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Estelle Poret, Oliver Koch Hansen, François Medori and Roberto Mariani clinched UIM-ABP World Aquabike Championship titles in their final Motos at the Old Doha Port Grand Prix of Qatar Saturday afternoon.Poret prevailed in Ski Ladies GP1 for the first time and Koch Hansen took his maiden Ski GP1 title. Medori earned a third world Runabout GP1 title with a stunning Moto 3 win after a shell-shocked series leader Jéremy Perez hit technical trouble om the parade lap and was unable to start the final Moto on time. Italian Roberto Mariani overcame a fierce late challenge from Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al-Mulla to seal the Freestyle crown.Emirati Amer Hawair took the top step of the final Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship podium from Saudi Arabia’s Moto 3-winning Daoud Kaloti and Qatari Mohamed Abumaali.Poret seals maiden Ski Ladies GP1 world title; Moto 3 win for DrangeEstelle Poret headed into her final Moto showdown with Jasmiin Ypraus defending a 15-point lead in the World Championship. Despite winning Moto 2, Benedicte Drange’s fuel pump failure in Moto 1 had ruled her out of challenging for the world title, although she had a 16-point cushion over Naomi Benini in the battle for third.Drange started on pole but Jessica Chavanne claimed the hole shot from Emy Garcia, Drange, Poret, Ypraus and Benini. The current European champion held her lead into lap two and the top six held station with Virginie Morlaes, Sofie Borgström and Janina Johansson running behind. River Varner was a non-starter after trying to change an engine on her ski before the race with support from Tory Snyder’s team.Drange and Poret passed Garcia and Drange began to apply the pressure on the leader, who was under investigation before falling off her bike and tumbling down the field on lap three. Drange continued to pull away from her rivals as the Moto progressed but champion-elect Poret was coming under pressure from title rival Ypraus.Drange held on to take her second win of the weekend by 8.426 seconds and Ypraus passed Poret to take the runner-up spot but the final place on the podium was enough for Poret to earn her first world title. Poret also did enough to take honours in the Grand Prix with Ypraus and Drange finishing second and third in the World Championship.Benini overhauled Garcia to take fourth and Chavanne finished fifth, despite a 40-second penalty for not maintaining her lane. Morlaes, Borgström and Johansson rounded off the finishers after Garcia retired on lap seven of 10.An emotional Poret said: “I don’t know if I have the words. A lot of work went into being here. I am so happy after three years of injury. I want to thank my mechanics for the job they did this season. I also want to thank my brother Jéremy, my parents, my husband. It’s not only me. It’s the people around me that made this happen.”Koch Hansen wins the Ski GP1 world title: Bossche takes Moto 3 victoryA vital podium finish in Moto 2 enabled Oliver Koch Hansen to start the final Ski GP1 heat with an 18-point lead over Jéremy Poret in his quest for a maiden title. Japanese rider Toshi O’Hara had already confirmed the bronze medal position with the runner-up spot in Moto 2 and had a slim chance of finishing second.Garcia’s late problems in the Ski Ladies GP1 Moto prevented Benjamin Scharff from taking the original start of the last Moto on their shared ski. The first start was red-flagged in any case after O’Hara, Reiterer and Koch Hansen had made strong getaways. Riders returned to the start pontoon to try again. Ander-Hubert Lauri was a non-starter.Reiterer stormed through to take the hole shot from Koch Hansen, Valentin Dardillat, O’Hara and Scharff. Outgoing World Champion Quinten Bossche started at the rear of the field and was up to 11th through the opening lap. Reiterer continued to hold off Koch Hansen, Jéremy Poret passed Scharff and a flying Bossche was up to seventh behind Scharff.Bossche overhauled Scharff to take sixth and set his sights on the top five with Reiterer leading from Koch Hansen, Dardillat, O’Hara and Poret. The Belgian bomber thae overtook Poret to snatch fifth but, as it stood, Koch Hansen was world champion and Reiterer was on course for Grand Prix success.In treacherous conditions with big rollers, Bossche turned up the heat and was able to capitalise on a O’Hara mistake to grab fourth with Poret also passing the Japanese. There was no stopping Bossche and he overtook Dardillat and moved into the podium places behind Reiterer and Koch Hansen.With six minutes left, Bossche trailed the leader by 12.335 seconds and he passed Koch Hansen. The Bossche juggernaut proved too much for Reiterer as well and he earned his second win of the weekend to make it five wins from eight starts with three retirements this year. Second place was enough for Reiterer to seal overall Grand Prix success and third earned Koch Hansen a first world title.Dardillat and Poret finished fourth and fifth and Scharff, O’Hara, Yoni Hamelin, Matteo Benini and Anthony Beernaut rounded off the top 10. Dardillat was later awarded a one-lap penalty for missing a buoy and that lifted Poret, Scharff, O’Hara and Hamelin into fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth with Beernaut and Morgan Poret rounding off the final top 10. O’Hara was confirmed as third in both the World Championship and the Grand Prix.An ecstatic Koch Hansen said: “It feels amazing. I had a good start. I knew the others would go all-in. They had nothing to risk and I had a lot to risk. I wanted to be stable and try and keep my position. Everything worked out this weekend. It was an incredible race. Quinten was battling for the win but it was more important for me to win overall. Since I was 12-years-old, I worked towards this and I am now 22. It has taken me 10 years to get to this moment. I am so happy.”Grand Prix winner Reiterer added: “This weekend as a team was really tough. We had boat issues the whole time. We kept improving in each Moto. It paid off in the end. Coming out with the win is phenomenal!”Rampant Medori takes third Runabout GP1 title with sensational Moto 3 win; GP win for Qatar’s al-SharshaniJéremy Perez’s hard-earned Moto 2 victory in Runabout GP1 enabled the Frenchman to take the start of the final heat on pole position ahead of his friend and title rival François Medori. A crankshaft failure had cost the Corsican dearly on Friday afternoon and he trailed by nine points heading into the showdown. The battle for third place was wide open with György Kasza leading the way from Pierre-François Savelli, Linus Lindberg and Andrzej Wisniewski.But disaster struck Perez on the parade lap when his Easy Rider ski stopped and the distraught Frenchman was not able to take the start. Medori needed to pick up just nine points to be World Champion for the third time, although he started at the back of the field. Perez had to suffer the ignominy of watching the Moto unfold from the shoreline before starting the race a lap behind the rest of the field. His only consolation was being safe in second place in the World Championship.Kasza took the hole shot from Qatar’s Waleed al-Sharshani, Savelli, Yousef al-Abdulrazzaq and Tory Snyder. Medori was already up to ninth and then climbed to sixth heading into lap two. Egidijus Kirilevicius, Robin Laforge and Ahmad Al-Khadhari were non-starters. The leading Hungarian continued to pull clear of the pursuing Qatari and al-Abdulrazzaq made his way into third. Perez joined the race at the rear of the field in 20th place.With Perez running at the rear of the field that put a different perspective on the entire race for Medori. He remained in fourth through lap four and Perez climbed to 19th. Medori made it into third on the next lap at the expense of Al-Abdulrazzaq: the Kuwaiti ground to a halt on the course and that lifted Perez into 18th.Medori began to apply the pressure on Al-Sharshani with Kasza retaining the lead that would give him Grand Prix success. Medori made it past the Qatari to claim second and he maintained his pace over the closing laps to confirm the world title with a stunning late heat victory by 4.082 seconds. Kasza finished third behind overall Grand Prix winner al-Sharshani and the Hungarian was also third in the final World Championship standings and second in the GP.Savelli, Lindberg and Ruben Jimenez Riquelme finished fourth, fifth and sixth and Lino Araújo, Khalid Al-Maazmi, Guillaume Hemain and Jean-Baptiste Baldassari rounded off the top 10 after Qatar’s Khaled Jamal Al-Mohannadi lost a potential sixth place late on. Savelli also earned third place in the Grand Prix. Perez limped home in 15th.Medori said: “I came here 16 points in front of Jéremy and Saturday we broke the engine. There was maybe one chance in one million to win. I decided to push my maximum and I tried to take this chance. We always need to be positive. I start from last position and I win the Moto. My team did an incredible job. I am really happy with this title. It was really hard to start at the back. I passed a lot of riders. I win the Endurance and the European Championship. It has been a fantastic season.”Freestyle world title for Mariani; al-Mulla wins the Grand PrixTeam Abu Dhabi’s Rashid al-Mulla had reduced Roberto Mariani’s Freestyle lead to just seven points with his dominant display in the first Moto on Friday evening. Massimo Accumolo was assured of the bronze medal and could still catch both his main rivals in the second Moto that rounded off Qatar’s return to the championship.Kuwait’s Aziz al-Armeli took the early lead in the Freestyle Moto with a 136-point haul from the judges before Qatar’s Bader al-Nama earned 90 points to slip into second before being displaced by David Dzhologua (119 points). Abdulrahman al-Sulaiti scored 120 points and then Frenchman Steven Royer hit the front in fading light with a varied programme that gave him 163 points and the chance of a Moto podium.Accumolo started his programme after a short break in proceedings for the evening prayer time and the Italian scored 208 points. That paved the way for Bader al-Abdullah, Mariani and al-Mulla to draw the curtain on the weekend’s return to Qatar. The Qatari finished fourth in the Moto with 185 pointsMariani confirmed the world title with on-water activities that netted him 223 points and al-Mulla did enough to earn 251 points and take the Grand Prix win with a double back flip to finish his stunning session.Hawair wins Asian Runabout GP2 title; Moto 3 win for KalotiEmirati Amer Hawair headed into the last of the Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Motos with a 10-point cushion over fellow countryman Khalid al-Maazmi and an advantage of 12 points over a tying Daoud Kaloti and Mahmoud Abumaali.Hawair claimed the hole shot and stayed clear of Kaloti, al-Maazmi and Mohamed Abumaali through the opening twists and turns with Mahmoud Abumaali running in fifth. Khalaf al-Kuwari was a non-starter.Al-Maazmi grabbed the lead on the second lap but the Emirati was under investigation from race officials as Hawair settled into second ahead of Kaloti.The racers held their positions into lap five and al-Maazmi held on to take the chequered flag ahead of Kaloti, Mohamed Mahmoud Abumaali, Hawair and Mahmoud Abumaali. Fourth place was sufficient for Hawair to win the inaugural Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship title but he was later promoted to third when al-Maazmi received a 40-second penalty for a start infringement and Kaloti claimed the Moto win by 19.783 seconds from Mohamed Abumaali.

Equipment is in place, registration and scrutineering is over and the world’s finest aquabike riders are now making their final preparations for the start of the Old Doha Port Grand Prix of Qatar Wednesday morning.The new venue is hosting the finale to this year’s UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship under the auspices of the UIM and the guiding hands of Aquabike Promotion and the Doha Marine Sports Club (DMSC).**media[374833]**Riders and team personnel busied themselves with fine tuning their skis after the recent round of the series at Olbia in Sardinia. Ten years ago, the last Qatar race was held in Doha Bay along the Corniche adjacent to the iconic Sheraton Hotel. On this occasion, the Old Port area around the Corniche will host the weekend’s action.Quinten Bossche is the defending Ski Division GP1 World Champion and is making his first appearance in Qatar with the Grand Prix returning after that 10-year absence. He has three Moto wins and three retirements so far this season and is arguably one of the fastest racers on the UIM-ABP tour.**media[374832]**The Ostende-based Belgian said: “I have lost too many points in the championship to do something so I just need to do some good results. With some good luck, I could maybe still finish third. When you come here, especially as the World Champion, you come here for a victory. I try and do my best, set the boat up and finish all the races this time and go for the victory in the GP.“Personally, I would have loved to see the course on the other side (Doha Bay). I like the waves. I think, as a pro ski racer, that is what you like to battle against the weather. For me, that’s a big thing. I love waves and all of the challenge. It puts everybody back at zero. It’s pure skill and the ski doesn’t make a difference any more. I do think with the walls and the fact we have 23 riders (Ski GP1), it’s still going to be a rough race. Everyone has the same issues with the heat. Just stay hydrated and rest.”**media[374834]**Jessica Chavanne is the defending European champion and a former World Champion. Boat damage in Sardinia has now ruled her out of overall title contention but the French girl is looking forward to her first ever race weekend in Qatar. Speaking before a brief ski shakedown on Wednesday afternoon, she said: “I think it will be a good race. I had a delamination on the side of the ski in Sardinia and my hull was under the water. The marshals saved my ski and I had a big shock. That’s why I feel a bit sick. I am really grateful that I had nothing else (injury).“The first goal is to take pleasure. In Indonesia, I had the covid, in Olbia the problem with the hull and now I want to give everything I can and after that we will see. We will make a set-up for me to be more comfortable.”Thursday timetable sees the free practice sessions for the Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship fire into life from 09.30hrs and precede nearly two hours of practice for the Ski Ladies GP1, Ski Division GP1, Runabout GP1 and Freestyle competitors.Thursday afternoon will be dominated by the various qualifying and pole position sessions.

Qatar returns to the 2025 sporting calendar after a 10-year absence to host the final round of the UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship this weekend (October 30-November 1).Aquabike Promotion and the Doha Marine Sports Club (DMSC) will host the three-day Old Doha Port Grand Prix of Qatar on Doha Bay. The event will act as the final round of the World Championship and the stand-alone Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship.The provisional entry features 90 riders from 19 nations, with 28 competing in Runabout GP1, 23 in Ski Division GP1, 13 in Ski Ladies GP1 and a staggering 12 in Freestyle. In addition, 14 will compete in the Asian Continental section of the weekend.Francois Medori heads to Doha with a maximum 100 points for winning four successive Runabout GP1 Motos. The Corsican will be aiming to defend a 16-point advantage over Jeremy Perez, with current World Champion Samuel Johansson somehow retaining third in the rankings, despite picking up just three points from the second of the recent heats in Sardinia.All the major protagonists are among the 28-rider field and they include Pierre-Francois Savelli, Robin Laforge, Gyorgy Kasza, Andrzej Wisniewski, Martin Doulik and Linus Lindberg.The host nation will be represented by Khalid al-Mohannadi and Waleed al-Sharshani and the Emirati trio of Khalid al-Maazmi, Khalifa Belsalah and Mohammed Mohsin boost the regional entry.The Qatar event also sees the dramatic return of five-time World Champion Yousef al-Abdulrazzaq and fellow Kuwaiti riders, Rashed al-Dawas and Ahmad al-Khadhari.Dane Oliver Koch Hansen arrives in Doha with an 11-point lead over Jeremy Poret in the battle for the Ski Division GP1 world title. The leading racers on the planet battled it out in three gripping Motos in Sardinia two weeks ago with a pair of victories for Belgian Quinten Bossche sandwiching a lone win for Mickael Poret.Reliability issues have plagued defending champion Bossche this season, however, and three Moto wins have been coupled with three non-finishes. That was left the Ostende racer languishing in sixth in the standings behind Koch Hansen, Jeremy Poret, Japan’s Toshi O’Hara, Mickael Poret and young Belgian Yoni Hamelin.All of the title contenders will be present in Doha where they line up against the likes of former champion Kevin Reiterer, Anthony Beernaut, Morgan Poret, Benjamin Scharff and Axel Courtois.Nizar Abuljadayel represents the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is the only GCC entrant in the field.The fight for honours in Ski Ladies GP1 promises to be a classic and 13 riders are making the trip to Qatar for the three-Moto finale. Estelle Poret has a seven-point cushion over Benedicte Drange with defending champion Jasmiin Ypraus a further point adrift in third. Naomi Benini and Virginie Morlaes are tied for fourth, albeit 35 points behind the leading French girl.Drange has taken four wins from six Motos but suffering a costly retirement from the third Moto in Indonesia. Poret has never been off the podium and won one heat, while Ypraus had a win and four podium finishes before engine issues plagued her before the last of the Motos in Sardinia.The Estonian’s number one ski failed to start and she was forced to turn to her back-up machine which misfired its way around the course to pick up just 10 points. Could that have been the moment when Ypraus lost the world title?Jessica Chavanne suffered a miserable weekend in Sardinia and the new European champion will be hoping for better fortune on Doha Bay, where she lines up alongside the likes of Sofie and Jonna Borgstrom, Heloise Delcluze, River Varner, Joana Graça, Janina Johansson and French newcomer Emy Garcia.The Freestyle category has attracted a staggering 12 entrants, although the defending European champion and current World Championship leader Roberto Mariani tops the field from defending champion and title rival Rashid al-Mulla from Abu Dhabi. The pair are separated by 10 points heading into the final two Motos of the season with Massimo Accumolo three points further behind in the bronze medal position. Portugal’s Paulo Nunes is fourth.There are six Qatari entrants in the provisional field: Abdulaziz al-Abdullah, Nayef al-Nama, Salem al-Kubaisi, Issa al-Assi, Abdulrahman al-Sulaiti and Bader al-Abdullah will be hoping for success in front of home crowds. They will be joined by Kuwait’s Aziz al-Armeli and Saudi Arabia’s Nizar Abuljadayel.Four of the Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship entrants will represent Qatar, with five from the UAE, four from Saudi Arabia and one from Kuwait. Mahmoud Abumaali, Khalaf al-Kuwari, Waleed al-Ibrahim and Waleed al-Sharshani will fly the Qatari flag with Abdullah al-Fadhel lining up for Kuwait.Registration and scrutineering formalities take place Wednesday. A hectic Thursday timetable sees the free practice sessions for the Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship fire into life from 9:30 am and precede nearly two hours of practice for the Ski Ladies GP1, Ski Division GP1, Runabout GP1 and Freestyle competitors.The afternoon is dominated by the various qualifying and pole position sessions.The first Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship Moto kickstarts Friday’s action from 10am and is followed by opening Motos for Ski Ladies GP1 and Ski Division GP1. The second of the Motos follow in the afternoon before the Runabout GP1 and Freestyle contenders take part in their first heats.The evening’s action will be rounded off by a Parallel Slalom competition and a Freestyle night show to entertain spectators in the Old Port area on Doha Corniche.Qualifying for the Qatar International Cup and a session for non-qualified Runabout GP2 riders opens Saturday morning’s action. Further free practice follows before a Moto for the Qatar International Cup to round off the morning.The third Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship Moto is first on the agenda in the afternoon and precedes the final Ski Ladies GP1 and Ski GP1 Motos that will decide the outcome of the World Championship.Runabout GP1 and Freestyle contenders then take to the water for their second Motos that will draw a curtain on the season’s UIM-ABP Aquabike Circuit Pro World Championship.

Old Doha Port, in collaboration with Doha Marine Sports Club will host the Aquabike World Championship – Grand Prix of Qatar from October 30 to November 1, 2025, along the Mina Corniche.The event marks the long-awaited return of the world’s premier Aquabike series to Qatar after a decade, positioning Old Doha Port as the new stage for the season finale, the port said Sunday in a statement.The championship finale will bring together elite riders to take part in three days of thrilling events, with widespread international participation from over 21 countries. Riders will compete across several main categories, including:UIM-ABP World Championship (final round), Continental Asia Championship (final round), World Slalom Parallel Championship (round two), and the Continental Asia Runabout GP2 Championship. Set against the backdrop of Doha’s iconic Mina Corniche, the Grand Prix promises three days of exhilarating competition, night freestyle shows, and a spectacular sporting atmosphere that will captivate audiences and elevate Qatar’s global profile as a hub for maritime excellence.“Hosting international sporting events such as the Aquabike World Championship, in collaboration with Doha Marine Sports Club reflects our ongoing commitment to positioning Old Doha Port and Qatar as a leading destination in global maritime tourism,” said Engineer Mohammed Abdulla Al Mulla, CEO of Old Doha Port. “And embodies our dedication to promoting sport as a way of life, while highlighting the port’s legacy as a hub that brings together sport, culture, and entertainment.”Khalifa Mohammed Al-Suwaidi, President of the Doha Marine Sports Club, said, "This championship is a key milestone for the Club, and strengthens its position as a leader for marine sports in the region. It is also an opportunity to celebrate Qatar’s maritime heritage and to reinforce its position as a global destination for sports and cultural tourism. We are committed to delivering an exceptional experience to all participants and spectators, and I would like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to Old Doha Port for providing their invaluable support in making this global event possible.” The Aquabike World Championship marks a significant achievement in Old Doha Port’s journey to become the region’s leading stage for maritime sports, honoring Qatar’s seafaring heritage as well as its rise as one of the world’s prime tourism hubs.

Engineer Mohammad al-Mulla, CEO of Old Doha Port, Salah Ibrahim al-Mannai, Vice President of Doha Marine Sports Club, and Rashid Ibrahim A al-Mannai, Head of Aquabike Sports, are seen at a press conference at Mina District in Doha on Sunday.The press conference was held to give the details of the the Old Doha Part - Grand Prix of Qatar - part of the UIM-ABP Aquabike Class Pro Championship - that will be held from Oct 30 to Nov 1 in Doha.