MEDIA INFORMATION
2025 UIM-ABP European Continental Aquabike Championship
KOPPAS, STEINBERG, DRYJAKOVA, LEITE, SEPP AND VASNYS AMONG MOTO 2 WINNERS
Saturday, July 5: The first three Moto 2s at the Grand Prix of Mira, Portugal took place shortly after midday on Saturday. Victory in the Runabout GP4, Ski GP2 and Runabout GP4 Ladies categories went to the Estonian duo of Henri Koppas and Karl Joosep Steinberg and Czech racer Nikola Dryjakova.
The remainder of the second Motos continued into the afternoon with local rider Manuel Leite prevailing in Ski GP3 for the second time, Leo Kete earning a second Ski Junior GP3.3 success and Katrina Sepp winning Moto 2 in Runabout GP4 Juniors. Mathys Mezière and Domantas Vasnys then prevailed in Ski GP4 and Runabout GP2.
Moto 2 Runabout GP4 glory for Koppas
Grantas Gurkšnys had got the better of Lithuanian rivals Erikas Butkus and Dovydas Kutra in the opening Moto and started Moto 2 from pole position.
Henri Koppas made a strong start and led his 14 rivals through the opening lap from Kutra, Karol Puzelevic, Gurkšnys, Arti Mölter and Alejandro Prats-Palau. The Estonian continued to get the better of his pursuing three Lithuanian rivals, as Baltic State riders locked out the top five places through lap three.
Koppas held on to win the Moto by 1.47 seconds from Puzelevic with Kutra, Gurkšnys, Mölter, Prats Palau and Butkus finishing close behind. Poland’s Juliusz Roman was classified in eighth. The result meant that Koppas and Gurkšnys were tied on 43 points apiece after two Portuguese Motos. Kutra was third on 40.
Steinberg dominates Ski GP2 Moto 2
Marlon Tiik had got the better of Daan Hoeke, Martim Marques and Luuk Hoeke to win the first of the Ski GP2 Motos after runaway leader Karl Joosep Steinberg had been penalised after the heat.
Steinberg was determined to bounce back strongly and the Estonian moved ahead of Tikk and Marques through lap one with Luuk Hoeke and Emirati Mansour Abuljadayal following behind.
Steinberg continued to pull away from his rivals and was able to reach the chequered flag 17.28 seconds ahead of Tiik. Daan Hoeke, Marques, Luuk Hoeke, Abuljadayal and Marten Tiik rounded off the finishers.
Marlon Tiik will now take a five-point lead over Daan Hoeke into the final Moto decide the outcome of the Grand Prix on Sunday. Steinberg is third, nine points behind the leader.
Runabout GP4 Ladies success for Dryjakova
Katarina Sepp had stunned her rivals to win the opening Moto and started on pole for Moto 2 from former champion Nikola Dryjakova and Ilaria Vanni. A timetable amendment meant that this was the last of the Motos in the first session on Saturday.
Dryjakova made the best start and snatched the advantage from Vanni, Aurora Filiberti and the Estonian trio of Katriin Nilbe, Kimily Lepp and Sepp. The Czech led by 3.40 seconds through lap one, although the top six held station through the next few laps and Dryjakova was able to reach the finish 4.28 seconds ahead of Vanni to seal 25 precious points. Filiberti, Nilbe, Lepp and Sepp rounded off the top six.
Dryjakova now has a five-point lead over Vanni in the race for Grand Prix glory. She said: “It was tough and fast and I promised myself today that I would think more about the track. Yesterday, I was a little bit lost so today was much better and I am really happy for that.”
Leite earns second Ski GP3 Moto win; Kete on top again in Ski Junior GP3.3
Portugal’s Manuel Leite and Hungarian youngster Leo Kete had won the first of the Ski GP3 and Ski Junior GP3.3 Motos. Leite began Moto 2 ahead of Michael Van Reybroeck, Alexandre Bourgeois, Bram Hoeke and Loris Lambert.
The Portuguese managed to fend of Lambert and Bourgeois to maintain his advantage through the early exchanges and stayed clear of trouble to earn his second Moto win of the weekend by 3.18 seconds for the host nation. Lambert, Bourgeois, Van Reybroeck and Heloise Delcluze. Kete was able to stay in front of Maxime Arthebise throughout the Moto to earn a second Junior GP3.3 win.
Leite now takes a 10-point lead over a tying Van Reybroeck and Bourgeois into Sunday’s final Ski G{P3 Moto with Kete six points clear of Arthebise in the Juniors.
Second Runabout GP4 Junior success for Sepp
Moto 1 winner Katrina Sepp lined up on pole ahead of Aurora Filiberti, Rihard Leinsalu, Adas Zalagaitis, Ayrton Cecere, Kimily Lepp and Jose Vainio for the second of the Runabout GP4 Junior heats. The Estonian managed to keep her lead through the early turns emerged from lap one with a 5.60-second lead over Lepp. Cecere had moved up to third.
Sepp retained the lead throughout the Moto and reached the chequered flag 2.82 seconds clear of fellow Estonian Lepp with Cecere, Filiberti, Zalagatis, Leinsalu and Vainio running behind to the finish. Sepp will take a 10-point lead over Filiberti into the final Portuguese Moto on Sunday. Lepp is three points further behind in third.
Moto 2 Ski GP4 success for Mezière
Mathys Mezière dominated Ski GP4 Moto 1 and his reward was pole position for the second heat. The Frenchman took the start ahead of Daniils Potrivailo, Grantas Gurkšnys and Lucas Mouchotte.
Moto 1 had been a procession and the second heat developed into something similar with Mezière pulling away from his rivals, who all held their positions. But the stars had not aligned for the Frenchman in Moto 2 and the leader slipped to the rear of the field with Latvia’s Potrivailo inheriting a lead over Gurkšnys.
Mezière was on a charge, he passed Gurkšnys and Mouchotte and managed to regain the lead on the final lap to deprive Potrivailo of the Moto win. Mezière now takes a six-point lead over the Latvian into the final Moto on Sunday.
Vasnys earns Runabout GP2 Moto success
Manuel Reggiani lined up on pole for the second of the Runabout GP2 heats, courtesy of his success in Moto 1, Tom Claerhout, Domantas Vasnys, Daniel Hernández and Fábio Costa were his closest challengers. Alejandro Prats Palau made the early running, however, and grabbed the lead from Vaznys, Reggiani, Miguel De Oliveira, Costa and Claerhout.
The rejuvenated Spaniard stayed out in front of Vasnys as Claerhout overtook De Oliveira and Costa to snatch fourth place. Prats Palau and Vasnys were the class of the field but the Spaniard managed to fend off the Lithuanian’s advances to record a 3.87-second win. Reggiani, Claerhout, De Oliveira and Costa rounded off the top six.
But there was drama after the finish when Prata Palau was deemed to have cut the course and was not classified in the final results. That decision handed the heat win to Vasnys from Reggiani, Claerhout, De Oliveira and Costa. Reggiani now leads Vasnys by two points heading into Sunday’s showdown with Claerhout a further three points behind.
Ends