MEDIA INFORMATION
2025 UIM-ABP European Continental Aquabike Championship
MOTO 1 VICTORIES FOR GURKŠNYS, TIIK, SEPP, LEITE AND KETE IN PORTUGAL
Friday, July 4: Lithuanian Grantas Gurkšnys, the Estonian duo of Marlon Tiik and Katarina Sepp, Portugal’s Manuel Leite, Hungary’s Leo Kete claimed opening Moto victories in the Runabout GP4, Ski GP2, Runabout GP4 Ladies, Ski GP3 and Ski Junior 3.3 and categories at the Grand Prix of Mira, Portugal on Friday afternoon.
Sepp also topped the standings in the first Runabout GP4 Junior Moto. The remainder of the Moto 1s will take place on Saturday morning.
Gurkšnys tops a Lithuanian 1-2-3 in opening Runabout GP4 Moto
Lithuanian Dovydas Kutra started the opening Runabout GP4 Moto from pole, ahead of Grantas Gurkšnys, Erikas Butkus and Alejandro Prats-Palau. But Butkus made the better start and held a 4.97-second advantage over Poland’s Juliusz Roman with Gurkšnys and Kutra settling into third and fourth of the 15 starters through lap one.
Butkus retains his lead as the Moto progressed, Henri Koppas climbed into fifth and Karol Puzelevic moved into sixth to give Lithuania four of the top six positions. Butkus continued to edge away from Gurkšnys but the Seadoo rider was passed late on by his fellow countryman who went on to claim a 3.28-second victory.
Roman slipped to fifth behind Kutra and Koppas. Puzelevic rounded out the top six with Arti Mölter in seventh. Spaniard Ivan Pantoja Fernandez retired after two laps and Heber Miranda was docked two laps for missing a turn buoy and slipped back to 14th.
Opening Ski GP2 win for Marlon Tiik
Karl Joosep Steinberg headed fellow Estonian Marlon Tiik and the Dutch duo of Daan and Luuk Hoeke into the opening Ski GP2 Moto. Portugal’s Martim Marques, Emirati Mansour Abuljadayal and Marten Tiik rounded off the starters.
Steinberg held his lead from Tiik through lap one but Marques made a strong start for the host nation and climbed into third at the expense of the Hoeke duo.
Steinberg continued to manage his pace at the head of the field and reached the chequered flag 3.83 seconds clear of runner-up Marlon Tiik. Daan Hoeke overtook Marques to finish third, Luuk Hoeke was fifth and Abuljadayal and Marten Tiik finished sixth and seventh.
But there was disappointment for Steinberg after the heat finished: he was docked two laps for missing a turn buoy, Marlon Tiik inherited the Moto win and all his rivals moved up a place with the Estonian being pushed down to seventh place.
Sepp earns Runabout GP4 Ladies Moto 1 glory
Aurora Filiberti started the first of the Runabout GP4 Ladies Motos on pole position ahead of series leader Nikola Dryjakova, Katriin Nilbe and Kimily Lepp.
Katarina Sepp made the best start, however, and the Estonian surged ahead of Dryjakova, Filiberti, Ilaria Vanni, Lepp and Alizée Vanden Blecken. Ester Rosin and Nilbe were down in seventh and eighth places of the 11 starters. Filiberti managed to pass Dryjakova to snatch second place but the remainder of the field held their positions into the halfway point.
Sepp managed to fend off her rivals to win the Moto by just 0.63 seconds with Filiberti and Dryjakova rounding off the podium places ahead of and Vanni, Lepp, Vanden Blecken, Nilbe and Rosin. But Filiberti was later docked 25 seconds for not maintaining her lane at the start and slipped to seventh. That enabled Dryjakova to climb to second, ahead of Vanni, Lepp, Vanden Blecken and Nilbe.
Leite takes opening Ski GP3 win; Kete wins first Ski Junior GP3.3 Moto
Local Yamaha rider Manuel Leite started the first of the Ski GP3 Motos from pole ahead of Michael van Reybroeck and Loris Lambert. Runaway Junior leader Leo Kete headed Maxime Arthebise in the first of the Ski Junior GP3.3 Motos that ran in conjunction with the Ski GP3 race.
Leite made a strong start on home waters and fended off the challenge from van Reybroeck and Alexandre Bourgeois to hold the early advantage. Bram Hoeke managed to pass Lambert and grab fourth place but there was no stopping Leite and the Portuguese rider earned the winner’s laurels by 1.65 seconds. Van Reybroeck, Bourgeois, Hoeke and Lambert rounded off the top five.
Kete stayed ahead of Arthebise from start-to-finish in the Ski Junior 3.3 tussle.
Opening Runabout GP4 Junior Moto win for Sepp
Estonia’s Rihard Leinsalu headed Aurora Filiberti, Adas Zalagaitis, Kimily Lepp, Katrina Sepp, Ayrton Cecere and Jose Vainio into the first of the Runabout GP4 Junior Motos on Friday evening.
Sepp made a good start and snatched the advantage from Leinsalu with Vainio and Filiberti holding third and fourth heading into lap two. Vainio plummeted to the foot of the rankings on the next lap and Filiberti climbed to third ahead of Zalagaitis, Cecere and Lepp.
Sepp held on to claim the win to add to her Runabout GP4 Ladies heat win earlier in the afternoon. The Estonian beat Filiberti by 1.97 seconds with Leinsalu, Zalagaitis, Cecere, Lepp and Vainio rounding off the finishers.
Freestyle pole for Mariani
Defending European champion Roberto Mariani got the better of his rivals to claim pole position for the first of the Freestyle Motos on Saturday. The Italian used all his experience and guile to impress the judges with his flair and prowess. Fellow countryman Massimo Accumulo qualified second ahead of Paolo Nuñes.
After the opening two Motos of the championship in Poland, Mariani has a six-point cushion over Accumolo following his two heat wins. Nuñes is four points further behind in third.
Ends