Thursday, July 25: Portugal’s Lino Araújo, Serbia’s Slobodan Sobic and Frenchman Pierre-Marie Vincentelli won their respective GP1, GP2 and GP3 Motos in the UIM-ABP European Endurance Championship at the Grand Prix of Vichy on the Allier River late on Thursday.

O’Sports and officials at Aquabike Promotion were forced to modify the timetable to cram all the free practice sessions into the morning’s itinerary and the first of the 35-minute Endurance Motos rounded off the on-course action. Portugal’s Lino Araújo headed UIM-ABP World Runabout GP1 champion François Medori from pole position in the flagship GP1 category, with Slobodan Sobic and Pierre-Marie Vincentelli leading the way in GP2 and GP3. Anthony Granger was a non-starter.

Araújo managed to fend off Medori through the opening turn buoys and led the Frenchman by 4.03 seconds through the first lap with Spaniard Ruben Jimenez Riquelme and Sweden’s Johan Johansson following close behind. Sobic, a car mechanic by trade, continued to lead in GP2 from Michele Cadei, Sammy Maysonnave and Tom Claerhout, while Vincentelli was running alone in GP3.

The Portuguese has been long overdue a major success on the international stage and he began to edge away from Medori and had increased his lead to 7.653 seconds into lap five. But Medori began to apply the pressure and reduced the gap to 4.59 seconds heading into the seventh tour of the river course and the gap was down to 3.75 seconds on the half-hour mark after 18 laps and to 1.09 seconds after the next lap.

Araújo was not to be denied, however, and the Portuguese maintained his composure over the remaining laps to reach the chequered flag just 1.49 seconds ahead of Medori to claim the Moto win. Jimenez Riquelme, Johansson and Frenchman Alex Barret rounded off the top five after 21 laps. Sobic stayed clear of Cadei and Claerhout to win GP2 and Vincentelli prevailed in GP3. Maysonnave retired from the GP2 tussle after 13 laps and GP1 entrant Alberto Santini only ran for 14 laps.