Portimão will once again host, from March 30th to April 1st, a competition of the European Championship of the International Motornautics Union (UIM) “Endurance Aquabike”.
This will be the first race on the Aquabike international calendar this year.
It will be the tenth year, with a break in 2015, that the city hosts the International Endurance journey on jet skis and jet skis.
The format will be the same as in 2017, open only to European titles in the GP1, GP2, GP3 and veterans categories, both in jets and motorcycles, with the realization, on the 31st, of 60 minutes for jets and 120 minutes for jets and another leg, on April 1st, 90 minutes for jets and 180 minutes for motorcycles.
The competition will feature, among others, the participation in the jets of the Iberian duo Sebastião Fragoso and Vicente, European champions in title in the GP1 and GP3 classes.
In runabouts, the highlight goes to Augusto Fernandes, national and Iberian champion, in Endurance, and Eruropeu in closed course and Iberian champion Christophe Agostinho, who will partner with Frenchman Jeremy Poret.
French endurance champions Roland Couhet/Araud Bourreau, Thomas Favolini, and Italians Michele Cadei, Christian Bousquet and Stefano Ciani will also participate.
The main padock will be located in the Ribeirinha Zone, where the confirmation of entries will start on Friday (30th), from 16:00 pm to 20:00 pm, at the event secretariat, located at Clube Naval de Portimão, with the next day for the respective verifications. of safety and the usual meeting of pilots scheduled for 10:00 am at the headquarters of the Clube Naval de Portimão.
After the preparations, on Saturday (31 March), the jets will depart on the beach at Praia da Marina, at 12:00, towards the entrance of the bar and will take place between the jetty and Praia da Marina, with the bikes leaving for 14:00 , also departing from Praia da Marina towards Praia do Vau, da Rocha and Marina for two hours «of pure adrenaline, with refueling and change of drivers taking place at Praia da Marina», says the Câmara de Portimão.
Sunday (April 1) will be identical to the day before, except that the jets will have another 30 minutes and the bikes will have another hour compared to Saturday, with the awards ceremony being scheduled for 17:00 at Clube Naval de Portimão.
The riders of the personal watercraft will cover, in the total of two days, 400 kilometers and the jets 200 kilometers. Athletes from several countries will be represented in the competition, some of them being national champions in the Endurance modality, forming teams of two pilots.
This unique event of the 2018 European Championship, included in the UIM calendar, is jointly organized by the Free Promoter – Associação Náutica Motorizada and Portimão Municipal Council, with the technical support of the Portuguese Federation of Motornautics, with logistical support Clube Naval de Portimão and Marina Portimão, as well as RTP, Rádio Alvor and BP.
Opening Hours
March 31 - Saturday
10:00 am – Pilots Meeting
12:00 to 13:00 – Jets Race
14:00 pm to 16:00 pm – Water Bike Race
01 April - Sunday
10:30 to 11:30 – Jets Race
12:30 pm to 15:30 pm – Water Bike Race
17:00 pm – Prize delivery
Main padock – Portimão riverside area, next to Clube Naval.
Departure and arrival padock – Praia da Marina
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