The Frenchman failed to score a single point in last term’s campaign but he got 2016 off to a flyer in the UAE capital.
After losing his head-to-head to Michael Goulian in the Round of 14 stage, Le Vot’s run continued as he qualified for his first-ever Round of 8 as the fastest loser.
The 35-year-old kept that momentum going, even if luck did go his way with Yoshihide Muroya failing to finish his two laps after being penalised.
His time of 01:03:748 was enough to book his place in the Final Four. Despite taking advantage of 2008 champion Hannes Arch’s disqualification, he laid down the marker of 1:02.281, enough to claim his first podium finish behind winner Nicolas Ivanoff and runner-up Matthias Dolderer.
Le Vot will now travel to the second race in Spielberg, Austria, next month with nine points. But with top-ranked Matt Hall eliminated in the first knock-out stage and with 2014 champion Nigel Lamb also struggling, Le Vot expects a strong response from his rivals.
“It puts a lot of pressure on me going forward now as it was a bit of an unexpected podium finish for me,” he told Sport360.
“Many guys were not very happy with their results. For sure they will try to kick me out early the next time we meet. I have to expect that but the only thing I can do is keep improving and be a better pilot.
“It’s a surprise to have finished on the podium. I never aim very far at achieving podiums. I mainly focus on myself and what I have to do and having the right path. That’s exactly what I did. I relied on my guys and they were making adjustments to the plane at the very last moment. They used all their skills and together we put the maximum effort in and it paid off at the end.”
Meanwhile, Dolderer was left frustrated after being edged 0.110 seconds by Ivanoff. But he is upbeat for the remainder of the seven-race season.
“At that moment of time, I thought yes, I had won,” he admitted. “Nicolas was a little bit faster but I’m happy with second place. It gives me a lot of confidence but nothing is guaranteed. Every race has its own law and we have to focus on each and every race now.
“There are many pilots we have to beat and every single pilot has the ability to win any race.”
