MEDIA INFORMATION
2024 UIM-ABP European Continental Aquabike Championship
GRAND PRIX CLASS VICTORIES FOR HAMELIN, DRYJAK, BRAMM, PETROVIC AND GURKŠNYS IN PORTUGAL
- Runabout Ladies GP4 title for Bramm; Ski Junior GP3.3 title for Petrovic; Gurkšnys wins Runabout GP4 Junior title
Sunday, September 29: Grand Prix victories after the third of the Motos in the various categories went to Yoni Hamelin, Petr Dryjak, Cyrielle Bramm, Mio Petrovic and Grantas Gurkšnys at Mira in Portugal on Sunday.
Moto 3 wins fell to Hamelin, Dovydas Kutra, Nikola Dryjakova, Maxime Arthebise and Gurkšnys in their respective race classes.
Hamelin earns Ski GP3 Grand Prix win with Moto 3 success
Portugal’s Manuel Leite began the last of the Ski GP3 Motos from pole position and started the race ahead of the newly-crowned European Champion Yoni Hamelin, Loris Lambert, Diogo Barbosa, Rémy Marlier and Marlon Tiik.
Leite was able to hold off his rivals through the opening laps although Hamelin was mounting a fierce challenge as the duo tussled for the Grand Prix win. Lambert settled into third place ahead of Ludovic Bral, Barbosa and Tiik. Martim Marques was a non-starter.
The leaders held their positions through the mid-part of the Moto but Hamelin managed to claim his second heat win of the weekend with a late pass and that was enough to seal the Grand Prix win to add to his European crown. Third place in the heat confirmed the runner-up spot for Lambert in the European Championship with race runner-up Leite finishing third in the points’ standings. Bral, Barbosa and Bram Hoeke rounded off the top six in the Moto.
A delighted Hamelin said: “It didn’t go quite as planned. I didn’t have the best start. At the beginning, I came out fourth and I managed to pass some people and had a nice battle with Leite. I tried to pass him and I managed to pass him. I am really happy about the weekend. It was a nice event, well organised.”
Dryjak seals Runabout GP4 Grand Prix victory; Moto 3 win for Kutra
Petr Dryjak had confirmed the European Runabout GP4 title on Saturday afternoon and the Czech began the last of the Motos from pole position. Juliusz Roman, Michele Cadei and Alejandro Prats Palau lined up as his closest challengers with Prats Palau already guaranteed the runner-up spot in the championship and Roman confirmed in third.
Dovydas Kutra made a strong start to lead through the opening lap from Prats Palau, Roman, Dryjak and Cadei and the Lithuanian continued to fend off his rivals through the next few laps. He edged away from his pursuers as the Moto progressed to record an impressive 16.84-second win. Prats Palau rounded off his European campaign with second place, Roman was third and fourth place was sufficient for Dryjak to claim the Grand Prix win.
Hamelin wins Grand Prix in Ski GP4 with Moto 3 success
Yoni Hamelin confirmed the European Ski GP4 title on Saturday but he still had the small job of winning the Grand Prix of Mira when he started on pole for the third of the Motos. Grantas Gurkšnys, Jennifer Poret, Valentine Coutier, Daniils Potrivailo and Alexandre Girel trailed in the Belgian’s wake with three riders still chasing second and third places in the European Championship.
Potrivailo made the best start and carved out a small advantage over Poret, Hamelin and Coutier through the opening turn buoys. The Latvian needed to beat Poret by more than two points to clinch the runner-up spot in the championship and he remained firmly on course when Hamelin passed the French girl on lap two and moved into second place.
But Hamelin was in a rich vein of form and he hit the front on the next lap in his quest to secure the Grand Prix victory and a superb double success in Portugal. Once ahead, the Belgian stormed to an emphatic 39.15-second win to seal the Grand Prix win and cap a sensational weekend of racing. Potrivailo finished second and in a similar position in the championship on the tie-breaker after initially tying on points with third-placed Poret. Coutier was fourth and a subdued Gurkšnys and Girel rounded off the finishers.
Bramm earns Runabout Ladies GP4 European title; Moto 3 win for Dryjakova
Cyrielle Bramm started the last of the Runabout Ladies GP4 Motos from second position behind Nikola Dryjakova and knew that a finish would be sufficient to secure the European title. She led Ilaria Vanni by 20 points, as Nicole Cadei, Markéta Hollerová, Astra Gurkšnyte, Luísa Beja and Volia Dzikovich lined up behind. Three riders could still finish third in the championship.
Dryjakova repeated the form that had given her the European Championship title in 2023 and the Czech stormed through to snatch the Moto win from pole and confirm third place in the points’ standings. She reached the chequered flag 5.87 seconds in front of Bramm but the French girl had done enough to seal the European title and the Grand Prix win.
Vanni came home in third to finish as runner-up in the title race and Cadei and Gurkšnyte finished fourth and fifth in the Moto and Beja, Hollerová and Dzikovich completed the finishers.
Ski Junior GP3.3 European title for Mio Petrovic; Moto 3 win for Arthebise
Mio Petrovic had won the opening two Junior Motos for Ski GP3.2 and GP3.3 entrants and only needed a finish to secure the GP3.3 title. He lined up for the finale ahead of Via Petrovic, Pelle Stenborg, Milo Beernaut and his closest title rival Maxime Arthebise.
Arthebise snatched the lead from the start and pulled clear of both Mio and Via Petrovic, Stenborg and Beernaut. The Frenchman was not going to be denied his moment in the spotlight and he stormed through to claim a comfortable Moto win by 56.17-seconds and the runner-up spot in the European Championship.
But third place was sufficient for Montenegrin Mio Petrovic to win the European Championship’s Junior Ski GP3.3 crown and claim victory at the Grand Prix of Mira. Beernaut prevailed in Ski Junior GP3.2 and Via Petrovic finished third in the overall points’ standings in Ski Junior GP3.3 after passing his brother late on to finish second in Moto 3.
Gurkšnys earns European Runabout GP4 Juniors title with Moto 3 success
Grantas Gurkšnys headed into the last of the Runabout GP4 Juniors Motos with a 22-point cushion over Erikas Butkas and knew that a finish would confirm the European title. Adas Zalagaitis, Vojtěch Korcak, Rihard Leinsalu, Katarina Sepp, Kimily Lepp, Dovydas Kutra, Butkus and Aurora Filberti followed closely with Butkus, Kutra and Zalagaitis all eyeing second and third places in the title race.
Sepp made the strongest start and edged into a slender lead over Gurkšnys with Kutra, Butkus and Leinsalu in hot pursuit. The Estonian maintained her advantage through the opening three laps until Gurkšnys made his move and hit the front on lap four. He then began to pull clear of his rivals and reached the chequered flag 19.68 seconds ahead to confirm a clean sweep of the Moto 3 win, Grand Prix success and the European Championship title.
Sepp finished second and third-placed Butkus sealed the runner-up spot in the European Championship. Leinsalu, Lepp and Kutra rounded off the top six in the final Moto but Leinsalu was later docked a lap for missing a turn buoy and his penalty lifted Lepp and Kutra into fourth and fifth.
Ends
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