ESR road racing series as the new main attraction
The race classes for the Imatranajo road racing event have been announced. In July, Imatra will host the new European ESR series along with several other exciting classes.
The 60th edition of Imatranajo will once again feature high-level and entertaining race classes at the Jarno Saarinen Circuit Imatra street track, located right in the center of Imatra, from July 3–5. The following classes will be contested:
- ESR Superbike
- ESR Supersport
- Open Superbike
- Open Supersport
- Classic / Retro Superbike
- ICGP (250cc and 350cc two-stroke)
- Sidecars (will take place if at least 15 entries are received)
- King of Imatra
King of Imatra title for the fastest rider
In recent years, Imatranajo has hosted rounds of the international European road racing series IRRC (International Road Racing Championship), but it will not be part of the program this year. Instead, the six-round European Series Road Racing (ESR) championship will serve as a strong replacement—both across Europe and at Imatra. The series features top Finnish riders as well as strong European competitors, and Imatra will host the fourth round of the championship.
This change does not reduce the scale or nature of the event—on the contrary, ESR brings back the powerful 1000cc Superbike machines to the track, which were dropped from IRRC this season. This means the most extreme bikes will once again be seen in Imatra. While ESR is primarily contested in the Superbike class, Imatra will exceptionally also include the 600cc ESR Supersport class.
It is expected that many riders will compete in four classes at Imatra: ESR Superbike, ESR Supersport, Open Superbike, and Open Supersport. This gives spectators the chance to see top riders perform multiple times throughout the weekend.
In addition, Imatranajo will feature the international classic motorcycle series, the International Classic Grand Prix (ICGP).
Alongside ICGP, the Classic / Retro Superbike class will bring the speed of older machines to the event. Sidecars are also an essential part of Imatranajo, although their inclusion depends on having at least 15 entries on the starting grid.
The highlight of the event will be the “King of Imatra” race, held as the final race on Sunday. Only the fastest riders of the event will qualify, with the exact selection criteria to be confirmed soon.
— “In terms of racing, nothing really changes compared to before, even though IRRC is no longer involved, as ESR replaces it very well. The same riders are now competing in ESR, including Imatranajo winner Erno Kostamo. I believe we’ll see a diverse lineup of riders from many countries. Imatra has a strong reputation as both a race and an event. I also know there has already been interest abroad in the sidecar class, so hopefully we will reach the minimum of 15 entries, as last year there were only a few pairs,” says Jukka Lehikoinen, Chairman of Imatran Moottorikerho.
The detailed schedule for Imatranajo will be announced later. The event will begin with an opening ceremony on Thursday, followed by practice sessions and qualifying on Friday, and the main races on Saturday and Sunday. Rider registration will open soon.
Ticket sales are available via Lippu.fi:
www.lippu.fi/artist/imatranajo