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Sunday, September 6: The final round of the 2026 UIM-ABP Aquabike European Continental Championship, hosted in the French town of Vichy, provided the backdrop for the crowning of this year’s European Champions.

After dominating Moto 1, current Runabout GP1 World Champion Francois Medori went even further in Moto 2, winning the race by a stunning 56.87 seconds ahead of second-placed Jeremy Perez. “Moto 2 was perfect for us. We won again [with] a really good start, and I pushed to the maximum,” Medori said of his Moto 2 win. In Moto 3, Medori went even further, lapping his closest challenger, Perez, and setting a best lap that was more than six seconds faster than anyone else’s.

The current World Champion therefore easily claimed the Grand Prix of Vichy win, but Medori’s absence from the season’s other European rounds meant he was not in contention for the title, regardless of how well he performed in Vichy. Perez was therefore able to retain his Runabout GP1 European Championship, amassing 197 points throughout the season, with Pierre-Francois Savelli a distant second on 167 points.

Going into Moto 2, Quinten Bossche had won every single race so far this season, and the Belgian clearly had no intention of breaking his winning streak. He took the holeshot and, from there, did what he has done so many times already this year: built up a mighty lead that saw him cruise over the finish line long before any of his competitors. In Moto 2, that lead was 41.34 seconds. In Moto 3, Bossche did it again, though this time by a more modest margin of 27.31 seconds.

With his perfect win record in Vichy and throughout the season, Bossche completes a legendary European campaign with Grand Prix of Vichy gold and the Ski GP1 European Championship, perhaps the most clearly deserved title of the season.

Current Ski Ladies GP1 European Champion Jessica Chavanne took the holeshot in Moto 2, with current World Champion Estelle Poret hot on her heels and keen to retake the race lead. Poret closely shadowed Chavanne, looking for an opportunity to overtake throughout the Moto’s opening laps, and finally found the space to make her move on the seventh lap, giving Poret the Moto 2 win by a margin of 3.58 seconds. Poret then took no chances in Moto 3, delivering an assured performance that saw her cross the finish line with a healthy 8.95-second lead over second-placed Benedicte Drange.

Having won all the Motos, Poret therefore comfortably triumphed in the Grand Prix of Vichy and took the gold on her home soil. But her European Championship campaign never recovered from her poor performance in Hungary, where she finished two Motos without scoring.

Drange was therefore able to reclaim the European Championship she first won in 2024, collecting 194 points this season, ahead of second-placed Chavanne on 184, with Poret third on 166.

Frenchman Steven Royer stole the show in Freestyle Moto 2, wowing the crowds in Vichy with an energetic routine featuring 360s, backflips, and showmanship. The judges awarded him 176 points for his routine, which was enough to secure him the Moto 2 win over current European Champion Roberto Mariani, who amassed 175 points from the judges. Meanwhile, Massimo Accumulo, who came to Vichy leading the Freestyle standings, placed fourth after scoring 160 points, behind Tirner Jaroslav, who received 162 points.

By finishing ahead of Accumulo in both of Vichy’s Motos, Mariani confirmed himself as Freestyle European Champion yet again, meaning he retains the honour of being both the current World and European Champion.