Disputes over money continues to be the leading cause for divorce in the United States, and one of the most surprising splits to hit the world of professional PWC racing happened just over a month ago. Longtime Sea-Doo X-Team racer, product developer and brand ambassador, Erminio Iantosca has hung up his yellow jersey for 2021. Rather, the iconic Pro Runabout racer has crossed the aisle to Yamaha.
The split is unexpected given Iantosca’s involvement in developing the new 2021 Sea-Doo RXP-X 300 and even earning the ski it’s first win in last year’s Pro Watercross World Championships. “It really came down to budgeting,” Iantosca told The Watercraft Journal. “Sea-Doo is having great success with its ambassador program and wanted to focus their effort there – and I wanted to put all my effort into racing.”
Major shifts like these can be a political landmine in the intimate world of racing, and Iantosca knew what he was up against. “I spoke with Yamaha and was lucky to have them make me part of the team,” he continued. “I signed a deal with RIVA Racing to run their parts. [Then I spoke to] Dean Charrier and Dean’s Team. They have helped me so much in such little time with setting up my skis, tunes, props etc.”
“I can’t wait to start racing a full season again,” Iantosca smiled. “I’ll be racing P1 AquaX on a 2021 Yamaha FX SVHO and Pro Watercross on a 2021 GP1800R SVHO.” Transitioning from the RXP-X 300 to both a FX and GP is taking up quite a bit of Iantosca’s training time. “I can’t wait to see what I can do aboard my factory Yamahas!”
