Andrea Verona hits his stride as EnduroGP looks towards second half of the 2026 season

Taking his first EnduroGP win of the season, the opening day of racing at the GP of Finland was a pivotal one for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona.

Although we’re only three rounds into the 2026 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship, it feels like Andrea Verona’s EnduroGP victory on day one at the GP of Finland was somehow long overdue.

At the season opener in Italy he got close on day two, while in Spain there was just no touching his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate, Josep Garcia.

During the early part of day one in Vierumäki, Finland, it seemed like Garcia had it all under control, stretching out a lead of over 10 seconds. But it would not go his way like it had done so in Spain.

With each passing test, Verona began to pile on the pressure and up his pace. Getting stronger and stronger, he started to reel Garcia back in, and this time, the Spaniard didn’t have an answer for him.

Whittling that 10-second deficit down to just 0.23 seconds, the Italian arrived at the final EXPOTRADE Cross Test of the day with nothing to lose and everything to fight for.

On the roughening course, he was riding with absolute flow and confidence on his KTM 450 four-stroke, picking out lines that few could match. It was a near-perfect run. Exiting the special test, the clock stopped 0.85 seconds in his favour for victory.

His first EnduroGP win of the season was in the books, also marking the first victory of his new career with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. The monkey was off his back.

Although celebrations were cool and collected in typical Verona fashion, it was clear Andrea was pleased with his day’s work.

“I’m happy,” Andrea says, in his quiet and soft demeanour when asked about the victory. “It was a fight all day long with Josep, for sure.

“He was a bit faster than me in the beginning, but I could close the gap in the afternoon and come back. I was able to find a good way to approach each test.”

The following day was almost a carbon copy of day one. Again, Garcia shot out to an early lead, while Verona was a slow burner.

Unfortunately for Andrea, this time Josep had managed to keep a seven-second buffer over him heading into the final test. Not even a blisteringly-fast run could steal the win away.

In the end, he had to settle for the runner-up result, finishing just 1.31 seconds behind. But, all told, for Andrea, it is a result he will leave Finland proud of.

With back-to-back weekends of racing coming in Portugal for rounds four and five, it’s clear to see that he’s now hitting his stride as we begin this important second half of the season.

His run for the EnduroGP title has officially begun!

2026 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship

Round 1: GP of Italy – Custonaci, Sicily – 10-12 April
Round 2: GP of Spain – Oliana – 1-3 May
Round 3: GP of Finland – Vierumäki, Salpausselkä – 22-24 May
Round 4: GP of Portugal – Fafe – 12-14 June
Round 5: GP of Portugal II – Fafe – 19-21 June
Round 6: GP of France – Saint-Agrève – 17-19 July
Round 7: GP of Wales – Rhayader – 7-9 August

2026 Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship
Round 1: GP of Italy – Custonaci, Sicily – 10-12 April
Round 2: GP of Spain – Oliana – 1-3 May
Round 3: GP of Portugal – Fafe – 12-14 June
Round 4: GP of Portugal II – Fafe – 19-21 June
Round 5: GP of Wales – Rhayader – 7-9 August