Dedicating his third consecutive dominance of the annual Dana Point-to-Offshore (and Back) Championship to the victims of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, fellow Canadian Mike Klippenstein piloted his heavily-reworked #212 turbocharged Yamaha FX SVHO ahead of local and seasoned offshore racers.
Although Klipper brought out the big guns, competing PWCOffshore.com team members KC Heidler and Mark Gerner chose not to race any of their turbo race boats for fear of injuring their craft too soon before the annual Long Beach-to-Catalina Offshore Championship. This of course, gave Klippenstein the advantage.
With so many riding reliable, stock craft for the Oceanside event, the field broke up rather evenly between heavily prepped machines and more factory class rides, although the early morning sprint to the turn boat anchored just outside of Oceanside harbor was markedly smooth, the ride back to Dana Point churned up a little, spreading the seasoned athletes from the weekend warriors.
The Dana Point-to-Oceanside-and-Back is one of the few ongoing American offshore races presented by RPM Enterprises and Ross Wallach. The 54-mile race skirts the the Southern California shoreline, past historical landmarks, surf spots, and even the Marine Corps Base Camp (and Navy SEAL training grounds) in Fort Pendleton.
