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Press conference 05.02.2010

MEMORIES OF IMATRANAJO 24.-25.7.2010

Honouring the historical motorbike races Imatranajot organized in Imatra during 1962-86 the Memories of Imatranajo will be held in Imatra on the 24.-25.7.2010 by the Motor Club Imatra. The event will be starred by the legendary world champions Giacomo Agostini, Phil Read and Jim Redman. The best known Finnish participants will be Tepi Länsivuori and Pentti Korhonen. For the first time there will also be the only factory supported classic team called the Yamaha Classic Racing Team, which will bring 16 classic bikes to Imatra. In the event there will also be organized many kinds of happenings for the whole family.

The event Memories of Imatranajo will gather a big number of top riders from the past years to the old road track of Imatra. The best known participant will be the RR-rider of all times the Italian Giacomo Agostini who ensured his 15th world championship in Imatra 35 years ago. In the event Agostini will ride this championship bike 500 cc Yamaha OW23 which will be brought to the event from Japan by the Yamaha Classic Racing Team. Agostini will also ride the legendary 500 cc MV-Agusta whose divine sound has been left to the history of Imatranajot as something unforgettable. Agostini achieved 15 world championships and 122 GP victories on his career.  

The legends already confirmed to participate are the Englishman Phil Read and Jim Redman who is nowadays a citizen of South Africa. During his career Read won 8 championships and Redman is besides his 6 championships the only rider to have won all three classes in the same GP-race (Assen 1964). Besides him only Mike Hailwood has done the same.

The Yamaha Classic Racing Team taking part in the event is the only classic bike team in the world supported by the manufacturer. The manager of the team is Ferry Brouwer who is remembered as Yamaha team mechanic and worked e.g. for  Tepi Länsivuori. The riders belonging to the Team are all well-known riders who raced in Yamaha team in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Finnish rider who will get the chance to ride the Yamaha Classic Team’s bike is Pentti Korhonen.

In the event there will also perform a stunt group DUSTERS in which ride Sami "Dine" Dinler and Janne "B#1" Uskali known from the Plan Bee. Besides them will also perform Tomi Kitola and Jussi "Punis" Jukka who showed his skills in the Imatranajot in 2008. In the Dusters’ performance we’ll see a mixture of show, speed, fire elements, technical skills and real motor bike acrobacy.

On Sunday the World Champion on the Formula 1-boats Sami Seliö will give a ride for the Motor Club Imatra’s partners on a 2-seat F1-boat. Also a lucky one from the audience will have a chance to see and experience a roller coaster on the water.

Along with the Memories os Imatranajo there will be held the traditional the touring bikers’ gathering called the Imatra Motorcycle Touring Concentration. All the participants are entitled to take part in the Sunday’s parade ride and the accomodations are organized in either tents, at school building or in a hotel according to one’s choice.

During the same weekend a party band from Imatra the OSMO'S COSMOS will organize a festival playing cover songs and nostalgia from the 1970’s and 1980’s. On Friday on the stage situated nearby the paddock there will be seen the bands Mb Project plays AC/DC, Black Devils and Beer3. On Saturday the Osmos Cosmos will perform with their special guests Mato Valtonen and Artsi Nyqvist and also The Ronski Gang and Danny & The Islanders.

There is a limited amount of VIP-tickets available to the event. VIP-audience can enjoy the event from their own stand by the start/finish straigt and free entrance to the OSMOFEST-concerts. The Miss Finland from the year 2008 Satu Tuomisto will act as the VIP hostess.

The VIP-tickets and entrance tickets to the event are sold in the web and phone service and in the ticket offices of Lippupalvelu and in all R-kiosks allover Finland.

Additional information: Imatran Moottorikerho r.y. / Sami Backman,

tel: +358-40-5431163

www.imatranajo.fi

toimisto(at)imk.fi