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Sunday, September 6: The final Motos of this season’s closing round of the UIM-ABP Aquabike European Continental Championship in Vichy, France, have confirmed this season’s European title holders, with late pushes for title wins ensuring an afternoon of drama in Vichy.
It was a battle between the Estonian duo of Mattias Siimann and Karl Keskula for the Runabout GP2 title, which was to be decided by the result of Moto 3. Siimann delivered when it mattered most in the final race of the season, winning Moto 3, while Keskula was knocked off the top spot in the standings after a poor performance saw him finish seventh. This proved the perfect result for Siimann, who secured the Championship title by the narrowest of margins, amassing 185 points to Keskula’s 184. Fellow Estonian Henri Koppas triumphed in the Grand Prix of Vichy following consecutive second-place finishes, meaning the Runabout GP2 podium was an all-Estonian affair.
Daan Hoeke knew he faced an uphill battle to claim the Ski GP2 European title after Robin Sylvester’s Moto 2 win put Sylvester back firmly in control of his Championship destiny. Hoeke did all he could in Moto 3 to cause a last-gasp upset, dominating the race to win by a margin of 19.52 seconds. But to Hoeke’s disappointment, Sylvester crossed the finish line behind him, and that second-place finish in Moto 3 was enough for Sylvester to secure the Ski GP2 European Championship. Sylvester claims the European title over Hoeke by a margin of just nine points and, to further dampen Hoeke’s weekend, did enough to secure Grand Prix of Vichy gold by amassing 69 points to Hoeke’s 68.
Leo Kete dominated the Ski GP3/Junior GP3.3 Moto 3, crossing the finish line 20.38 seconds ahead of Moto 1 winner Bram Hoeke, who finished Moto 3 in second place. His win secured Kete the Grand Prix of Vichy victory and, with it, the European titles in both the Ski GP3 and Ski Junior GP3.3 categories, each by a handsome margin.
Jose Vainio was back to his usual winning ways in Runabout GP4 Moto 3 after an uncharacteristically poor result in Moto 2 saw him finish sixth and offer a glimmer of hope to his closest rival, Arti Molter. After winning Moto 3 by 15.20 seconds, Vainio ensured that the Runabout GP4 European title would be his, finishing 10 points ahead of Molter in the overall standings.
This season’s dominance in Ski GP4 by Csongor Jászai was firmly brought to an end by Daniils Potrivailo, who secured another Moto win in Moto 2 as Jászai was confined to second place. Jászai got a taste of victory in Vichy in the final Moto, though, winning by 4.55 seconds over Tomaz Kete in second place, with Potrivailo third. That was enough for Potrivailo to claim the Grand Prix of Vichy victory, but Jászai’s dominance in the earlier rounds meant he emerged from Vichy as the Ski GP4 European Champion.
Runabout Ladies GP4 proved to be the most competitive category in Vichy, with a different rider winning each of the three Motos. Ilaria Vanni took the win in Moto 3 – her first race win of the season – by a very comfortable margin of 17.72 seconds. It was fellow Italian Aurora Filiberti who took the gold in Vichy, however, after securing 62 points, ahead of Luisa Beja and Michelle Dimov on 58 points apiece. Despite a poor showing in Vichy that saw her finish sixth overall in the Grand Prix, Alizée Vanden-Blecken’s earlier Grand Prix wins provided enough points to get her over the line and secure the 2026 Runabout Ladies GP4 European Championship.
After failing to finish in Runabout Junior GP4’s first Moto, Jose Vainio made sure to maximise his point tally in the remaining two Motos, winning both to secure the full 50 points still available. His pointless finish in Moto 1 cost him any chance of victory in the Grand Prix of Vichy, which was instead won by Moto 1 winner Lisa Benaglia, but it was still enough for Vainio to secure the Runabout Junior GP4 European Championship by seven points, ahead of Adele Reiner-Latoseva