MEDIA INFORMATION
2025 UIM-ABP World Aquabike Championship
GRAND PRIX OF INDONESIA VICTORIES FOR YRPAUS, OLIVER KOCH HANSEN, MEDORI AND MARIANI AFTER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OPENER
Sunday, August 17: Jasmiin Ypraus, Oliver Koch Hansen, François Medori and Roberto Mariani got their UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship campaigns off to the perfect start with victories in the Ski Ladies GP1, Ski Gp1, Runabout GP1 and Freestyle categories after a dramatic finale to the Grand Prix of Indonesia in Balige on Sunday afternoon.
The final four Motos, which coincided with Indonesia’s celebration of 80 years of independence, drew the curtain on a pulsating five-days of high-speed action in demanding water conditions on Lake Toba. Victories in the third of the Ski Ladies GP1 and Ski GP1 Motos went to Estelle Poret and Koch Hansen, while success in the second of the Runabout GP1 and Freestyle classes went to Medori and Mariani.
Grand Prix glory for Ypraus; Ski Ladies GP2 Moto success for Poret
Benedicte Drange had two maximum scores under her belt and was the clear favourite for a third Ski Ladies GP1 Moto win and the Grand Prix title. She lined up on pole but an early crash after contact with Jasmiin Ypraus sidelined the Norwegian and threw the outcome of the Grand Prix wide open. She did try and continue but was forced to retire with the support of the course marshals and slipped to fourth in the championship standings.
Estelle Poret took full advantage of her rival’s demise to take the chequered flag to win the heat by 4.916 seconds from the defending World Champion Ypraus with the ever-improving Naomi Benini taking third.
Poret said: “I was so happy with this Moto 3 win. It was a big challenge for me. It was my first international race since I had my injury and my first win. We had a big challenge with the logistics and I am here with a new ski, my brother’s ski. It was difficult for me because I did not know the ski.”
Jessica Chavanne took the hole shot but Poret found a way past on the second lap. The French girl held second place until lap four when she took a tumble into the water and slipped back to sixth.
Poret held on to win the race, but second place was sufficient for Ypraus to claim victory in the Grand Prix of Indonesia by a single point from Poret and take an early lead in the World Championship. Despite nursing an injury after her coming together with Sofie Borgström in Moto 2 that resulted in a yellow card, River Varner finished fourth and Chavanne recovered to take fifth ahead of Virginie Morlaes, Joana Graça, Borgström and Janina Johansson.
Ypraus said: “Sometimes you have to play it smart. I did the maths, so I knew I was safe staying in P2. I did not want to push it too much. It was nice to see Estelle win the Moto as well. I am happy for her. I am happy with the weekend. For the next rounds, we have to find some speed from the ski as well.”
Ski GP1 Grand Prix triumph for Koch Hansen with Moto 3 win
Oliver Koch Hansen had pole position for the last of the Ski GP1 Motos and a slender lead in the Grand Prix over Jéremy Poret, but his rival claimed the hole shot in the final showdown from Toshi O’Hara and the Dane. World Champion Quinten Bossche had been the man to beat in qualifying and the opening Moto but an engine issue had forced him out of Moto 2 and the gremlins struck again in Moto 3 when he was sidelined on the opening lap, along with O’Hara, who also experienced engine woes.
Koch Hansen then began to apply the pressure on Jéremy Poret and the two were running neck and neck through the mid laps of the race. But the Dane’s pressure finally told and he managed to find a way passed to snatch the led. From then on, it was plain sailing for the Dane and he reached the chequered flag 17.506 seconds ahead of his French rival to earn Grand Prix glory in emphatic style.
Sixteen-year-old Yoni Hamelin of Belgium continued his impressive climb through the classes with a podium finish. Alex Barret and Anthony Beernaut rounded off the top five and Mickael Poret, Soshi Sato, Valentin Dardillat, Benjamin Scharff and Ander-Hubert Lauri wrapped up the remaining places in the top 10. Mickael Poret’s result was all the more impressive bearing in mind he had moved through from the rear of the field after retiring from Moto 2.
A triumphant Koch Hansen said: “I feel amazing. We have worked so hard for this. It is five years since I joined Ski GP1, two times as a mechanic and three times doing it myself. To come in in first place is just fantastic.”
Back-to-back Moto wins gives Medori overall Runabout GP1 victory
François Medori had got the better of his rivals in Moto 1 and the reward for the Corsican pharmacist was pole for the deciding second Runabout GP1 Moto, ahead of Samuel Johansson, Jéremy Perez and Pierre-François Savelli.
But it was Johansson, the defending World Champion, who earned the hole shot and snatched the early advantage from Perez, Medori. Mechanical issues had sidelined György Kasza in Moto 1, but the Hungarian stormed through from the rear of the field to take fourth. Savelli settled into fifth and the quintet began to pull away from their rivals.
Medori was able to pass Perez and grab second place and, two laps later, he managed to take Johansson and the outright lead. He held off the hard-pushing Swede for the rest of the Moto to record a 4.216-second win, another maximum haul of 25 points and success in the Grand Prix of Indonesia. Second place also gave Johansson the runner-up spot in the Grand Prix and Perez was third.
Kasza made up for his Moto 1 disappointment with fourth and Savelli rounded off the top five. The remainder of the field had been lapped by the leading quintet but Andrzej Wisniewski and Linus Lindberg had been locked in their own little battle for sixth and the Pole grabbed the position after a late engine issue for the Swede. He slipped to an eventual eighth behind Juan Cruz Lezcano. Tory Snyder and Ruben Jimenez Riquelme rounded off the top 10. Martin Doulík pulled out two laps from the finish.
Medori said: “The race was really hard. I started in pole position but Samuel was first and I knew that if I wanted to win, I would have to pass him. I pushed to my maximum and I passed Jéremy and Samuel and I tried to manage the gap between me and Samuel and finish the race in first position. I am really happy because, last year, I always win Moto 1 and Samuel wins Moto 2, so I never win the race. This time I win Moto 1 and Moto 2 and I am really happy.”
Second Freestyle Moto win gives Mariani Grand Prix success
European Champion Roberto Mariani had taken a comfortable win in the opening Freestyle Moto and the Italian was not to be denied in Moto 2 either. He delivered another strong performance on the water with variety, quality content and character to entertain the massive Indonesian crowd and also impress the judges.
He was awarded 196 points for his programme of somersaults, back flips, spins and fountains in choppy water conditions and that was enough to get the better of runner-up Massimo Accumolo by nine points. Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashid Al-Mulla had suffered issues with his own ski and was forced to borrow one from his Portuguese rival Paulo Nuñes. He was given 173 points for his on-water programme and Nuñes was fourth on 117 points.
With the scores from the two Motos combined, Mariani claimed the Grand Prix win from Accumolo, Al-Mulla and Nuñes.
Ends