Sardinia Hosts 154 Riders for Aquabike World Round 2
Round 2: Regione Sardegna Grand Prix of Italy
Olbia, Sardinia
October 17-20, 2025
This weekend sees the beautiful island of Sardinia hosting the Regione Sardegna Grand Prix of Italy out of the idyllic city of Olbia. The second round of the 2025 UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship takes place from Friday morning through to Sunday afternoon.
The increasingly-popular championship has again attracted a massive field and Aquabike Promotion and FIM are delighted to announce 154 riders from 27 nations on the provisional entry list. They are further broken down into 29 in both the Runabout GP1 and Ski GP1 classes, 24 in Runabout GP4, 17 in Runabout GP2, 14 in Runabout GP4 Ladies, 13 in Ski Ladies GP1, nine in Ski GP4, eight in Ski GP2, seven in Ski GP3 and four in Freestyle.
World Championship Battles Heat Up
Runabout GP1: Medori Leads the Charge
François Medori won the opening two Runabout GP1 Motos of the season in Sumatra and has a six-point lead over defending champion Samuel Johansson. Jéremy Perez and Pierre-François Savelli are their closest rivals and all four have made the trip to Sardinia alongside the likes of Robin Laforge, György Kasza, Andrzej Wisniewski and Matin Doulik in a massive quality field.
Ski GP1: Hansen Commands Early Lead
Oliver Koch Hansen claimed two Moto wins from three on Lake Toba in August and leads Jéremy Poret by 10 points heading into the second round of the Ski GP1 discipline. Sixteen-year-old Yoni Hamelin of Belgium is third in the series, ahead of Alex Barret and young Estonian Ander-Hubert Lauri. All five are present in Italy amongst a huge group of riders that include defending World Champion Quinten Bossche, Morgan Poret, Benjamim Scharff, Kevin Reiterer and Axel Courtois.
Ski Ladies GP1: Tight Battle at the Top
Three second places at the opening round in Indonesia have given Jasmiin Ypraus a single point advantage over Estelle Poret in the Ski Ladies GP1 category. Naomi Benini, Benedicte Drange and Jessica Chavanne are in close attendance. All five are present in Olbia alongside the likes of Virginie Morlaes, Joana Graça and River Varner.
Freestyle: Mariani Sets the Pace
Multiple European Champion Roberto Mariani earned a pair of Moto wins in Freestyle in Indonesia to hold a six-point lead over Massimo Accumolo. Team Abu Dhabi’s defending champion Rashid Al-Mulla is down in third in the standings ahead of Portugal’s Paulo Nuñes. All four will do battle again this weekend.
Stand-Alone Championship Categories
This will be a stand-alone World Championship round for the remainder of the categories.
Runabout GP2
Italians dominate the Runabout GP2 class with the likes of Alessandro Fracasso, Manuel Reggiani and Davide di Maio, but Spaniard Ruben Jimenez Riquelme makes an appearance, along with Pole Marcin Senda, Germany’s Justin Patzner and Estonian Karl Keskula in a 17-bike field.
Runabout GP4
Twenty-four riders have entered in Runabout GP4 and they include Lithuanian Grantas Gurkšnys, Ibiza-based Spaniard Alessandro Prats Palau, Pole Juliusz Roman and Italy’s Davide Pontecorvo.
Runabout GP4 Ladies
There are 14 girls in the Runabout GP4 Ladies section with newly-crowned European champion Nikola Dryjakova hoping for a win-double against the likes of Nicole Cadei, Michelle Dimov, Katriin Nilbe, Cyrielle Bramm and Arianna Urlo.
Ski GP2
Eight riders grace the Ski GP2 entry list. Hungary’s Csongor Jäszai is one of the pre-race favourites and lines up against the Austrian duo of Robin Ortner and Lukas Glanninger, Estonia’s Karl-Joosep Steinberg and Mattias Reinass and the Italian trio of Alessio Ascione, Andy Trasmondi and Gianfranco Oliveri.
Ski GP3
Jäszai will also be aiming for Ski GP3 success against six rivals from five nations. Dag Martin Drange represents Norway, Alexandre Bourgeois flies the French flag and Portugal’s Manuel Leite, Croatian Dorijan Jakopanec, Belgian Michael van Reybroeck and fellow countryman Gergo Simon complete the provisional field.
Ski GP4
There are nine entries in Ski GP4 led by Frenchman Mathys Meziere and Latvian rival Daniils Potrivailo. They face competition from Pietro Massimo Cannizzo, Markus Erlach, Alberts Cupriks, Mansour Abuljadayel, Baptiste Calmels, Lino Brusadin and Juraj Jadanec.
Entry Breakdown by Category
| Category | Number of Riders | Championship Status |
|---|---|---|
| Runabout GP1 | 29 | World Championship |
| Ski GP1 | 29 | World Championship |
| Runabout GP4 | 24 | Stand-alone Round |
| Runabout GP2 | 17 | Stand-alone Round |
| Runabout GP4 Ladies | 14 | Stand-alone Round |
| Ski Ladies GP1 | 13 | World Championship |
| Ski GP4 | 9 | Stand-alone Round |
| Ski GP2 | 8 | Stand-alone Round |
| Ski GP3 | 7 | Stand-alone Round |
| Freestyle | 4 | World Championship |
| TOTAL | 154 | 27 Nations |
Current Championship Standings
Runabout GP1
| Position | Rider | Points Gap |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | François Medori | Leader |
| 2nd | Samuel Johansson (Defending Champion) | -6 points |
| 3rd | Jéremy Perez | Close contention |
| 4th | Pierre-François Savelli | Close contention |
Ski GP1
| Position | Rider | Points Gap |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Oliver Koch Hansen | Leader |
| 2nd | Jéremy Poret | -10 points |
| 3rd | Yoni Hamelin (16 years old, Belgium) | In contention |
| 4th | Alex Barret | In contention |
| 5th | Ander-Hubert Lauri (Estonia) | In contention |
Ski Ladies GP1
| Position | Rider | Points Gap |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jasmiin Ypraus | Leader |
| 2nd | Estelle Poret | -1 point |
| 3rd | Naomi Benini | Close contention |
| 4th | Benedicte Drange | Close contention |
| 5th | Jessica Chavanne | Close contention |
Freestyle
| Position | Rider | Points Gap |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Roberto Mariani (Multiple European Champion) | Leader |
| 2nd | Massimo Accumolo | -6 points |
| 3rd | Rashid Al-Mulla (Team Abu Dhabi, Defending Champion) | In contention |
| 4th | Paulo Nuñes (Portugal) | In contention |
Weekend Schedule
Friday, October 17
Morning Session (from 09:00hrs):
• Free practice: Ski Ladies GP1, Ski GP1, Runabout GP1, Freestyle
• Free practice and pole position: Ski GP3, Ski GP4, Runabout GP4, Runabout GP4 Ladies, Ski GP2, Runabout GP2
Afternoon Session (from 14:30hrs):
• Pole position qualifying: Ski Ladies GP1, Ski GP1, Runabout GP1
• Moto 1: Ski GP3, Ski GP4, Runabout GP4
• Freestyle pole position
Saturday, October 18
Morning Session:
• Moto 1: Runabout GP4 Ladies, Ski GP2, Runabout GP2, Ski Ladies GP1, Ski GP1
• Free practice: Runabout GP1
Afternoon Session:
• Moto 2: Ski GP3, Ski GP4, Runabout GP4, Runabout GP4 Ladies, Ski GP2, Runabout GP2
• Moto 2: Ski Ladies GP1, Ski GP1
• Moto 1: Runabout GP1, Freestyle
Sunday, October 19
Morning Session:
• Free practice
• Moto 3: Ski GP3, Ski GP4, Runabout GP4
Afternoon Session (Final Motos):
• Moto 3: Runabout GP4 Ladies, Ski GP2, Runabout GP2, Ski Ladies GP1, Ski GP1, Runabout GP1, Freestyle
Registration and technical scrutineering take place on Thursday (October 16th) before the start of three days of hectic action that will draw the curtain on the European aquabiking scene for 2025.
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.
