Saturday, 12 September: Second place in Valras was enough for Portugal’s Beatriz Curtinhal to be crowned Queen of Europe after beating off the challenges of Swdeen’s Jonna Borgstrom and France’s Jennifer Menard.

The 21-year-old from Lisbon, racing on a Spanish licence and now living in Altea [Spain] stamped her authority from the beginning of the series winning both heats and round 1 in Croatia, matching Jennifer Menard on points in Spain then winning in Portugal, her runners-up slot in Valras securing the title by 35 points.

Menard showed what a great competitor she is and, despite the title being all but beyond her grasp as she lined up in Valras showed why she is also the defending world champion, coming out and winning both heats ahead of Curtinhal with Sweden’s Jonna Borgstrom in third.