Sunday, July 28: Belgian Yoni Hamelin, Czech Petr Dryjak, Frenchman Baptiste Calmels, Italian girl Ilaria Vanni, Montenegrin Mio Petrovic, Lithuania’s Grantas Gurkšnys and Hungary’s Csongor Jászai clinched Grand Prix victories in the Ski GP3, Runabout GP4, Ski GP4, Runabout GP4 Ladies, Ski Junior 3.3, Runabout GP4 Junior and Ski GP2 categories at the Grand Prix of Vichy on Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Hamelin and Frenchman Anthony Errecart emerged triumphant from three absorbing Motos in the Ski Expert (not UIM) and Veteran GP1 classes to take the Grand Prix win even though Dutchman Daan Hoeke won the third Ski Expert Moto.
Ski GP3 Grand Prix success for Hamelin
Belgium’s Yoni Hamelin began the final Ski GP3 Moto with 50 points on the board and a six-point lead over fellow countryman Michael Van Reybroeck. There was a three-way tie for third place between Manuel Leite, Phil Segers and Loris Lambert.
Hamelin made the perfect start and was never troubled as he confirmed a third Moto win of the weekend, a maximum 65 points score and the race victory by 34.69 seconds from Segers after Van Reybroeck had slipped back early in the race and finished in an eventual fifth place behind Bram Hoeke and Lambert. Manuel Leite rounded off the top six after Hungary’s Lajos Komonyi was docked 25 seconds for missing the hole shot. Van Reybroeck’s consolation was finishing second in the Grand Prix ahead of Segers as Belgians locked out the podium with a 1-2-3 finish.
Hamelin said: “It was really good. There were many waves and I like it when we have waves. I took three hole shots and managed to stay in front during every race and I am really happy about it.”
Dryjak earns Runabout GP4 Grand Prix success
Czech Petr Dryjak had won the opening two Motos and started the final heat on pole with a six-point lead over Ibiza-based Spaniard Alejandro Prats Palau in the Grand Prix standings. Dovydas Kutra, Christian Cagnard, Adrien Bussolon and Juliusz Roman were aiming to steal their thunder on the last race of the weekend.
The Czech made a good start to stay ahead of Prats Palau, although the duo and Kutra were closely matched throughout the Moto. Dryjak eventually crossed the finish line 2.47 seconds in front of Kutra after the Lithuanian passed the Spaniard near the finish. Cagnard and Bussolon came home in fourth and fifth with Roman suffering a disqualification for a course infringement. Dryjak duly earned the Grand Prix win by nine points with Prats Palau holding off Kutra to finish second after the three Motos.
Dryjak said: “Moto 2 and Moto 3 were super challenging for me because I had a little injury with my knee. After Moto 1, in GP2, I fell in the water and that was a little bit difficult. The other riders were super-fast and that made it even harder. But I still managed to get the number one and I am super happy for it.”
Calmels recovers to win Ski GP4 Grand Prix
Baptiste Calmels had beaten European Championship leader Yoni Hamelin to victory in the first two Motos and was defending a six-point Grand Prix lead from the pole at the start of Moto 3. Mathys Mezière was 10 points adrift in third place, as the likes of Mickael Traclet, Philippe Achard, Daniils Potrivailo Jennifer Poret and Grantas Gurkšnys looked to finish the weekend in winning style.
Hamelin gained the early advantage but Calmels was not to be denied and a terrific tussle ensured between the two riders with Calmels managing to sneak through to snatch a narrow victory by just 0.72 seconds. Mezière finished the heat in third and Traclet, Potrivailo and Coutier rounded off the top six. Poret was docked two laps for course cutting and slipped to ninth, while Gurkšnys was awarded a 25-second penalty for a start infringement and finished seventh. Achard was not classified after several course cutting violations at the end of a contest where Calmels sealed the Grand Prix win from Hamelin and Mezière.
Calmels said: “It was hard, a lot of riders, but it was good to win here and I am very happy.”
Bramm wins third Moto; Vanni secures Runabout GP4 Ladies Grand Prix
Ilaria Vanni headed European Championship leader Cyrielle Bramm by six points coming into the third of the Vichy Motos to determine the Grand Prix winner. She lined up on pole with the likes of Nikola Dryjakova, Nicole Cadei, Markéta Hollerová and Volia Dzikovich, Luísa Beja, Astra Gurkšnytė, Ludovica Urlo and Arianna Urlo aiming to spoilt the party.
Vanni was not to be denied her moment in the European spotlight although she was pipped to the Moto 3 win in the dying seconds by Bramm. The French girl stormed through to win the heat by 3.66 seconds, although Vanni celebrated the Grand Prix win by just three points. The result set up the prospect of a thrilling European Championship showdown in Portugal in September.
Dryjakova beat Dzikovich to third place in the heat and Cadei and Ludovica Urlo rounded off the top six after Arianna Urlo retired at the start.
Vanni said: “The start was good and I pushed until the last lap. The course was a little bit crazy but, the last lap, Cyrielle passed me but I am happy because I am first (in the Grand Prix).”
Hamelin and Errecart confirm GP1 Expert and Veteran GP1 GP wins
Yoni Hamelin and Anthony Errecart led their respective GP1 Expert and Veteran GP1 categories by eight and four points heading into the final Moto, with Daan Hoeke and Jeremy Rathoin keen to deprive Hamelin of the Grand Prix win. Errecart headed Eddy Godon Motos, Gabor Szabo and Virginie Morlaes in Veteran GP1.
Rathoin got ahead of his rivals at the start of the Moto to lead from Daan Hoeke and Hamelin with Errecart on top from Szabo, Morlaes and Godon in the Veteran GP1 class. Daan Hoeke managed to pass Rathoin and take the lead and the Dutchman held on to the finish to claim the Moto win by 8.03 seconds. But victory was not sufficient to prevent third-placed Hamelin from sealing Grand Prix success in the GP1 Expert class. Csongor Jászai finished the Moto in fourth ahead of Robin Sylvester and Alex Barret and that earned the Hungarian third in the Grand Prix after a tie-breaker with Sylvester. Alexandre Girel retired after two laps.
In Veteran GP1, Errecart earned the Moto win from Morlaes, Godon and Szabo to confirm Grand Prix success.
Mio Petrovic earns Ski Junior 3.3 GP win; Moto 3 heat win for Arthebise
Quentin Duporte held a mere one-point lead over Mio Petrovic at the start of the final Ski Junior 3.3 Moto but Belgian rider Maxime Arthebise had pole for the heat from Lajos Komonyi and Petrovic. Arthebise held his line and managed to stay out in front with Komonyi, Mio Petrovic and Duporte in tow. Via Petrovic retired on the opening lap.
Arthebise held on to deservedly win the third Moto by 4.81 seconds but it was not enough for the Belgian to challenge for Grand Prix honours, as Komonyi reached the finish in second place ahead of Mio Petrovic, the Montenegrin doing just enough to win the Grand Prix at the expense of Duporte, who finished fifth behind Mansour Abuljadayel.
Gurkšnys wins Runabout GP4 Junior Grand Prix; Moto 3 success for Kutra
Pole-sitter Grantas Gurkšnys lined up with a six-point cushion over fellow Lithuanian Erikas Butkus at the start of the third Runabout GP4 Moto. Aurora Filiberti, Dovydas Kutra and Adas Zalagaitis were tied for third place on 36 points apiece.
Kutra was not going to make it easy for Gurkšnys and he moved into the lead and managed to win the Moto by 9.28 seconds but second place was sufficient for Gurkšnys to confirm victory in the Grand Prix. Butkus claimed the runner-up spot from the Moto-winning Kutra.
Csongor Jászai earns Moto 3 and GP victories in Ski GP2
European Championship leader Csongor Jászai had won both of the Ski GP2 Motos over the weekend and aimed to defend a 10-point cushion over Matteo Valente in the final heat. An exciting tussle for the remaining podium places was brewing with Manuel Leite, Lionel Bourrel and Luuk Hoeke in contention after Daan Hoeke’s retirement in Moto 2.
The best line of defence was to attack and Jászai hit the front through the opening lap and moved clear of Luuk Hoeke, Jerry Olin, Valente, Daan Hoeke and Leite. The Hungarian held on to win the Moto by 5.79 seconds and clinch the Grand Prix win with Luuk and Daan Hoeke, Olin, Valente and Leite rounding out the top six. Valente held on to second place in the Grand Prix and Luuk Hoeke finished third.