Decades before there was Ronny Mac, Allie Block and DaBomb Boonrawd, there was Chris Lauber. Lauber was thee premier jet ski racing photographer having been “in the mix” since the late 1970s. In fact, it was Lauber and his brother Mark who founded the USJSBA (United States Jet Sport Boating Association) in the early 1980s before the IJSBA (International Jet Sport Boating Association) was formed and absorbed the former. Nevertheless, Lauber was never without his camera and quickly became renowned for his talent behind the lens.
As is with life, Lauber has decided to de-clutter his collection and has posted three color prints from his racing photography career (as well as some really cool vintage signs and banners from yesteryear). Of the three prints, the one above is over Derek Petersen racing slalom on his Kawasaki JetSki at the Don CeSar Beach Resort, St. Petersburg, Florida, “everyone’s favorite race venue in the formative stages of the sport,” Lauber writes. “This is a rare photo of Derek, one of the sport’s first teenage phenoms, who rose to a number #2 national ranking for the Jetco Team, led by the legendary Larry Rippenkroeger when this photo was taken.”
Another is of Lauber’s brother, Mark riding at the family rental location on Lake Jackson in Sebring, Florida, which is also the home of the first jet ski race staged anywhere outside the state of Florida. Mark rose within the sport as a race promoter and announcer, ultimately being inducted into the IJSBA Hall of Fame in 2011. “During his career as a race promoter, we created and staged more than 120 races, almost all in Florida, and awarded more than $1,100,000 in prize money. We also had 5 of our races aired on ESPN.”
For all of the images, Lauber maintains all copyright protections, meaning the winning bid is solely for the actual photograph and no other rights are transferred, nor licensed. But these would be very cool to hang up in a home office or shop, especially if you’re a vintage jet ski lover.
