Eemil Pohjola claims a fifth victory at the Lake Päijänne Classic Finnish Enduro famous for its 14-hour time schedule and 700-kilometre route onboard a Yamaha YZ250 – the first win for a YZ since 1991.

An exceptionally early spring in Finland brought a different look and feel for riders and spectators at the 2026 Lake Päijänne race. The event which has previously featured in the EnduroGP World Championship but stands alone as one of the Finland’s classic enduro races (first raced in 1927 so approaching the 100th edition) saw very little snow on the route and a lot of water.

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Fortunately for everyone, the weather remained sunny throughout the weekend, which made conditions easier for both spectators and riders who faced a total of 27 special tests as they circumnavigated Lake Päijänne.

The Paitsi is infamous for its schedule and this year’s winner accumulated more than five hours of special stage time in total. The race started on Saturday at 8:00, and the riders reached the overnight break at 22:00. On Sunday, the race resumed at 8:00, with the finish reached shortly after 16:00 in the afternoon.

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Pohjola fifth win and 1st for a YZ since 1991

Eemil Pohjola led the race from the very beginning, but the victory did not come easily. Peetu Juupaluoma stayed closely in contention throughout Saturday, and in the afternoon the gap was just 10 seconds.

However, Juupaluoma’s race took a turn on the 12th special test, where he crashed and lost nearly a minute. He was unable to make up the deficit and arrived at the overnight halt just over a minute behind Pohjola.

Pohjola continued his consistent riding on Sunday, avoided mistakes, and eventually secured victory with a margin of 54 seconds. Albert Juhola climbed to second place on Sunday, dropping Juupaluoma to third. Antti Hänninen finished fourth and Antti Ahtila fifth.

The victory was Pohjola’s second in a row and his fifth overall, one short of the record held by Mika Ahola and Heikki Timonen. It was also the first win on a Yamaha YZ250 since Juhani Laaksonen in 1991 (thanks for the fact checking Jani!). 

2026 Results:

  1. Eemil Pohjola – Yamaha – 5:11:09,46
  2. Albert Juhola – KTM – +0:53,88
  3. Peetu Juupaluoma – Beta – +1:49,14
  4. Antti Hänninen – Fantic – +2:12,76
  5. Antti Ahtila – KTM – +14:04,99
  6. Ukko Laaksonen – Yamaha – +15:05,65
  7. Eetu Puhakainen – TM – +15:07,69
  8. Niko Puotsaari – Husqvarna – +18:04,00
  9. Jonni Hujala – KTM – +19:25,73
  10. Kasperi Koskinen – Husqvarna – +21:48,50

 

 

Photo + Words Credit: Jani Hovi | XRacing.fi