News
Tuesday, September 1st - This week, the 2026 UIM-ABP Aquabike European Continental Championship draws to a close with the final round of the season, taking place in the French town of Vichy. With the titles for Runabout GP1, Ski GP1, Ski Ladies GP1, Freestyle, GP2 and GP4 among those still to be decided, racing in Vichy will prove decisive across the categories, and champions will once again be crowned on French water.
The contingent of French riders set to race on home turf is unsurprisingly large, with the Poret family alone responsible for a fair share of French representation in the rider field. All three Poret brothers will be battling it out in Ski GP1, as Jeremy, Morgan, and Mickael seek to pick up some vital points at the end of the season. Morgan is currently leading among the Poret trio on 68 points, with former World Champion Jeremy shortly behind him on 66 points. Meanwhile, current European Champion Mickael has struggled in his quest to retain his Championship title, as injuries cut short his racing in the most recent Championship round in Gyor. He has collected just 50 points so far this season, while current Championship leader Quinten Bossche has amassed the full 150 points available.
The Porets will also be represented in Ski Ladies GP1, where current World Champion Estelle will be hoping to end an otherwise underwhelming European campaign on a high. Her clean sweep of all three Motos in Mira in the season’s opener showed that she still has the pace that propelled her to the world title last year, but issues in Gyor that saw her score no points in two Motos mean she is currently languishing in sixth in the standings, well behind current leader Benedicte Drange. For her part, Drange will be feeling the pressure to reclaim the European title that she first won in 2024 but narrowly missed out on retaining last year, after finishing runner-up.
It is an all-French affair at the top of the Runabout GP1 standings, with current European Champion Jeremy Perez leading ahead of challenger Pierre-Francois Savelli. But the young Estonian Mattias Siimann could be poised to cause an upset for the home crowds, as he trails in third place by a significant but surmountable 21 points with three Motos left this season. He has had a remarkable debut season in the GP1 category following his previous dominance in GP2, and has shown the makings of a future title winner and a serious threat to Perez’s decade-long dominance, which dates back to the Frenchman’s first European Runabout GP1 title in 2014.
Perez’s dominance faces another challenge in the form of current World Champion François Medori, who has been absent from the European circuit this year as he concentrates his efforts on his campaign to retain his world title, but who will be racing in Vichy. Medori’s presence adds another major contender to an already fiercely competitive French field, and although he is not in contention for the European title, he could have a significant impact on the outcome of the championship fight.
The full, final entry lists for all categories will be announced on Friday, September 4, after registrations in Vichy close at 8am local time. From there, the winners of this year’s European Championship will be decided across the weekend of racing, and riders will have their last opportunity to battle it out ahead of the opening UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship round of the 2026 season in China, taking place the following month.