Sunday, July 28: The French duo of Pierre-François Savelli and François Medori, Norway’s Benedicte Drange and Dane Oliver Koch Hansen confirmed vital victories in their second Runabout GP2, Runabout GP1, Ski Ladies GP1 and Ski GP1 Motos at the Grand Prix of Vichy on Sunday morning.
Savelli claims second Runabout GP2 Moto win
Pierre-François Savelli had won the opening Moto to increase his lead in the European Championship and he sat on pole for Moto 2 from Belgian Robin Laforge and Germany’s Justin Patzner. His closest title rival Petr Dryjak started the Moto from fourth.
Savelli made a good start and forged into a 4.45-second lead over Laforge with Dryjak moving up to third place through the opening laps. The Frenchman held on to confirm the Moto win by 11.91 seconds and a second haul of 25 points with Laforge, Dryjak, Tom Claerhout, Patzner and Kamil Fadrowski rounding off the top six. Savelli will take a six-point advantage over Laforge into the final Vichy Moto in the afternoon. Julien Venuat was docked a lap for missing a turn buoy and finished down in 11th place.
Medori earns second Runabout GP1 Moto win
World Champion François Medori had pole for the second of the Runabout GP1 Motos, while rivals Samuel Johansson and Lino Araújo were locked in a tussle for European Championship points in the absence of György Kasza. Johansson lined up in second place ahead of Jérémy Perez, Guillaume Hemain and Martin Doulík Junior.
Medori held off his great rival Johansson to gain the early water and headed into lap two with a 2.90-second advantage as Araújo climbed to fourth behind Perez. Ruben Jimenez Riquelme, Andrzej Wisniewski and Rasmus Koch Hansen were not among the 14 starters and Robert Wallenborn retired after two laps.
Hemain regained fourth at the expense of Araújo as Medori continued to hold off the fierce Johansson challenge heading into mid-distance. The Portuguese then repassed Hemain to take fourth place again heading into the final sector of the Moto.
Medori held on to seal a narrow 1.38-second win from a hard-charging Perez after Johansson hit engine trouble and retired on lap nine. Medori now takes an eight-point advantage over Perez into Moto 3. Araújo, Hemain, Linus Lindberg and Manuel Reggiani rounded off the top six but Hemain was later disqualified for a course infringement and his demise lifted Lindberg and Reggiani into fourth and fifth and Doulík Junior into sixth.
Medori said: “Another victory. It is a really good weekend. We have to finish. There are two more Moto, one in circuit and one in Endurance and I try to win both the categories. The battle with Jérémy was very hard. He was faster than me in the last five minutes and I had a lot of problems to pass the others. I hope the battle will be great in the last Moto. I want to thank Teddy (Pons) and all the mechanics. Our skis are really fast and reliable.”
Runner-up Perez said: “I saw Johansson break and I thought I would try and push François. I almost passed him. I am here for the win not for second but the result was good for him and the team.”
Drange seals stunning Ski Ladies GP1 Moto 2 win
Estonia’s Jasmiin Ypraus had beaten Benedicte Drange to Moto 1 success and the European Championship leader lined up on pole for Moto 2 ahead of the Norwegian, Naomi Benini, Virginie Morlaes, Sofie Borgström, Janina Johansson, Jessica Chavanne and Joana Graça. Ypraus was defending a four-point lead in the European Championship.
Ypraus made the better start and led the Moto until Drange saw her chance to sneak through on a split. She then had the measure of her rival on this occasion and managed to stay ahead to the chequered flag to record a memorable 16.86-second win, draw level on points with Ypraus in the battle for Grand Prix glory and trim the Estonian’s lead in the European Championship to a single point in the unofficial standings.
Chavanne came home in third place and Borgström, Morlaes, Benini and Johansson rounded off the finishers. Graça retired after two laps. But Chavanne was later docked two laps for course cutting and Morlaes weas penalised 25 seconds for a start infringement. The penalties meant that Borgström moved up to third from Benini, Johansson, Morlaes and Chavanne.
A delighted Drange said: “It was a really hard Moto. I was pushing Jasmiin all the way. She was leading and I saw a gap, took the other split, gave 110% of my efforts and I got past and it was a victory!”
Oliver Koch Hansen wins Ski GP1 Moto 2
Belgian Quinten Bossche had won the opening Moto and had pole for the second heat from Oliver Koch Hansen, Jeremy Poret, Valentin Dardillat, Benjamin Scharff and Alec Enderli. Morgan Poret had been penalised for course cutting and would have to fight his way through the field in the second Moto.
For once, it was not to be Bossche’s day and a shock non-start for the Belgian saw a frantic battle for supremacy with Koch Hansen emerging from the pack to snatch victory by 19.60 seconds from a resurgent Morgan Poret with Scharff claiming the final step on the Moto podium. Dardillat and Jeremy Poret finished fourth and fifth and Enderli, Axel Courtois, Paul Thomas, Thomas Bento and Daniele Piscaglia rounded off the top 10. Matteo Benino retired after eight laps.
Oliver Koch Hansen said: “It was a really good and I got a good start and I was really happy about it. I always look back to see if they are close to me and whether I have to push a little bit more. I tried to hold my own speed and not use too much energy.”
Runner-up Morgan Poret said: “It was an amazing race. I am so happy because my objective is step-by-step to take one position at a time.”
Scharff added: “I started fifth or sixth and two riders on the first lap but I had some problems to pass Jeremy (Poret) because he is very fast. I lost the second place on the last lap because I was very tired.”
Two Portuguese officials from the final round of the European Championship are present in Vichy this weekend. Tiago Cruz and Bruno Alcaide were introduced to the riders at Sunday morning’s briefing. The coastal town of Mira, located in the Gândara region south of Porto, will host the final round on September 27th-29th.