Sunday, 11 June, VIESTE (Italy): France’s Estelle Poret capped a memorable 10 days in Italy after winning her second Grand Prix title of the season with victory in Moto2 at the UIM-ABP Aquabike Grand Prix of the Mediterranean.

 

Second place overall went to defending champion and Moto1 winner Emma-Nellie Ortendahl despite only managing fourth today, with Kylie Ellmers’ second place sealing the remaining podium place.

 

With the start of Moto2 delayed due to strong winds and large swells it was the 11 riders in Ski Ladies who were first to take on the testing conditions.

 

Poret made a poor start and was lying in third at the end of lap 1 with New Zealander Ellmers out front and Italy’s Marta Sorrentino in second place.

 

Ellmers led for five of the eight laps but it was Poret who was on the charge, passing Sorrentino on lap 2 and then Ellmers to hit the front and go on to win comfortably by 15.42s. “It’s perfect and an amazing two weeks for me in Italy,” said Poret after winning her third career Grand Prix title. “The conditions were very difficult and I got off to a poor start. I was very careful throughout the race and made sure not to make mistakes and I think that is what got me to the front.”

 

Today’s result keeps Estelle Poret on top of the championship points’ standings with 86, 10 clear of Ortendahl with Ellmers in third with 72.

 

Ellmers third place today continued her great run of form in 2017 and on her relatively untested new SDC ‘whale’, racking up four top three finishes and two podiums.

 

If the conditions were too much for champion Ortendahl, Marta Sorrentino relished in them getting her best result for a long time with a fantastic ride to third to take fourth overall and saying at the end ‘I told you. I am from Sardinia. We don’t fear the waves’.

 

UIM-ABP newcomer Krista Uzare took her best result with fifth, finishing ahead of Jonna Borgstrom.

 

For full classifications: www.aquabike.net/results