A BIG THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN GGN 2025!
This year’s Gotland Grand National became a great challenge for everyone involved – for you as a participant, for us as organizers, and for our fantastic volunteers. Together, we did everything we could to ensure that this year’s GGN could be carried out in the best possible way. Unfortunately, some were affected more than others when a race with 3,000 participants and 700 officials required quick decisions to be made under pressure.
As a participant, you had to fight hard, and some of you didn’t make it all the way to complete a lap. As organizers, we always strive for the track to be world-class and rideable even under tough conditions – just as it used to be at the Tofta training grounds during the 1980s and 1990s when heavy rain often swept over the island.
In 2024 – our first year in Hejdeby – we had the opposite situation: an extremely dry year with sunshine all weekend, and the track received a lot of praise.
The new 25.2 km track, built with new materials, is a major challenge when there’s prolonged rain. Unfortunately, we could not have predicted how the course and the race would develop this year.
The large new clear-cut areas and drainage ditches that couldn’t handle the water flow created major challenges for us during GGN 2025. When we realized where things were heading on Friday, decisions had to be made that unfortunately affected some participants. In hindsight, the GGN management made the right decisions to save the race for all participants in 2025.
We held late-night meetings with the County Administrative Board on Friday evening to discuss a possible plan B, but since that would have required additional permits from other authorities, we instead brought in the four largest excavators on the island and extra staff. Together, they worked along the powerline section to dig out approximately 200 motorcycles and remove as much mud as possible. The work continued until 5:00 a.m. to make sure Saturday’s race could start. The officials who worked during the day also continued part of the night to bring all motorcycles back to Arena 1. A huge tribute to them!
DECISION ON 2-HOUR RACE TIME AND 1.5-HOUR GRACE PERIOD
When the race management decided to shorten the riding time to 2 hours, it was based on the overall situation – considering the event, participants, officials, and many other factors. This is not a small race, but the world’s largest enduro competition, where numerous aspects have to be balanced carefully.
When we saw that the race was beginning to break down in two sections – behind Bysarna and along the powerline corridor – we immediately started working on solutions. It was not possible to reroute the track there, as it is approved under strict environmental and land-use conditions, and the surrounding terrain does not allow such changes.
When the race management refers to safety, it means that Gotlands Energiverk (GEAB) has strictly prohibited participants, spectators, and officials from being within 20 meters of the overhead power lines where the track passes. When riders began to go outside the marked course and under the lines, it became a serious safety concern that could have led to us losing our permit permanently. Several motorcycles got stuck directly beneath the high-voltage lines, posing a life-threatening danger should anyone fall. Some officials and spectators also ended up under the lines – an unacceptable risk.
Had we continued with 3 hours on Friday, more than 300 motorcycles would have needed to be dug out overnight instead of the 200 we already had to handle. To make Saturday’s race possible, we urgently hired four large excavators with drivers and worked through the night. The Saturday amateur race was also shortened to 2 hours to ensure equal conditions for all and to allow us enough time to clear the course before the elite start.
In the elite start, with about 300 riders, we were able to maintain 3 hours since they were the final group. In addition, TV time had been booked in Sweden, the USA, Canada, and New Zealand, along with global coverage via Solid Sport. In the amateur classes, with over 1,000 riders on the course, the risk of blockage was significantly higher.
We stand firmly by our decisions – they were the right ones for both officials and participants. The grace period was changed to 90 minutes on Saturday morning when we could regroup after working separately through the night. The decision applied to both Friday’s and Saturday’s races, including the elite class.
LOOKING AHEAD AND IMPROVEMENTS
As organizers, we are proud and grateful that we managed to complete this year’s race. We are already working with local authorities to improve water flow in the area by investing in new ditches and bridges to prevent similar problems in the future. We could not have foreseen such extreme conditions, but we made our decisions based on the situation as it unfolded – always with the participants’ safety and the event’s success in mind.
SWEDISH ENDURO CLASSIC
Due to the above, the management has decided that completing one (1) lap will be sufficient for amateur riders – instead of three (3) – to qualify for the Swedish Enduro Classic 2025.
For elite starts 1, 2, 3, and 18, two (2) laps will count instead of four (4).
GOTLAND GRAND NATIONAL 2026!
Registration for GGN 2026 is already open, and more than 300 riders have signed up. There are still a number of starting spots available, with up to 250 SEK off – first come, first served!
Best regards,
Conny Bohlin, Angelica Thomsson, Johanna Törnvall
and the Management Team of GGN 2025
