Team Race Spirit, to which Motul provides its technical support, did well at the inaugural event of the Aquabike World Championship on 2 and 3 March in Doha, Qatar. The reigning champion in the Ski FI category, Jérémy Poret, left no chance to his opponents by winning both heats, thus bagging this Doha race for the second consecutive year. Yet he was in third position, in both heats, just after the start but managed to take the lead and stay there to the finishing line. In Freestyle, Romain Stampers, who has been at the pinnacle of his discipline for several years, clinched third place.
Julie Bulteau also bagged a third place in the Ladies Ski F1. In effect the 2012 World Champion unfortunately had to abandon the race at the beginning of the second heat, following a mechanical breakdown. Yet she had given a magnificent performance the day before: while Italian Stefania Balzer was off to a lightning departure and while Julie was third behind Pija Sumer, the latter made a mistake which allowed Julie to secure first place. She consolidated her position as the laps went by and finished with a comfortable advance of 23 seconds, which bodes well for the next world championship event. Didier Navarro and David Chassier's team has time to get ready: it is scheduled from 1 to 3 June at Golfo Aranci, Sardinia.
Image : © Thierry Honnorat
