The racing is over, the trophies are being handed out, and the long roads leading away from Lake Havasu are calling.
There’s a particular kind of silence that settles over a race site when the competition is finished.
The engines stop. The crowds begin to thin. The tools go back into their boxes, the tents come down, and the seemingly impossible task of fitting everything back into the trailers begins.
Somewhere, someone is probably looking at a newly purchased part — or entire ski — from Vendor Row and wondering exactly where it’s supposed to fit.
For some competitors, the journey home from the 2026 SBT IJSBA World Finals will include a world championship trophy. Others will carry home broken parts, hard-earned lessons, unforgettable memories and plans for next year.
For all of them, the journey is another chapter in the World Finals experience.
As the event concluded Sunday, organizers offered a heartfelt farewell to the racers, families, crews, volunteers, officials and support staff who made the gathering possible.
In a message written by Kelly Stine and shared through the IJSBA World Finals social media account, organizers acknowledged the work that happens long before the first starting line fills and continues after the final checkered flag.
“What many don’t see are the countless hours of preparation, the early mornings, the late nights, the blood, sweat, tears, and dedication that go into making the SBT IJSBA World Finals something truly special,” the message read.
The organization also thanked Go Lake Havasu, Big O Tires, Anderson AZ West and Red Rock Waterside for their support, including helping keep spectator admission free.
That support matters. Racing is expensive enough for the competitors, and opening the shoreline to spectators without an admission charge gives families, local residents and curious visitors an opportunity to experience the sport.
Sunday’s competition unfolded against a challenging weather backdrop, with storms and strong winds affecting the Lake Havasu area. Competitors also described choppy water conditions, adding another demanding element to the final day’s racing. Organizers acknowledged challenges during the day, including an interruption to freestyle competition.
But as the competition gives way to the awards and the journey home, there is plenty to celebrate.
A Few Trophies for the Ride Home
Among the highlights was Austria’s Kevin Reiterer, listed atop the Pro Ski GP standings in the IJSBA’s October 11 results report with 214 points across four motos.
Lake Havasu City’s Harley Ritchie followed with 172 points, while Deven Farthing was listed third with 169.
The published freestyle standings supplied for the event listed Nolan Jukish first, Gabe Jukish second and Kyle Kreeger third.
And one particularly noteworthy championship belonged to Renee Ann Hill, who captured the inaugural Women’s Sport Spec World Championship with moto finishes of 1-1-2 aboard her HX.
She credited her husband with building the machine and thanked Gary Warner and Jeffrey Scott Hill for their help on the starting line.
Her accomplishment is one of the many stories competitors will carry away from Lake Havasu — some recorded in the results, others remembered in the pits and around the dinner table long after the trophies have found their shelves.
Additional class standings are available through the IJSBA’s October 11 results report.
The Other Endurance Event
For competitors who traveled across the country to reach Lake Havasu, the end of racing doesn’t mean the end of the adventure.
It means loading up, checking the trailer, filling the fuel tank and pointing the truck toward home.
Some will be back in their own beds after a relatively short drive. Others face days on the highway, towing race machines, equipment and everything necessary to keep a team operating through a week of competition.
And there are several ways to make the journey part of the experience.
Eastbound toward New Mexico, Texas and beyond: Interstate 40 is a major corridor for travelers crossing Arizona and New Mexico. The route passes through Flagstaff, where elevation and mountain weather can be a considerable change from the warmth of Lake Havasu, before continuing toward Albuquerque and the Great Plains.
For travelers with time to spare, northern Arizona offers opportunities to explore historic Route 66 communities, including Williams and Seligman. Farther east, Petrified Forest National Park offers a memorable detour, provided the trailer, schedule and park access requirements cooperate.
Northbound toward Nevada and the Pacific Northwest: Routes through Nevada, including US 93, offer dramatic desert scenery and long stretches where fuel planning becomes particularly important. Travelers heading toward Idaho, Oregon or Washington should check mountain weather and road conditions before committing to a route.
Westbound toward California: Southern California travelers may have fewer miles ahead, but that doesn’t necessarily mean an easy drive. Desert highways, busy interstate connections and metropolitan traffic can turn a relatively short trip into a long day behind the wheel.
Southeast toward the Gulf Coast and Florida: For teams headed toward the Gulf states, Interstate 10 and its connecting highways provide another major east-west option. Given recent hurricane activity, travelers should check official weather advisories, closures and local conditions before selecting a route through potentially affected areas.
These are general travel corridors, not recommended turn-by-turn itineraries. The best route depends on the destination, weather, vehicle, trailer and individual travel plans.
And for those who have spent the past week operating on race schedules, early mornings and too little sleep, perhaps the most important stop is simply the one where the driver gets some rest.
Before the Trailer Hits the Highway
A week at the races can be hard on equipment, and the trip home deserves as much attention as the drive to Havasu.
Before pulling out, take a few minutes to check trailer tires, including the spare, for proper inflation and visible damage. Inspect wheel hubs and bearings for signs of trouble, check trailer lights, verify the hitch and safety chains, and make sure the breakaway system is properly connected where equipped.
Give the watercraft another look, too. Check bow and stern tie-downs, secure loose equipment and make certain nothing can shift or escape during a sudden stop.
And remember that the tools, spare parts, coolers, tents and assorted treasures acquired during the week need to be secured just as carefully as the race machines themselves.
For anyone towing a long distance, a quick walk around the trailer at fuel stops is a small investment that can prevent a much bigger headache.
Official state transportation websites and 511 travel-information services can help drivers check conditions, although coverage and services vary by state.
More Than the Finish Line
The World Finals bring together people who may spend most of the year separated by states, countries and oceans.
For a few days, those distances disappear.
The pits become a neighborhood of sorts, filled with competitors, mechanics, families, friends and familiar faces who may see one another only a handful of times each year.
There are victories worth celebrating, disappointments that sting, machines that perform beautifully and machines that choose the worst possible moment to develop a problem.
There are the people who lend a tool, offer advice, help push a ski to the line or simply pull up a chair when someone needs a friend.
And when the racing is finished, all those little neighborhoods begin to disappear into trailers and trucks.
The World Finals organizers captured that sentiment in their farewell:
“It’s more than racing. It’s friendships, families, memories, and a worldwide community brought together by a shared passion for the sport we love.”
For those who have made the journey year after year, that may be as much a reason to return as the competition itself.
Tell Us About Your Long Haul Home
Now it’s your turn.
Whether you’re leaving Lake Havasu with a world championship trophy, a broken engine, a new personal best or just a collection of stories nobody back home is going to believe, The Watercraft Journal wants to hear about it.
Tell us about your toughest moments on the racecourse this past week. Your favorite memories. The friends you hadn’t seen in years, the people who helped you get to the starting line, and the moments that made the entire trip worthwhile.
Send us your photos — the podium celebrations, the pit crews, the late-night repairs, the family gatherings and the sights along the road home.
We want your victories, your frustrations, your gripes and your gratitude.
And we especially want to know what you bought on Vendor Row that seemed like such a good idea at the time but now, somehow, won’t fit into the trailer.
Are you making a straight run home, or turning the trip into one last adventure? Found a great roadside diner, an unexpected scenic stop or a stretch of highway you’d rather never see again?
Tell us about that, too.
Because the World Finals aren’t just the races that happen on the water. They’re the journeys that bring everyone together — and the stories they take home.
From all of us at The Watercraft Journal, congratulations to the competitors, thank you to the people who made the event possible, and safe travels to everyone heading home.
