Monday, 10 February: Aquabike Promotion has revealed a star-studded line up for the 2014 season with an initial entry of 45 riders from 16 countries set to compete for the most prestigious titles in World racing, the UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championships in Runabout and Ski GP1 and Freestyle.

The list reads like a who’s who of the best-of-the-best in World competition with Champions past and present across the categories peppering the entry list.

In the sport’s Blue Riband category, Runabout GP1, Kuwait’s reigning World Champion Yousef Al Abdulrazzaq will face intense competition and reignites his duel with last year’s runner-up and 10-times World Champion Cyrille Lemoine who heads a quartet of French stars, 2012 World Champion Francois Medori, 2009 World Champion and 2011 Karujet winner Teddy Pons and the 2013 UIM-ABP World Ranking points leader Jeremy Perez, with Italy’s Mattia Fracasso looking to regain the title he won in 2011.

The line-up in Ski GP1 is equally as spectacular and celebrated and will see France’s Mickael Poret defend the crown he won in such dramatic fashion in Abu Dhabi last year from the 2013 European Champion, Portugal’s Tiago Sousa and Italy’s multiple Champion, Alberto Monti.

Adding to the strength in depth in talent in Ski is the welcome return of double World Champion Jeremy Poret, who along with the youngest of the three Poret brothers, Morgan, will be intent on keeping the Poret name on the World Championship trophy  – a title the Poret dynasty has  held since 2010.

Looking to usurp the 19-riders from Europe and try to take the title back across the Atlantic to the USA is simply one of the biggest and most acclaimed names in World racing, Macc Racing’s 18 times World Champion from Lake Havasu, Arizona, Chris MacClugage.

At this stage it looks like a new Champion will be crowned in Ski Ladies with last year’s runner-up Marta Sorrentino joined by France’s Jennifer Menard, Japanese rider Yuki and 17 year-old Estelle Poret.

In Freestyle Serbia’s Aleksandar Petrovic faces the daunting prospect of taking on a trio of superstars; Slovenia’s defending World Champion Rok Florjancic, who took maximum points last season and is unbeaten in eight Grand Prix outings on the UIM-ABP tour, 2012 World Champion Nac Florjancic and the Italian showman and 2009 and 2011 World Champion Valerio Calderoni.

The opening round of five scheduled Grand Prix in 2014 sees the UIM-ABP World Championship return to Doha, Qatar for the fourth time on the 6-8 March for what promises to be a spectacular season-opener.