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Kullas Incredible in Finland

Kullas Incredible in Finland

Nov 10

  • News

Finn-Estonian Harri Kullas took the victory in the SX1 class of the competition held at the Tampere Exhibition and Sports Center on Saturday, just like on Friday. American Tristan Lane was second and Spanish Jorge Zaragoza third.

In the SX2 class of Finnish riders, the first place in Saturday's final was taken by Miro Varjonen followed by Aaro Menna in second place and Eelis Viemerö third.

Kullas, Lane and Hill enjoyed the event

This was the tenth time when Tampere Supercross was held in Tampere, and it's the only supercross race in Finland. Harri Kullas now rode his ninth Tampere Supercross and already celebrated his eighth victory and Tampere Dominator title.
The early paces of Saturday's final were beaten by electric bikes, when American Josh Hill and Spanish Jorge Zaragoza took first and second place. Kullas put pressure on the duo in third place and soon passed Hill, who also fell out of the top group after that. In a few laps, Kullas took first place from Zaragoza and went on to win by ten seconds ahead of American Tristan Lane, who took second place at the end of the 20-lap final. Zaragoza finished third.

- I've good thoughts and feelings now. The track was really soft this year, but weather in Finland is what it is (track material is stored outside). Organizers, track builders, flag men, all the people, without them this race would not happen. We've been here ten times already, and it's always been a good show. Of course, it feels even better when I win, but I really hope that the audience enjoyed what they experienced. That is the most important thing in this event. A big thanks to everyone who came to watch the race. They are a really important part of this show, Kullas reminded and thanked.

Lane, who finished fifth on Friday, was all smiles after taking the podium on day two.

- There was a really great atmosphere here. Many thanks to the Finns who took us here. It was wonderful to be part of the event and to compete here, Lane rejoiced and shared the honor with the spectators.

Hill, who has also enjoyed a race victory in the AMA supercross in his career, was happy about his first visit to Tampere Supercross. He finished eighth on Friday and fourth on Saturday.

- I'm feeling good, even though the track was tricky and different from what I'm used to. The course looks really easy, but it kept changing. When you thought you found a good line, it was different on the next lap and you had to look for new lines. The heats went really well for me on both days. In Friday's final, I crashed at the start, which is why I was at the back of the back. On Saturday, I led for a while at the beginning. I made a small mistake and Zaragoza got by, and soon so did Kullas. Then I crashed, but I went from almost last place to fourth, which was a good thing, Hill explained with a smile.

- This was a fun race and a good way for me to get to know my bike. The audience and the exhibition organized at the same time made the event great. Whoever is in charge of putting this on, can be proud of himself. And the stadium was packed, which was also great.

Jere Haavisto of the organizing club, who finished second on Friday, was third at his best on Saturday, until he lost his rhythm on the jump line at the beginning of the final and he and French Ludovic Macler collided and both fell. Both retired, but left the track by riding by themselves.

Varjonen got his own

Miro Varjonen, who won both days in the SX2 class of Finnish riders last year, came fifth on this year's event'sFriday, but on Saturday he took the top spot right at the start and rode all 12 laps in the front, winning the final ahead of Aaro Menna and Eelis Viemerö.

- It's a really good feeling now, because it was a difficult day and it wasn't a spot on on Friday either. Today I tried to be better all the time, but I just couldn't find the rhythm before the final. But I found it on the right place. I took a good start and rode safely. Menna was close and I made a couple of mistakes, so he came even closer. And yeah, I felt some pressure, but I kept my head cool, and took the win, Varjonen said.

Behind Viemerö, Aleksi Vesanto took fourth place after a fierce fight with Nico Stenberg who won on Friday.

Nice new extra show runs

There were some new intermediate starts for SX1 riders in between of official racing. Superpole was an intense one-lap time trial. In the Elimination competition, two-laps races were first fought with four riders and the two best met in the final.

Kullas won both extra shows on Friday, but on Saturday technical problems knocked him out of the Superpole. Finnish Jere Haavisto, who rode in his home region, was second in Superpole on Friday, and on Saturday he had the fastest lap time and took the prize money to his pocket.

- These extra starts fit well into the program. They were completely different from racing heats, because you had to do really well and pull at your full potential. I believe that the audience also enjoyed them, because they brought something completely different to the show, Haavisto said.

Kullas dominated Saturday's Elimination and in the final he defeated French Ludovic Macler.

Tampere Supercross was hosted by Tampere Motocross Club.

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Results
Tampere Supercross, Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre, Tampere, Finland, Saturday 9th November 2024.

SX1:
1. Harri Kullas, FIN, Husqvarna, 10:22.743
2. Tristan Lane, USA, KTM, +10.974
3. Jorge Zaragoza, ESP, Stark, +19.780
4. Josh Hill, USA, Stark, +1 lap
5. Joan Cros, ESP, Kawasaki, +1 lap

SX2:
1. Miro Varjonen, TMK, Husqvarna, 6:24.273
2. Aaro Menna, TMK, Honda, +3.078
3. Eelis Viemerö, VMK, Triumph, +5.648
4. Aleksi Vesanto, TamMC, GasGas, +15.666
5. Nico Stenberg, SiMK, KTM, +17.644

All results:
https://speedhive.mylaps.com/events/2863512

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