News
Wednesday, August 26 - Final preparations are underway for the closing round of the 2026 UIM Aquabike European Continental Championship, taking place September 4-6 in Vichy, France. With rider registration now open, riders from all over Europe and beyond now make up an ever-growing provisional entry list.
As with last year, the honour of closing the season has been given to Vichy, the French town with a long and storied history of Aquabike racing. This means that yet again, the victors in Runabout GP1, Ski GP1, Ski Ladies GP1, and Freestyle and the other GP2 and GP4 categories will be crowned in Vichy at the end of racing on the evening of Sunday, September 6, marking the end of yet another competitive season of European Continental Championship racing.
The weekend’s racing schedule will be particularly packed since, alongside the full slate of European Continental Championship races, the French Powerboating Federation is holding its own set of national racing, meaning Vichy will see non-stop racing action from morning until evening.
Among those already confirmed as racing is Jeremy Perez, the current European Champion and leader of the Runabout GP1 standings. He returns to Vichy hoping to repeat last year’s feat of securing the Championship title on his home country’s turf, but to do so he will need to see off the challenge of fellow Frenchman Pierre-Francois Savelli, who goes to Vichy just 13 points behind Perez and hungry for a first career title.
A far tighter battle will take place in the Freestyle category, where both Massimo Accumulo and Roberto Mariani have confirmed their attendance, with the two Italians separated by a single point in the standings ahead of the season’s final race.ch
Jessica Chavanne goes to Vichy hoping her home advantage will give her that extra boost as the former World Champion seeks to overcome a 16-point deficit with current Championship leader Benedicte Drange in Ski Ladies GP1. Though out of contention for the title due to underwhelming results in Hungary, current World Champion Estelle Poret remains a constant threat for the race win, and will hope to end an otherwise disappointing European campaign with a win on her home turf. Meanwhile, Quinten Bossche remains the man to beat in Ski GP1, having won all his Motos so far this season.
They, and many more rival riders, will arrive in Vichy on Thursday, September 3, with rider registration opening at 9am that morning. Registration closes the following day, Friday September 4, at 8am, soon after which racing will commence and the 2026 European Champions crowned.