Tuesday, 15 September: The battle to be crowned UIM-ABP Aquabike World Champion is building nicely in all categories as the tour returns to the River Liu in Liuzhou for the Grand Prix of China on 3-4 October, the penultimate round of the 2015 campaign.

With the European Continental Championship over and national championships drawing to a close, riders attentions now focus on the run in for the biggest prize of all and the next round in China which immediately follows round 4 of the UIM F1H2O World Championship.

This years’ event round 3 of 4 is the seventh visit to Liuzhou, a venue where a clutch of current competitors have enjoyed success and where world titles have been decided; last year Teddy Pons grabbed a heat win to secure his second Runabout title five years after winning his first there in 2009 and has finished on the podium as runner up three times. But the Frenchman needs a return to winning ways if he is to stand any chance of successfully defending his crown and is currently 38 points adrift in eighth place.

2014 also saw Sweden’s Lars Sebastien Akerblom take his first heat win and overall GP title, with Poland’s Andrzej Wisniewski grabbing his first podium slot. A year earlier Kuwaiti Yousef Al Abdulrazzaq took both heat wins and the GP title on route to his world title, Francois Medori winning both heats and the Championship in 2012.

Liuzhou is also a significant venue for Jeremy and Mickael Poret who have dominated the Ski tour since 2010 lifting five World titles; Jeremy winning both heats in 2014 and 2011 and finishing runner– up to Nacho Armillas in 2012 to secure his three World crowns, elder brother Mickael taking overall victory and the title in 2010 and finishing on the podium in third in 2013 on the way to his second title. In Ski Ladies Jennifer Menard did the Liuzhou double to secure her first world title in 2014.

In Freestyle the top two steps of the podium have belonged to the Florjancic brothers, Rok on top in 2014, 2013 and 2011, Nac in 2012, but it is Nac who has the upper hand heading there this year, winning both GP titles and leading his elder brother and defending Champion by four points.