US rider Tristan Lane won the Novatron SX1 class on the opening day of the international Tampere Supercross held in Finland on Friday evening. Finn Harri Kullas, who has won the overall event no fewer than eight times, finished third this time, as Jere Haavisto claimed second place in front of his home crowd. Kasimir Hindersson took victory in the Finnish riders’ Konelinkki SX2 class final.

Last year, Frenchman Adrien Malaval celebrated victory in the SX1 class on the combined results of the two-day Tampere Supercross in Finland (Europe). He was also the fastest rider during Friday’s opening day of this year’s event, right up until the evening’s final race. Malaval crashed early in the opening lap of the final. He fought his way up from the back of the field to fifth place within a few laps, but crashed again and was forced to retire.

Finnish rider Harri Kullas took the lead at the start of the final inside the Tampere Sports & Expo and held it for several laps before crashing in a corner. As a result, Kullas dropped to sixth place, allowing fellow countryman Jere Haavisto of the organising club, Tampereen Motocross, to take over the lead.

Haavisto was determined to claim his first victory in Tampere, but American Tristan Lane passed him towards the end of the final and went on to take the chequered flag first. Haavisto finished second, with Kullas making a strong comeback to claim third.

- This is my third time here, and the atmosphere was fantastic again. The race was really tight, and I’m extremely happy to have reached the top step of the podium. I know many riders will improve their riding for the second day, so I need to be ready on Saturday. I learned a lot during the day, had fun, and I hope the spectators enjoyed what they saw too. The track is different from what I’m used to because of the surface material, and it’s really difficult, so you have to know how to ride it and stay on your toes all the time, Lane described.

Haavisto enjoyed riding in front of thousands of cheering spectators.

- It feels good. It was great to lead the race. In terms of speed, I’m not quite on the same level as Lane, and especially not Malaval. I felt I got the maximum out of what was possible today. We’ll try to find something extra for Saturday to shave off some time. You have to fight for every position, and the end result can be good, Haavisto said.

Kullas suffered an injury in September and had only managed a handful of practice sessions before Friday’s competition in Tampere.

- The break has been pretty tough, and even today I spent the whole day looking for the right settings on my bike. We made further changes to my suspension before the final, after which I finally managed to ride the track properly. Before that, I was just going around it. But there’s no point making excuses, I finished third, Kullas stated.

Spanish rider Joan Cros finished fourth in the Novatron SX1 class, followed by Estonian Kaarel Tilk in fifth.

Hindersson withstood the pressure

Kasimir Hindersson led the Finnish only riders’ Konelinkki SX2 class final from start to finish. However, he was far from having an easy ride, as Juuso Matikainen and Simo Koskinen, who finished second and third respectively, crossed the finish line less than three seconds behind him.

“My start was better than in the earlier heats, and I managed to hold on to the lead straight away. That helped. It was still not an easy day, though. It was more difficult than last year, but I didn’t let that bother me. We’ll try to put in another strong performance on Saturday,” Hindersson said.

Matikainen paused his racing career after the 2023 season, by which time he had won, among other achievements, a Finnish motocross championship and several Finnish Championship silver medals. The experienced rider returned to competition this year and made his first appearance at Tampere Supercross in seven years.

- I still had a bit left in the tank, and my start in the final wasn’t the best. My riding improved with every session throughout the day, and the final was my best performance. It was close racing, which is typical of supercross, Matikainen pointed out.

Koskinen and Matikainen battled intensely for second place throughout practically the entire final, with Koskinen holding the position during the opening laps. Koskinen was not satisfied with his third-place finish, especially after having finished second in the earlier heats on Friday.

- I don’t know, the final was pretty poor. I can hardly even remember how it went. Just bad. The track demands a lot of intensity, and the result depends heavily on the start. If you hold the inside lines, it’s difficult for anyone to pass you, Koskinen lamented.

Aleksi Vesanto finished fourth, with Santeri Oinonen taking fifth place.

Malaval set the pace in the ”show events”

Among the other, ”show events” at Tampere Supercross, Adrien Malaval set the fastest lap time in the SX1 class Veho Hyötyajoneuvot Superpole time trial, ahead of Tristan Lane and Jere Haavisto.

Malaval also proved strongest in the SX1 class Elimination Race, beating Lane in the final.

Henri Partti took victory in the only Finnish riders' Talaria Komodo Challenge for electric motorcycles. Sami Oinonen finished second and Onni Kämäri third. Rossi Halen, who crossed the finish line in fourth place, also finished ahead of Eero Remes, the three-time Enduro World Champion who has already retired from professional racing.

Competition continues at the Tampere Sports & Expo on Saturday, when this year’s Tampere Dominator title will be decided based on the combined two-day results of the Novatron SX1 class. There is also held Offroad Expo alongside the supercross event.

Results

Novatron SX1:
1. Tristan Lane, USA, Yamaha, 6:08.686
2. Jere Haavisto, FIN, KTM, +1.248
3. Harri Kullas, FIN, KTM, +3.203
4. Joan Cros, ESP, Fantic, +5.694
5. Kaarel Tilk, EST, Husqvarna, +10.082

Konelinkki SX2:
1. Kasimir Hindersson, LosMK, GasGas, 4:23.047
2. Juuso Matikainen, OriMK, KTM, +2.108
3. Simo Koskinen, HMK, Kawasaki, +2.716
4. Aleksi Vesanto, TamMC, Beta, +6.056
5. Santeri Oinonen, VMK, GasGas, +21.346

All results:
speedhive.mylaps.com/Events/3771972
www.teamlaine.fi/supercross