Five pole positions were decided on Thursday afternoon as the final round of the UIM-ABP World Aquabike Championship got underway at the Old Doha Port Grand Prix of Qatar.
French rider Estelle Poret, Belgian Quinten Bossche, Kuwait’s Yousef Al-Abdulrazzaq, Emirati Amer Hawair and Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashid Al-Mulla secured the top starting positions in their respective classes on a challenging course adjacent to the old port area in Doha.
Ski Ladies GP1: Poret claims pole in demanding conditions
Championship leader Estelle Poret set the benchmark in temperatures exceeding 31°C, posting a target lap of 1min 40.512sec before improving to claim pole with a time of 1min 39.929sec.
Defending champion Jasmiin Ypraus initially slotted into second ahead of Naomi Benini and Benedicte Drange, but Drange ultimately secured second place in the final classification, with Ypraus third and Benini fourth. Current European champion Jessica Chavanne qualified fifth despite taking a tumble at the end of the session.
River Varner, Virginie Morlaes, Emy Garcia, Sofie Borgström and Janina Johansson completed the top 10. Morlaes also suffered a tumble but still qualified seventh.
I am very happy. There are a lot of waves and it was difficult. I just tried to have fun and I did. It’s a good start to the weekend for me.
Ski GP1: Bossche dominates to secure pole
World champion Quinten Bossche signalled his intent from the outset in the two-stage qualifying format. Nine of the 19 entrants were eliminated in Q1, with Benjamin Scharff the only non-starter.
The Belgian posted a ferocious opener of 1min 34.107sec in Q1 before setting an unbeatable time of 1min 33.842sec in the second session to claim pole position ahead of Jéremy Poret, Kevin Reiterer and Oliver Koch Hansen.
Valentin Dardillat qualified fifth ahead of Morgan Poret, Anthony Beernaut, Toshi O’Hara, Thomas Bento and Soshi Sato.
I think I won Q1 and Q2 in every race. That is pretty amazing and I am very happy. Last year was incredible and this year we had a little bit of bad luck. I’m in good shape, feel strong and my ski is working well. It’s extremely choppy. We have the best in the world here so making it easy would be a shame. I am very happy to be here.
Runabout GP1: Al-Abdulrazzaq stuns rivals with late charge
Thirteen of the 23 Runabout GP1 entrants faced elimination in the opening qualifying session. Jéremy Perez topped Q1 with a lap of 1min 37.885sec to finish ahead of series leader François Medori and multiple former champion Yousef Al-Abdulrazzaq.
Medori laid down the gauntlet in Q2 with an opener of 1min 27.030sec, but Al-Abdulrazzaq had other ideas. The returning Kuwaiti unleashed a stunning 1min 26.677sec lap to snatch pole position from Medori, Perez, György Kasza and Khalifa Belselah.
Pierre-François Savelli, Guillaume Hemain and Lino Araújo rounded off the top eight, while local rider Waleed Al-Sharshani and Khalid Al-Maazmi did not take to the water for Q2 and qualified ninth and 10th.
We had a lot of drama but it’s the result that matters. We had a little handling issue and then a little engine issue. At least we got the result. Now we can work on the engine. This is just the pole position. Tomorrow is the real deal. I am excited to fight with the best. I need to rest good. I am getting older.
Runabout GP2: Hawair takes pole in Asian Championship
Amer Hawair secured pole position for the first of the Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship Motos with a lap of 1min 33.279sec, finishing 1.847 seconds ahead of fellow Emirati Khalid Al-Maazmi.
Saudi Arabia’s Daoud Kaloti qualified third ahead of the Qatari trio of Mohammed Abumaali, Khalaf Al-Kuwari and Mahmoud Abumaali. Kuwait’s Yousef Al-Abdulrazzaq was a non-starter.
Freestyle: Al-Mulla claims pole in fading light
Rashid Al-Mulla mastered the fading light to impress the judges and claim pole position from Roberto Mariani and Massimo Accumolo. Frenchman Steven Royer and Qatari Bader Al-Abdullah qualified fourth and fifth.
The Qatari quartet of Bader Al-Nama, Salem Al-Kubaisi, Abdulaziz Al-Abdulla and Abdulrahman Al-Sulaiti entertained the local crowd ahead of their opening Motos.
Friday’s action begins with the first Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship Moto, followed by opening Motos for Ski Ladies GP1 and Ski Division GP1. The second Motos follow in the afternoon before the Runabout GP1 and Freestyle contenders take to the water for their first heats.
Neil Perkins, is a seasoned sports journalist and PR professional. Educated at Adams’ Grammar School, Newport, he developed a lifelong passion for sport, including football, cricket, golf, and snooker.
Perkins began his career as a trainee accountant before moving into sports journalism in 1986 with Motoring News, covering events worldwide. In 1990, he founded NDP Publicity Services in Shropshire, specialising in sports public relations. Over three decades, he has worked across 114 countries for governments, sporting federations, royalty, celebrities, and major events such as the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and Winter Olympics.
Outside work, he follows Ipswich Town FC, enjoys fishing in Spain and Shropshire, and travels to destinations including Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Catalunya, and Mexico.
