Thursday, 19 march: H2O Racing has confirmed that round 2 of the 2015 UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship will be held in Castro in the Province of Lecce, Italy on 22-24 May.

The stunning ancient City of Castro on Italy’s southern-eastern Adriatic coast south of Lecce, known as the ‘Pearl of Salento’,  is gearing-up to host the world’s most prestigious Aquabike Championship and spectators can expect to be treated to a weekend of spectacular racing and entertainment by the elite riders on the UIM-ABP tour. “Castro is a stunning new venue for us and we are delighted to be racing in Italy again and express our thanks to the City and the Mayor of Castro, Alfonso Capraro, local organizer Mariangela de Carlo, owner of Maison de Créatif and the organizing committee for all their hard work in preparation for the event.” said H2O Racing’s marketing director Raimondo di San Germano. “We would also like to thank the Mayor of Poggiardo, Giuseppe Colafati and the Mayor of Ortelle, Francesco Rausa for their support.”

World, European and National Champions will head-up maximum rider line ups with competitors from over 15 countries set to renew rivalries in Runabout, Ski and Freestyle, with the night time Slalom World Championship and Freestyle show adding to what will be a packed weekend of action.

In runabout Italian hopes lie squarely on the shoulders of former World Champion Mattia Fracasso and Lorenzo Benaglia who will have to overcome a trio of French World Champions and the current leader from Qatar, Thamer Al Darwish.

Twenty-one-year-old Nacho Armillas and defending World Champion Jeremy Poret share the points lead in Ski with Spaniard Armillas striking the psychological blow, taking the GP win last time out, with the always competitive Alberto Monti flying the flag for Italy.