MEDIA INFORMATION
2025 UIM-ABP European Continental Aquabike Championship
GRAND PRIX OF MIRA GLORY FOR KOPPAS, DAAN HOEKE, DRYJAKOVA, LEITE, KETE AND SEPP
Sunday, July 6: The third of the Motos at the Grand Prix of Mira, Portugal on Sunday morning decided the outcome of several of the secondary categories.
Strong winds forced race officials to slightly delay the start of the morning’s action and then Estonian Henri Koppas and Dutchman Daan Hoeke confirmed Grand Prix success in the Runabout GP4 and Ski GP2 classes that kickstarted the final day’s racing.
Czech racer Nikola Dryjakova held her nerve to secure Grand Prix victory with a Moto 3 win from pole position in the Runabout GP4 Ladies category. Manuel Leite gave the home crowd something to shout about by confirming overall victory in Ski GP3 with a Moto 3 win and young Hungarian Leo Kete completed a clean sweep of Ski Junior GP3.3 heat wins to secure his title.
The last of the morning’s Motos featured the Runabout GP4 Juniors: Katarina Sepp confirmed the Grand Prix win with second place in a heat where fellow Estonian Kimily Lepp took the winner’s laurels.
Moto 3 victory gives Koppas Runabout GP4 Grand Prix title
Pole-sitter Henri Koppas and Grantas Gurkšnys had shared a win apiece in the opening two Runabout GP4 Motos and were tied on 43 points at the start of the deciding third heat. The Estonian lined up ahead of Karol Puzelevic, Dovydas Kutra, Gurkšnys, Arti Mölter, Alejandro Prats-Palau, Erikas Butkus and Juliusz Roman.
Koppas made the best start and moved ahead of Kutra, Puzelevic and Prats Palau, the Estonian moving 1.83 seconds ahead of his nearest Lithuanian rival through lap one. Gurkšnys was down in sixth but he moved ahead of Mölter and into fifth on lap two.
The leading sextet then held station through the halfway point, although Kutra continued to apply the pressure on Koppas. But the Estonian was not to be denied and a second Moto win of the weekend by just 1.11 seconds secured the Grand Prix win for the Tallinn rider. Third-placed Kutra edged out fifth-placed Gurkšnys for the silver medal position by a single point. Puzelevic finished the Moto in second place and equal third in the Grand Prix.
In the overall European Championship standings, Poland’s Juliusz Roman (114 points) saw his lead trimmed to six points by Gurkšnys with Kutra, Puzelevic and Prats Palau in close attendance.
Daan Hoeke seals GP success with Ski GP2 Moto 3 win
Marlon Tiik and Daan Hoeke were separated by five points at the start of the final Ski GP2 Moto with Karl Joosep Steinberg nine points adrift. The latter lined up on pole ahead of the two class front-runners, Martim Marques, Luuk Hoeke, Mansour Abuljadayal and Marten Tikk.
Daan Hoeke made the better start and headed Steinberg and Marques through lap one with Marlon Tiik down in fifth of the seven runners and with it all to do to win the Grand Prix. The Estonian then displaced Abuljadayal to snatch fourth, as Hoeke pulled clear of Steinberg at the front of the field and set his sights on Grand Prix glory. Tiik passed Marques to take third place but still needed to overhaul Steinberg to prevent losing the race weekend on a tie-breaker.
Hoeke romped to the chequered flag and the 25 points, 47.18 seconds clear of Steinberg and, despite finishing third, Tiik had to settle for second place in the Grand Prix ahead of Steinberg and Marques. Luuk Hoeke completed just eight of the 10 laps.
Daan Hoeke (129 points) now leads the European Championship by 10 points from Steinberg. Marlon Tiik, Luuk Hoeke and Marques complete the top five.
Dryjakova seals Runabout GP4 Ladies GP success with Moto 3 win
Former European champion Nikola Dryjakova began the last of the Runabout GP4 Ladies Motos with a five-point lead over Italian rival Ilaria Vanni. The two lined up in first and second places for the decider with Aurora Filiberti, Katriin Nilbe and Kimily Lepp running close behind. Katrina Sepp was in sixth but just two points adrift of Vanni in the battle for Grand Prix success.
Dryjakova made the best start and led the way from Filiberti, Vanni, Ester Rosin and Nicole Cadei through lap one and the Czech held her position for the next few laps. With Sepp struggling down in 10th position, the pressure was off Vanni for second place in the Grand Prix but the Italian was unable to make in-roads into Dryjakova’s lead.
The Czech reached the chequered flag 2.25 seconds ahead of Filiberti to confirm the Moto 3 win and Grand Prix success. Vanni came home third ahead of Cadei to take the runner-up spot over the weekend and the bronze medal went to Filiberti. Sepp finished the last race in a disappointing 11th position and slipped to fourth in the Grand Prix rankings. Dryjakova duly extended her European Championship lead over Vanni and Rosin.
Leite and Kete confirm Grand Prix wins in Ski GP3 and Ski Junior GP3.3
Portugal’s Manuel Leite began the last of the Ski GP3 Motos with a 10-point cushion over a tying Michael Van Reybroeck and Alexandre Bourgeois. Leo Kete only had to finish the Moto to beat Maxime Arthebise to Ski Junior GP3.3 glory.
Leite took the start ahead of Loris Lambert, Bourgeois, Van Reybroeck and Heloise Delcluze. The Portuguese began well and led from Lambert, Van Reybroeck and Bram Hoeke through lap one. Lambert continued to apply the pressure but Leite held his nerve and secured a 2.07-second heat win to take the Grand Prix win on home waters. Lambert edged out Van Reybroeck on a tie-breaker for the silver medal at the Grand Prix.
With the pre-event series leader Csongor Jászai and second-placed Dorijan Jakopanec not making the trip to Portugal, the European Championship is now wide open. Leite (123 points) leads the way by three points from Lambert and then Van Reybroeck and Bourgeois in a fascinating contest.
Kete stayed clear of Arthebise to win the Ski Junior GP3.3 Grand Prix and also extended his European Championship lead with a sixth straight Moto win and a maximum 150 points.
Sepp holds on to win Runabout GP4 Junior GP; Moto 3 win for Lepp
Katrina Sepp had endured a disappointing run in the last of the Runabout GP4 Ladies Motos but the Estonian needed to refocus in time to defend a 10-point lead over Aurora Filiberti in the third of the Runabout GP4 Junior heats. She lined up in front of Kimily Lepp, Filiberti, Adas Zalagaitis, Rihard Leinsalu and Jose Vainio for the showdown.
Sepp began brightly and edged ahead of Leinsalu, Lepp, Vainio, Zalagaitis and Filiberti but Leinsalu found a way passed his fellow Estonian and snatched the lead. Sepp then fell behind Lepp as well but third place would be sufficient for her to seal the Grand Prix with Filiberti running down in sixth.
Leinsalu held on to earn the heat win by 11.87 seconds from Lepp and Sepp made it an Estonian 1-2-3 to seal victory in the Grand Prix. Vainio, Zalagaitis and Filiberti rounded off the top six.
But Leinsalu was later docked two laps for course cutting and slipped to sixth place. His demise handed the heat win to Lepp from Sepp, Vainio, Zalagaitis and Filiberti. Lepp duly earned the silver medal in the Grand Prix from Filiberti.
Filiberti (121 points) moved into a slender five-point lead over a tying Zalagaitis and Leinsalu after six Motos in the European Championship. Lepp is a mere two points behind in fourth.
Ends