Road Racers Compete in 2026 Finnish SBK Finale
Road racing veteran Ville Valtonen won both Superbike races at the SML Finnish Superbike Championship finale, while Niko Lehtiranta secured the national title.
Road racing veteran Ville 'Valdo' Valtonen dominated the Superbike races as the 2026 SML Finnish Superbike Championship concluded at Motopark Raceway in Virtasalmi on August 22nd-23rd. The event, which clashed with the opening Classic TT races, saw several prominent road racing specialists compete across multiple classes.
Valtonen took a double victory in the Superbike Group A races. New national Superbike Champion Niko Lehtiranta finished second in both races, while Peter Paloranta completed the podium each time. The RVS Motorsport team fielded Lehtiranta and Italian road racing ace Luca Gottardi, who finished sixth and fifth across the two races.
Team chief Erno Kostamo, a lap record holder at Imatranajo, Frohburger Dreieck, and Horice, personally supervised the RVS Motorsport riders. According to the report by Jan Vavra, Kostamo is recovering from an incident in the 2026 Isle of Man TT Senior Race.
Superbike and Supersport Results
Valtonen's double win headlined the Superbike action. The full results for the roads competitors in the Superbike Group A races are shown below.
| Superbike Group A - Race 1 | Superbike Group A - Race 2 |
|---|---|
| 1st - Ville Valtonen | 1st - Ville Valtonen |
| 2nd - Niko Lehtiranta | 2nd - Niko Lehtiranta |
| 3rd - Peter Paloranta | 3rd - Peter Paloranta |
| 6th - Luca Gottardi | 5th - Luca Gottardi |
| 7th - Jesse Riihonen | 7th - Pekka Pouhakka |
| 13th - Heikki Mannila | 10th - Jesse Riihonen |
| DNF - Pekka Pouhakka | DNS - Heikki Mannila |
| DNS - Roope Ollonqvist | DNS - Roope Ollonqvist |
In the Supersport Group A class, Niko Tanskanen won the first race and finished third in the second. Topi Mustonen and Ari-Petteri Kuivalainen took third and fourth places in Race 1, and fourth and third places respectively in Race 2.
Sidecar and Open Class Action
The sidecar races were won by the pairing of Tero Manninen and Jaana Soppa in both outings. Markku Artiola and Peetu Paavilainen finished second twice, while Marko and Ville Hurme took third in Race 1 and fifth in Race 2. Jaakko and Hanne Heiskari finished sixth in both races.
Ari-Petteri Kuivalainen doubled up, finishing third in both Open 1000 Group A races. Erno Kivimaki was the standout in the Open 600 class, winning both races.
Road Racing Context
The report notes that several competitors are specialists in road racing events like the Imatranajo, which is set for its 61st edition next year. Organizers are expected to announce dates for that event soon. The Finnish championship finale provided a track-based competition for riders who also contest famous road circuits like the Northwest 200, Macau Grand Prix, and the Isle of Man TT.
The event was held on the 3.516-kilometre Motopark Raceway, a circuit that first opened in 1987.
