September is going to be a busy month if you’re a jet ski racer. Not only is there AJ Handler’s Pro Watercoss World Championship scheduled for September 19-27, 2015 at Sugden Park in Naples, Florida; but now the P1 AquaX tour stop set for September 19-20, will now also act as the IJSBA National Closed Course and Freestyle Championships for many of those looking to perform and compete at this year’s IJSBA World Finals in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
The move is not entirely a surprise, but the closeness of the two events – AquaX’s being the second-to-last race of the 2015 season, and Handler’s being a week-long culmination of the year’s class races – both in date and location (Cocoa Beach and Naples, Florida, respectively) also makes for a bit of friction. Those looking to compete and place in either series are likely to spend no less than two weeks’ worth of travel, preparation and participation.
It’s also difficult to measure which is the larger story to emphasize here: the addition of the IJSBA National Championship to AquaX’s penultimate series event, or the partnership between the AquaX and IJSBA to accomplish a one-two punch to the recently divided world of jet ski racing. Either way, September is sizing up to be an exciting one and if closed course racing is what revs your motor, there’s going to be no shortage of it.
Here’s the original release published today at p1aquax.com:
P1 USA to promote IJSBA National Championship in Cocoa Beach, Florida
New agreement sees P1 partner with the IJSBA to provide outstanding marketing platform for the personal watercraft industry
P1 USA has announced that its Grand Prix of the Sea event in Cocoa Beach in September featuring the penultimate round of the P1 AquaX Championships will now include the IJSBA National Closed Course and Freestyle Championships, delivering a unique schedule of world-class personal watercraft racing.
“P1 AquaX has been taking the US racing community by storm, impressing sponsors and competitors alike with new ideas and redefining production standards at personal watercraft events” said IJSBA managing director, Scott Frazier. “The IJSBA is very excited to forge a new future, full of exciting possibilities, by partnering with P1 and their highly accomplished team.”
The partnership, now in its third year, gives P1 USA the rights to promote IJSBA flagship competition classes that provide riders with qualifying positions for the IJSBA World Championships in October. The one-year agreement includes an option to renew for 2016.
“P1 is proud to be strengthening its relationship with the IJSBA in promoting their National Championship this year. We believe that the combined event creates a logical racing structure for riders from a recreational to professional level and provides the perfect marketing and promotional platform for the industry” commented P1 CEO, James Durbin. As with all P1 racing, the Cocoa Beach Grand Prix of the Sea will be broadcast in more than 100 countries and domestically on the Fox Regional Sport Networks.”
Starting on September 18, the event will take place over 3 days in a popular area of Shepard Park, Cocoa Beach on the east coast of Florida. The opening day will be set aside for rider registration and technical inspections. This will be followed by 2 days of action-packed competition that is expected to attract a bumper entry from the world’s very best watercraft racers, including AquaX racer and current IJSBA World Champion Troy Snyder. “I am very excited to have a professionally run Closed Course IJSBA National Championship” enthused Troy. “There is nothing better run than AquaX and it’s great to see IJSBA choose P1 to deliver this event”.
The P1 USA season gets underway later this month in Daytona Beach, Florida with the opening round of the P1 AquaX USA Championships when more than eighty personal watercraft racers are expected to descend upon the world famous Daytona Beach resort. On Sunday April 26, the race action will be broadcast live between 11.00 am and 12.00pm on seven of the Fox Sports regional networks, including P1’s partner in Florida, Sun Sports. The event will also be broadcast live in Europe and Asia on the Fox Sports International channels.
For more information about the Cocoa Beach event and how to enter, please visit the P1 Grand Prix website at www.p1grandprix.com
