing Series
esroadracing.com
Image: Harjukuvat