MEDIA INFORMATION
2026 UIM-ABP World Aquabike Championship
HAS SKI LADIES GP1 BECOME THE MOST EXCITING OF THE AQUABIKING DISCIPLINES?
Thursday, February 12: The 2025 UIM-ABP World and European Continental Aquabike Championship seasons witnessed some frenetic racing across numerous circuit and endurance classes.
But one category stood out as one of the most unpredictable and exciting, particularly during the nine punishing Motos that made up the World Championship season in Indonesia, Sardinia and Qatar.
Benedicte Drange made the perfect start to her World Championship campaign with back-to-back wins in the opening two Motos on Lake Toba. Despite lining up on pole for Moto 3, she was involved in an early crash after contact with Jasmiin Ypraus, retired and slipped back to fourth in the rankings. Estelle Poret took full advantage to take the chequered flag to win the heat from defending champion Ypraus and the ever-improving Naomi Benini in third.
The runner-up spot gave Ypraus the Grand Prix win and the early lead in the title race by a single point from Poret. Despite nursing an injury after her coming together with Sofie Borgström in Moto 2 that resulted in a yellow card, River Varner finished fourth.
Round two took riders to Olbia in Sardinia. Ypraus took the hole shot in Moto 1 but the race was yellow-flagged when Benini took a tumble near the finish. Ypraus held on to take the win from Drange, despite spinning dramatically on her final lap. With Drange leading the way in Moto 2, the outcome was nicely poised before the final Moto with the Norwegian holding a two-point cushion over Ypraus and a five-point lead over Poret.
Ypraus was in trouble: she suffered with a spluttering engine on a back-up ski after her main ski failed to start. Virginie Morlaes claimed the hole shot from Drange and Poret with Ypraus languishing down in 11th place. Morlaes managed to hold off Drange and Poret into lap one but her hood came loose soon after and she was forced to stop and make emergency repairs, the delay letting Drange and Poret through. Ypraus remained in 11th and out of contention for Grand Prix honours.
Drange held off Poret to win the Moto and took Grand Prix honours from Poret and Heloise Delcluze. Poret duly gained a seven-point lead over Drange to take to the final round of the World Championship on the returning event at the Old Port in Qatar.
Estelle Poret headed into her final Qatar showdown with Ypraus defending her World Championship lead. Despite winning Moto 2, Drange’s fuel pump failure in Moto 1 ruled her out of challenging for the world title, although she had a 16-point cushion over Naomi Benini in the battle for third.
Drange started on pole and began to apply the pressure on early leader and European champion Jessica Chavanne. She began to pull away from her rivals as the Moto progressed as champion-elect Poret came under pressure from Ypraus. Drange held on to take her second win of the weekend and Ypraus passed Poret to take the runner-up spot but the final place on the podium was enough for Poret to earn her first world title. She also did enough to take honours in the Grand Prix with Ypraus and Drange finishing second and third in the World Championship.
The return to Doha after a 10-year absence delivered a thrilling climax to a scintillating season that had started just two and a half months before on the deep and mysterious volcanic waters of Sumatra’s Lake Toba.
Poret was never off the podium throughout the season. She won the title by 13 points and earned two Moto wins, three runner-up finishes and four third places. Outgoing champion Ypraus took just one Moto win and seven podium places, while Drange earned six wins and a third but suffered two very costly retirements.
Ends