12/09/2026
Imatranajo to be held in June next year
Imatranajo, Finland's internationally renowned street circuit motorcycle race, will be held on 18-20 June next year. The event will move from its traditional July date to June, with the decision driven by the international racing calendar as well as the wider event schedule in the Imatra region.
In recent years, Imatranajo (Imatra Road Races) has mainly been held in July, but next year the event will move to June. The organiser, Imatran Moottorikerho (Imatra Motor Club), together with the City of Imatra, considers the new date a positive solution. The decision to move the event to June was primarily based on the international racing calendar.
- Horice in the Czech Republic traditionally hosts a major and highly regarded road racing event in August, but next year the race will be moved to July due to roadworks. The well-known Chimay race in Belgium will also be held in July. If Imatranajo were also held in July, there would be too many major road racing events competing for riders during the same month. This could reduce the number of international riders taking part in Imatra. We want them to be part of our event, says Jukka Lehikoinen, Chairman of Imatran Moottorikerho.
The Finnish event calendar also supports the June date. The Finnish round of the World Rally Championship is held around the turn of July and August, meaning it would compete with Imatranajo for spectators, volunteers and partners. One week later, Kuninkuusravit (The Royal Races), Finland’s largest harness racing will be held in the neighbouring city of Lappeenranta and is expected to attract tens of thousands of spectators. In early July, the large Saimaa Cycle Tour cycling event will also take place in the Imatra region.
The Isle of Man TT, perhaps the best-known road racing motorcycle event, concludes on 12 June, allowing riders to travel from the TT to Imatra in time for Imatranajo.
- The decision to hold Imatranajo in 2027 was already made earlier, and we have now found very suitable dates for next year's event. We also consulted the City of Imatra, which in turn discussed the matter with businesses in the region. The new date was considered a positive choice because it extends the city's summer event season, Lehikoinen continues.
Jaakko Jäppinen, Director of Marketing and Tourism for the City of Imatra, emphasises the importance of Imatranajo to the city.
– We are very pleased that Imatranajo has continuity. From a tourism perspective, the new date may even be better than July, as early summer is otherwise a quieter period in the city. Imatranajo will bring a major event to Imatra during that time. I also believe that the new date is good for the organisers, as July is an extremely busy month for events throughout Finland, Jäppinen says.
This summer, Imatranajo was held for the first time as part of the new European Series Road Racing (ESR). The series will return to Imatra in 2027, and the event is expected to feature the same classes as this year. The 2027 event will be the 61st Imatranajo. Imatran Moottorikerho, meanwhile, will celebrate its 90th anniversary next year.
Photo: Eero Sherman
