With the 2024 PWX Race Season fully underway and the SBT P1 AquaX National Championship heading into the second weekend of racing, the AquaX standings are already seeing some familiar matchups as well as some newer names to pay attention to.
This weekend, July 13-14, the SBT P1 AquaX National Championship is heading to Michigan City, about 50 miles east of Chicago. It will be the AquaX’s fifth time on Lake Michigan’s southern shore, just off Washington Park, where both Pro and Amateur classes will gather for two days of free-to-watch, high-speed action with up to 60 riders competing.
This season’s P1 AquaX series sees the Farthing name in triplicate in the Pro Enduro class, with reigning champion Dustin joined by sons Deven and Talan. It was a one-two weekend in the opening round in Daytona Beach in April, with Dustin taking the top podium spot with a 1, 1, 2 weekend and racking up 70 tour points, and Deven in second place with a 2, 5, 1 weekend and walking away from Daytona with 59 points.
Tory Snyder claimed the third podium spot with 5, 2, and 3 finishes on the weekend and a weekend tally of 51 points, with Brian Baldwin keeping the pressure on with a 4, 5, 9 weekend to take the 4th overall spot and 39 points on the ranking board.
The Watercraft Journal checked in with Daytona’s top four finishers yesterday to see what the outlook is for this weekend’s battles. While Farthing Racing has been busy on the international scene since the Daytona P1 Season Opener, Dustin and Deven back in the US and set for this weekend’s race, and are presenting a united Farthing Racing front.
Dustin left little doubt that he is ready for Lake Michigan to be a repeat of Round 1, telling WCJ, “We have been busy racing closed course the past month in Japan, Italy and France, but now we are back in America and dialed in for P1. We have been busy over the past week getting the skis ready for the weekend and the semi heads out Thursday. We are hoping for big waves and good luck.”
Deven also is looking forward to solidifying Farthing Racings early domination in the Championship, saying, “Round 1 was a perfect start for the Farthing Racing Monster Energy Yamaha Team and we are feeling good going into the next round with 1st and 2nd in the points.
Tory Snyder may have something to say about that, and is also heading into this coming weekend’s races with his eye on the top spot, telling WCJ, “I’m fired up and ready to go for Michigan city. Started off slow and ended strong in Daytona. I’m ready to dethrone the King.”
And definitely don’t discount Baldwin, who is set for this weekends rematch against the Farthings and Snyder, as well as the nearly 30-deep lineup in the Pro Enduro Class, telling WCJ “Daytona was a good warmup and the results were decent, I’m looking to up my game and bring home a win, Super Pumped to have my sidekick Kayden Baldwin like the shark he has become racing in the Am200 class and he smells blood in the water we are ready to win or swim!!”
Kayden will have his own rematch to focus on, as he came out of Daytona a mere 5 points behind first place Cooper Caldwell in the AM200 class. Caldwell finished Round 1 with a 1, 1, 2 weekend and 70 points, with Baldwin securing a 2, 2, 1 round 1 and 65 points. Enrique Chia took the third podium spot in the class with a 3, 3, 3 weekend and 51 points.
In the AM300 class, Daytona ended with a Noah Skipps 1, 1, 1 hat trick for a point total of 75, followed by Khalil Seddini in second with a 5, 2, 3 weekend and 51 points, followed closely by Ian Smith who secured 2, 7, 4 finishes and 47 points.
You can read the full P1 AquaX press release about the July race schedule for the Championship series below:
Following the season-opener in Daytona Beach in April, the SBT P1 AquaX National Championship is heading north to Indiana this month for race events in Michigan City (July 13-14) and LaPorte (July 27-28). The six-venue series will then return to the Sunshine State for events in Central Florida and on the Gulf Coast through to its climax in early November.
This weekend will see AquaX visit Michigan City, about 50 miles east of Chicago, for the fifth time and the event on Lake Michigan’s southern shore will feature both Pro and Amateur classes, with up to 60 riders competing. With SBT continuing as the title sponsor of the national series, the location for two days of free-to-watch, high-speed action will be just off Washington Park, which attracts more than 500 events annually and some 2 million visitors.
At the end of this month, AquaX will be part of the LaPorte Lake Fest, a weeklong series of events celebrating living the lake life, and around 25 Amateur Enduro races are expected to compete. P1 will also host the 2024 IJSBA National Championship for closed course racing, which will attract riders nationwide. Together with the AquaX national championship, more than 100 racers are expected to compete on inland Stone Lake. It will be a weekend of high-speed racing, music, fireworks and family fun.
Jack L. Arnett, CEO of LaPorte County Convention & Visitors Bureau, said: “We are very excited to be able to bring back two of our signature events again this year. Working with P1, we have been able to grow both events and we are looking forward to another great year. The Michigan City AquaX Grand Prix will be joined by several local events this year, making for a very festive atmosphere in Washington Park. Our LaPorte Lakefest event is one of the highlights of the season for the City of LaPorte. Our community loves the race teams and recognizes the economic impact they bring to our city.”
P1 USA Director of Operations, Michelle Petro, explained, “Outstanding locations, host venues and partners contribute enormously to our event offering and we are delighted to be returning to Northern Indiana this month. Our focus is on raising the profile of the venues, attracting visitors, encouraging local involvement and boosting the local economy. It’s hard to believe that you are looking at a lake and not an ocean, and the variability of the winds can quickly produce unpredictable big water conditions that pose a real challenge to the personal watercraft riders.”
This season’s P1 AquaX series sees the Farthing name in triplicate in the Pro Enduro class, with reigning champion Dustin joined by sons Deven and Talan. It was a one-two weekend in the opening round in Daytona Beach, with Dustin taking the top podium spot and Deven in second place. Tory Snyder and Brian Baldwin finished third and fourth, and they will be looking to strengthen their challenge for the national title this weekend.
