Building a career in the world of watercross racing – or any extreme sport, for that matter – is not an easy task. Talent is the bare minimum: skill, dedication, commitment, effort, enthusiasm, a bit of recklessness combined with wisdom… all of these play a part, and that’s not even mentioning time and money.
Building a legacy is even more of an undertaking, not only committing to and mastering all of the above, but nurturing a passion for the sport, passing on the skill and wisdom of the sport, balancing mentorship and a competitive nature – its no easy task, one can be sure.
It’s been many years since there was any doubt that multi-time world champion Dustin Farthing nailed the “building a career” part of that equation. As pointed out in The Watercraft Journal IRL Podcast last October, Farthing expanded his roster of national and world titles in 2023 with the P1 AquaX national series Champion title.
It is also now becoming fairly evident that Dustin Farthing is also well on his way to building a legacy. Last weekend, with the opening of the 2024 P1 AquaX race season at Daytona, not only was the Farthing name in triplicate on the Pro Enduro race lineup, with Dustin and sons Deven and Talan all racing in the Pro class this year.
But it was a one-two weekend, with Dustin taking the top podium spot, and Deven claiming second; with Talan finishing a respectable 20th in a roster that included names such as Tory Snyder, Brian Baldwin, Chris MacClugage and Camden Powell.
Dustin took a few moments this week to chat with The Watercraft Journal, not only touching on the experience of racing alongside both of his sons, but talking about the Farthing Race Team’s 2024 plans, the excitement over the AquaX Celebrity Challenge that premiered at Daytona, and comments on PWC racing as a sport overall.
WCJ: Tell us how Daytona went for Farthing Racing this year.
WCJ: Talk about what it’s like to be out there racing with your sons.
WCJ: How often do you end up behind them, now?
WCJ: When you are racing against them, are you more competitive than you are with other racers?
WCJ: You told me years ago that you didn’t pressure them into the PWC world; is it a good feeling that they both made the choice to follow in your footsteps?
WCJ: You said something earlier about them racing after you’re done; you’re not planning your retirement are you?
WCJ: Talk about your part in getting the Celebrity Challenge initiated this year at Daytona.
WCJ: It sounds like the competitors had fun; how about the spectators? Did the audience and other racers enjoy the Challenge?
WCJ: What about your plans for this season? Is it just P1 for you, or are you looking at other races?
WCJ: So quite a few international races. Talk about the difference between International races and US races.
WCJ: Do you see PWC racing getting back to that level in the US?
WCJ: I noticed you posting a while back on social media that Farthing Racing would have skis available for other racers this year. Talk a little about that effort.
Closing out the interview, Farthing confirmed that Farthing Racing would be at Havasu and at Kings Cup in Thailand in in 2024, and thanked his sponsors and team crew.
Be sure to check out the P1 AquaX website for the full results from Daytona, and to keep track of the US standings as well as all the information on the next AquaX race, which will be in Michigan City on July 12-14.
