While Sea-Doo continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary, America’s Motor Sports has a phenomenal Sea-Doo Yellow Tag Event happening now! Take advantage of this promotion while it and the personal watercraft are still available. The last day of the sale is September 9, 2018. The $1200 rebate includes 0% financing for 36 months on all 2018 GTI models. This is a great deal, considering that the GTI’s starting price is $8,899.
You can accept the $1200 rebate or choose a 3 years coverage with Sea-Doo’s B.E.S.T. Extended Service plus a $700 rebate. The B.E.S.T. warranty provides extended coverage beyond the manufacturer’s warranty. It begins the second year your PWC limited warranty expires. The plan guarantees that your vehicle will only be serviced by BRP certified technicians and only genuine BRP parts will be used on your machine.
America’s Motor Sports and Sea-Doo are offering many variations of the Yellow Tag Event. Purchase a 2017 Sea-Doo Spark for as low as $4,999, with a $300 rebate built into the price. Add on 1.9 percent financing for 36 months and you’re out the door after taxes and tag are paid.
Buy two 2018 Sea-Spark’s and a trailer for as little as $179 per month. Several models of Sea-Doo Wake skis are on sale as well. Get $150 back when you purchase one of these cool machines. They have many tow specific features including a 3-Position Retractable Ski Pylon and Removable Wakeboard Rack.
The Sea-Doo Yellow Tag Sales Event is pushing the limits on how affordable a Sea-Doo can be. Make waves with a brand new Sea-Doo by getting your hands on this amazing offer before it’s outta here like an outgoing tide!
See all of the fine print and complete details of the Sea-Doo Yellow Tag Event here.
We caught up with some riders following the third Round of the Pro Watercross Tour, Presented by Broward Motorsports. The third stop was in Racine, Wisconsin which is about 1.5 hours north of Chicago, IL on the west side of Lake Michigan. Racers such as Jimmy Wilson describe it as “a gorgeous beach with a ton of spectators just out to enjoy the sun and sand. Racine even had an Italian festival going on. We found a couple awesome little restaurants in town over the weekend for breakfast and dinner.”
Niki Turner told us, “Racine was a beautiful site for Pro Watercross to come enjoy. I loved having the beach feel without the salty after effects. The city representative was super welcoming and seemed to truly enjoy watching our sport. [There were] fun wave conditions, perfect 70+ degree weather, and an enjoyable atmosphere!”
Pro-Am Ski Stock had some heated battles. The Juniors raced in this class again, with Haden Skellett holeshotting Moto 1. He led for a lap until Jimmy Wilson passed him to take the win. Wilson holeshotted and won Moto 2. Then, on Moto 3, Wilson pulled the holeshot again, but got lost on the start. Sammy Nehme, another Junior, had a great ride in Moto 1. He was running third and held off the rest of the pack until he fell mid race. Overall for the weekend, Wilson took first, Matthew Richuk in second, and Callaway Turner in third in Pro-Am Ski Stock.
Pro-Am Ski GP was interesting. Craig Warner pulled the holeshot in Moto 1, but he broke just a couple of laps in. Jimmy Wilson won all three motos. Mike “Klipper” Klippenstien was in third both motos, challenging for second in both motos. Klipper finished behind Warner in Moto 2. In Moto 3, Klipper got Warner on the second to last lap.
Callaway Turner has been on fire in the Pro-Am Ski Stock class this season, so we took the opportunity to catch up with him for some questions. Turner told us this was his first time visiting Racine for a race as he was unable to make it there a few years back when Pro Watercross last had a tour stop there. He said, “The site was like being at a freshwater ocean, which was awesome! Weather was sunny and 75. The water was cooler than I’m used to, but not enough to require a wetsuit.
The water conditions were calm and flat on Saturday, which made for some fast racing. Some 1-2 foot wind chop started picking up throughout the day Sunday to make conditions a little more challenging and tiring. I managed to place third for the weekend, consistent with my placement in the first two tour stops down in Florida. We had some awesome competition in the Pro Ski Stock class with 14 riders signed up. This was Jeb Zarzour’s [his Hurricane Racing teammate] first time competing in that class as I finally talked him into signing up for it.”
Speaking of Jeb Zarzour, we spoke to him as well. Zarzour competes in Pro-Am Ski Stock, Amateur Ski Stock, and even does Freestyle! Zarzour mentioned, “The town of Racine is neat. It has a welcoming feel, kind of like a smaller beach town. It really feels like a beach town and the actual race site was large. It was all sand, for a very long strip. It was almost like being at the ocean, except not salt water!” We asked Zarzour about the conditions, since this was his first time on Lake Michigan. He told us, “The surf on Saturday was pretty flat for about 2/third of the day, but my last moto and most of the last motos that were ran for the day got pretty rough. It built up into about 2-3 foot waves. That was a lot of fun!”
We also got to ask Jeb Zarzour about competing in freestyle on his P&P Performance built and tuned 900cc Helium. He said, “That was the first time I’ve ever tried doing a flatwater freestyle routine in those kinds of conditions. For me, it was really difficult. You couldn’t really see your set-up wake.” We then asked him if he was trying to hit the natural waves, or was he trying to make his own setup wake? “I tried doing both of those. It made getting a good clean lip [of the wave] difficult. You could do something like a 180-flip, but throwing a big flip off of one of the Lake Michigan waves was more difficult,” Zarzour explained.
We spoke with Gary Burtka about freestyle as well. He told us that he has competed every year there’s been PWC racing in Racine since 1995 because it’s his home location (living in Chicago, IL). This was his 4th podium finish in Pro Freestyle, ending his run with his signature no-hander-lander backflip.
All in all, it sounds like Racine, WI, sounds like a fantastic location for a PWC event to be held. It’s capable of throwing all sorts of water conditions to keep the riders on their game, all while providing a beach-like environment without the follow-up maintenance of harsh salt water.
We asked Jeb Zarzour if he’d go back again. He said, “Absolutely!” Even with the long 15-hour drive, we asked? He really liked the site. He just said that it was a bit difficult to start driving back home at 4pm on Sunday because everyone had work on Monday morning. He told us he got back to work at 9:05am on Monday morning! This seems to be a common consensus with many racers. We all travel long distances, with most of us having to be back at work on Monday morning, but if you ask any of us if we’d do it again, most everyone says, “YES!”
Greenhulk PWC Performance Store has RIVA 2018 Sea-Doo RXT-X 300 Pro Series sponsons in stock. They’re available for just under $500.00. These race proven sponsons offer significant handling improvement through increased adjustability, strength, and design. The bulletproof aluminum mounting inserts add even more strength and increase vertical adjustability, allowing you to set them in the way that works best for your riding.
The sponsons are precision machined from a high strength material that will not flex, even under extreme conditions. Stiff blades work well when racing. Some riders love stiff sponsons, while others prefer to ride without them. It’s all about personal preference and what works for your riding style.
The RIVA Pro Series sponsons have five adjustable mounting positions up and down and they are legal for all classes in IJSBA sanctioned events. Moreover, the adjustable billet aluminum stabilizer allows you to tune lean-in handling characteristics. This feature will help improve your racing capabilities by letting you decide how hard you can lean into turns without losing control.
Use the discount code: “greenhulk” when completing the checkout process in the GreenHulk Store and save 10% off the listed price of most RIVA and R&D products, all WORX Racing parts and all Solas impellers.
Hartwell, Georgia is special because it’s the only stop on the tour that they have the unique race class of “Vintage Ski.” This year, it was the second most popular class with 14 racers on the line! Josh Block returned from a 2-year hiatus, taking the overall win on a Yamaha SuperJet with a 1-2-2. Kevin Rowe finished second overall with a 2-4-1, and Gage Schoenherr finished third overall with a 5-1-3 in the 3 motos.
A familiar face on the shore is 10-year-old Kayden Baldwin, son of Brian Baldwin. Hartwell is now a memorable place for him because this was his first ever race! We asked him what it was like to race for the first time. He told us, “I was excited and a little nervous. Once I got to the starting line, I was a lot nervous and my stomach started hurting.” We then asked him how he felt once the race started: “The nerves went away,” Baldwin answered immediately. He was out there racing on a Kawasaki SX-R 800 saying, “She’s fast and runs real good, thanks to my dad of Champion Powersports. Big thanks to Fly Racing for my cool racing gear, too!”
Freestyle was surely entertaining for the spectators. They got to see a wide array of tricks ranging from old-school tricks like submarines and bulldogs, to new-school tricks like backflips and 540’s. We started off with Amateur Freestyle in which Michael Petro entered back into the competition scene on ‘98 roundnose Yamaha SuperJet with a 650 and a big ‘ol Liquid Militia logo across the hood. The lack of power surely didn’t stop him though, starting off with his signature Superman Rail Grab! Yes folks, Petro is back! He threw down a solid old school routine, busting out everything in the books.
Next up was Kevin Rowe on his vintage Kawasaki 550. Boy, he threw down a heck of a routine as well, starting off with his favorite ‘barefooting’ as he zoomed across the water with his feet skipping off the side. Mid-routine, he even threw a log roll. He ended his routine with a really deep submarine causing his ski to start sinking, but luckily there were plenty of us to swim his ski to shore and get the water out. Following Petro and Rowe was Jeb Zarzour on his ‘new-school’ ski, a carbon XScream Helium hull with 900cc power plant. Unfortunately for Jeb, he had mechanical issues immediately upon starting his routine and had to forfeit for the remainder of the weekend. Rowe took first on Saturday, but Petro battled back real hard on Sunday, winning Moto 2 with a flawless old-school routine, taking the overall win in Amateur Freestyle. Talk about a nice way to enter back into the competition scene after many years away!
Next up was Pro Freestyle! Unfortunately, during practice in Moto 1, Gary Burtka broke his exhaust coupler on his blue Twangled Havoc. Luckily, Freestylers are supportive of each other, so Michael Petro let Burtka take his vintage 650 square nose SuperJet out for a 2-minute rip. Burtka, haven’t been on a vintage ski in many years, looked right at home busting out crowd favorites like fountains and other various hood tricks. Following Burtka was Ryan Doberstein on his P&P Performance built TPE 1200cc Helium. Doberstein was on a new-school ski and gave this crowd some eye-opening amplitude on big backflips, spins, and combos!
Moto 2 in Pro Freestyle on Sunday had Gary Burtka going first on his white Twangled Havoc, which was built by Zack at Powerhouse Performance. His ski looked great as he started off his routine with a clean set of three backflips in a row and even a no-hander lander backflip. It was now up to Doberstein to defend his Moto 1 win, so Doberstein pulled out multiple technical tricks such as 1-footed 540 to backflip combos. Other combos consisted of 1-footed can backflips to multiple 1-footed 360s. Doberstein pulled out the overall win with Burtka in second.
One of the big talks of the weekend was Moto 3 of Pro-Am Runabout Box Stock with 777 Tim Miller squeezing out the win from 110 Troy Snyder. Overall, Snyder took first; Brian Baldwin in second; and Miller in third, but this Moto 3 was especially entertaining as a spectator. We got a chance to catch up with both Tim Miller and Troy Snyder to see what they said.
Tim Miller told The Watercraft Journal, “Snyder was in the lead the whole race, I was in second with Baldwin on my tail the whole race. I was really working hard trying to pass Snyder. At that time I really just wanted to beat Snyder for the Moto, but knew it wouldn’t help much. Baldwin is pretty far ahead in the points. Not sure if anyone can get him. I’m currently second in points after Georgia, but the win for Snyder brought us within 7 points of each other. “
We asked Miller if he had any advice for new racers in regards to finishing the race strong. He told us “The race isn’t over until you cross that finish line, never give up and keep pushing. Never let off, especially at or before the finish line. It’s dangerous for the racer and the ones behind them as well. Pin it to win it till the end!! Not real sure why Snyder let off that early.” Well, neither did the majority of everyone on shore and even on social media afterwards. So, we wanted to get Troy Snyder’s take on this race.
Troy Snyder told us, “I let off at the end for strategy for overall [points] for the year. I was holding Baldwin up on purpose trying to get Tim Miller to beat him for the weekend. You always want to push hard to the end of the course. Me, as multi-time champion, always use my head when I race. I save the boat and know where I am for overall wins. You don’t have to win every moto to get the trophy.”
For this year’s IJSBA World Finals, ProX Racing Parts is excited to announce their support. This year, ProX will be a vendor sponsor with onsite product specialists to offer technical expertise. They will be supporting racers as well as discussing products with all attendees.
For more information about ProX and their supporting role in the upcoming IJSBA World Finals, see their full press release below:
Mentor, Ohio (August 21, 2018) – ProX Racing Parts, a global manufacturer and supplier of replacement parts and products for personal watercraft, Jetskis, dirt bikes, ATVs, snowmobiles and karts, has reached an agreement to support the 2018 International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) Blowsion World Finals at Lake Havasu, Ariz., Oct. 1-7.
The IJSBA is the worldwide sanctioning body for personal watercraft competitive racing. The 2018 Blowsion World Finals will take place in Lake Havasu City at Crazy Horse Campgrounds and Resort. A custom stadium environment is purpose built on the shoreline of the park to create a unique up-close and personal watercraft experience. ProX will serve as a Vendor Sponsor at the annual event where product specialists will be on site to offer technical expertise while supporting racers and discussing products with fans and competitors, alike.
The IJSBA World Finals is the world’s premier event for all things personal watercraft. Now in its 37th consecutive year of operation, the IJSBA World Finals continues to be the unrivaled showcase of the human spirit in forms of engineering, athletic achievement, camaraderie, and sportsmanship.
ProX offers OEM-quality replacement pistons and connecting rods for many of the popular personal watercraft applications. ProX has a rich history in personal watercraft competition in Europe and currently sponsors Luc Hermsen, who races the European P1 Jetcross series.
“ProX Racing Parts is proud to be involved with IJSBA, promoting watercraft racing, fun, and safety,” explained ProX Director of Powersports Scott Highland. “The Association has a long history of promoting the sport of personal watercraft racing and we appreciate their efforts. ProX has been involved in personal watercraft engine parts development for many years, and support racers from that discipline across the globe. We are excited to support all the participants, racers and team members at an event as prestigious as the IJSBA World Finals. ProX is proud to support this world-class championship event.”
The World Finals is centered around Closed Course Racing, Slalom Racing and Freestyle Competition. Closed Course Racing has a starting line of personal watercraft dashing towards a first turn buoy and then navigating several laps through a buoy course. Slalom Racing is a timed event where riders maneuver around a buoy course in hopes of having the fastest time in their division.
Freestyle has individual athletes demonstrating tricks and stunts during a one or two-minute routine for a judge’s score. Professionals, Amateurs, Juniors, and Women’s divisions will bring hundreds of athletes from more than 50 nations to compete for the title of World Champion. Only the Olympic Games have more individual nations represented at a single venue.
About ProX
ProX Racing Parts supplies genuine replacement parts and products which meet or exceed OEM specifications and standards for dirt bikes, ATVs, personal watercraft, Jetskis, snowmobiles and karts. Founded in 1975 and headquartered near Amsterdam in The Netherlands, ProX is distributed across the globe. ProX specializes in high quality internal engine components like pistons, connecting rods, crankshafts and valves. ProX continues to expand
its range and develop product lines for applications outside the engine case. ProX stocks over 8, 000 part numbers segmented over more than 60 different product groups. ProX Racing Parts are available through specific and dedicated sales networks around the world. For more information, log on to www.pro-x.com.
PWC Muscle Performance Parts have quite a few new products on offer. Browse the site to see what’s new. We touched on the products just to give you an idea of what’s available.
The service manual for the Yamaha GP1800 is priced to sell at $75.00. It’s for the 2017 and 2018 models.
Need a throttle cover for your Yamaha GP1800? PWC Muscle has the P3 Labs throttle cover in stock. This piece covers the hole that is left by aftermarket steering systems on the throttle lever.
Grab yourself a 30 piece pack of Sea-Doo Spark High Impact Plastic Washers for $35.00. They come in multiple colors and are made in the USA. This is an inexpensive way to customize your Spark or use them to replace cracked or broken washers.
When it’s time to change the oil in your Sea-Doo Spark, PWC Muscle has you covered with the Sea-Doo ACE 1630 Oil Change Kit. This is the ultra-convenient “all-in-one” oil change kit, which will save time and money. It includes XPS Synthetic Blend Oil, oil filter, and o-rings. Add spark plugs for $21.99. The kit alone is $67.99.
Wanna turbo charge your Spark? Purchase the V-Tech Victory Sea-Doo Spark Turbo Kit for $4,225.00. PWC Muscle is now taking pre-orders for the kit, which includes everything you need. This super charged kit will create 160hp-180hp! The kit requires the Maptuner X. If you don’t have it, add it to your cart for an additional $850.
Also available are custom built gauge pods from P3 Labs. These fit the Yamaha GP1800. The pods cost $119.99. Click the link for all the details.
PWC Performance now offers RIVA Yamaha GP1800/VX Pro Series Sponsons. $499.95 is the cost to improve handling and straight line stability for your PWC. The sponsons have three fully adjustable positions and easy bolt on installation.
Check out the RIVA Yamaha O2 Sensor Mounting Kit for 2012 and newer 1.8L engines. $219.99 buys you a mounting kit that requires no drilling, machining, or welding.
Another new product offered by PWC Muscle is the RIVA LC1 Wideband Lambda Controller for $249.99 The LC-1 is a complete wide-band Lambda controller built into a sealed cable and wired specifically to connect to the RIVA Athena ECU via a waterproof factory connector.
All products come with PWC Muscle Performance Parts price match guarantee. Free shipping is available for orders over $139.00 with special terms and conditions.
The waves that form off the coast of Nazare, Portugal are world renowned for their extreme size and power. Big wave surfers monitor weather forecasts and keep their eyes on marine and buoy forecasts, so they can be ready to go at a moment’s notice when a big swell is on the way and Nazare will be firing.
A drone captured just how gnarly Nazare really is during a massive swell. Non-surfers will wonder why jet ski teams attempt to motor into the giant waves and why surfers attempt to paddle into waves of that magnitude. A lot is at stake when heading into big waves. Lives are on the line and it takes super experienced watermen and women to survive the nearly non-existent line up at Nazare. Mountains of water break all over the place.
The footage captured by the drone shows just what it takes to survive a big wave wipeout with a surfer, a jet ski, and jet ski driver. This particular incident occurred on February 16,2018, just as Portugal’s big wave season was coming to an end. The video begins with professional surfer Alex Botelho trying to paddle into a giant wave. Botelho is engulfed by the monster, losing his board during the wipeout. Another set wave slams him and pushes him down. His teammate, Hugo Vau, was idling nearby on his jet ski and sees what is happening and motors in to help to Botelho. A life threatening situation begins to unfold when a massive wave approaches and takes out both men and the PWC.
More set waves approach and the guys are left floundering for the ski as it’s tumbled when they try to scramble for it. The crew is rag-dolled, held down, and beat up by the oncoming waves. Miraculously, they survive and the PWC only suffers minor damage.
Thanks to footage captured by drones, GoPro’s, and other camera equipment, we have the luxury of sitting in front of our computer monitors and are able witness scenes like this from the safety of our homes. Giant Nazare is not a break for inexperienced surfers. Fortunately, Botelho and Vau have trained and continue to train for big wave surfing. They know what to do during a dangerous wipeout and thankfully, they survived this one.
“The Children’s Hospital, Birmingham, AL is a member of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, an alliance of premier hospitals for children and one of the world’s leading children’s charities working to save and improve the lives of millions of children. The TWRA is an organization dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and enhancement of Tennessee’s outdoors, including fostering the safe use of the state’s waters. The event is also designed to promote Tennessee tourism and water safety, as well as to portray PWC’s in a positive light, and is the longest running organized event in the United States for personal watercraft.”
Celebrating its 22nd year (beginning back in 1997), the Tennessee 600 has raised nearly a quarter-million dollars for these charities and organizations while welcoming riders from across the US, Canada and beyond. This year, Joe Borden of Bopenski Watersports (y’know, the guys who make the awesome KickBack PWC chair) thought he’d try out the 8-day event. Once the saddle sores mended, we reached out to see what Joe thought.
The Watercraft Journal: How did you first hear about the Tennessee River 600 (TNR600)?
Joe Borden: I heard about the ride from a couple we met at the MudBug in Morgan City, Gregg and Jenn Andreachi. They said the TNR600 is the first ride they put on their calendar every year, it’s that good.
WCJ: What helped you make the decision to go? Who joined you?
JB: I was having a conversation with my brother, Jamey about how much fun my wife, Shari and I had riding through the bayous at the MudBug with the groups, and that he and his wife, Georgia would love it. He asked if there was another ride coming up anytime soon and I told him about the TNR600. It was decided about 2 minutes later.
WCJ: Tell me a little about the trip to Knoxville, how was the drive?
JB: It was an easy 880 miles – no troubles. We reworked the bearings and put new tires on the trailer prior to the trip – like our dad always said, prevention is easier than correction. We hadn’t been through Arkansas and Tennessee in many years, so getting to spend time with my brother and see some beautiful country was a lot of fun. The drive from Nashville to Knoxville is just stunning.
WCJ: How long was the first day’s ride? It’s typically the most grueling.
JB: We went about 140 miles through 3 locks on our way to Chattanooga, but it didn’t feel like a haul at all. The river was calm with postcard views around every bend, not to mention the homes/estates we were able to encounter, beautiful places. It was our first time experiencing a lock. Watching the walls grow 50 to 100 feet in about 20 minutes was incredible.
Dennis Beckley and his team of TNR600 organizers did an outstanding job informing everyone (especially us newbies) of the day’s scheduled stops, river rules and regulations, and marina locations for pit-stops and refueling. Each day, Dennis had organized at least one meal we would all gather as a group for, which was a great time to hear the day’s stories.
WCJ: What cities (or landmarks) did the group stop at?
JB: First and second nights were in Chattanooga. Day 2 was a play day. You could site-see around Chattanooga or explore the river. We came to ride, so my brother and I took the opportunity to ride the Gorge (Chattanooga to Hale’s Gate about 35 miles) by ourselves – what a beautiful ride! And we were able to take our time and really soak in the views in the canyons.
The third night was at the Wyndham Garden Lake in Guntersville, Alabama. It’s right on the water and close to the next day’s lock – Guntersville Lock. The fourth night’s stay was probably my favorite at Joe Wheeler State Park – I could have spent several days there between the beautiful scenery around the river, golf course and miles of hiking trails. The sunrise from any of the room’s balcony is incredible, and the staff is outstanding.
The fifth day ride from Joe Wheeler to Pickwick State park was a lot of fun as well going about 70 miles. We stopped by the River Bottom Grille at Florence Harbor (AL) for lunch and the burgers were excellent. A lot to see and do along this stretch including a great cliff to jump off of. Pickwick State Park is also a great stop with plenty to do, including the famous fifth night fish fry Dennis and his team put on for the group.
Great food and a lot of laughs from all the stories being told from the last 5 days of riding. The last day is about a 140 mile ride, but it sure doesn’t feel like it. This stretch of the Tennessee River is as beautiful, yet different from the rest, and we found ourselves stopping often for pics and to just take it all in. We made it to the end of the ride at Paris Landing in about 4 hours and although a little tired, we found ourselves wishing we had a couple more days.
WCJ: Tell us a little of your day-to-day; did you develop a routine in packing your ski, riding styles, etc?
JB: Gregg and Jenn prepped us really well in what to take and how to pack. In the skis we had bumpers for each side, two dock lines, tools for pulling out anything that might get caught in the impeller (and needed once!), rain gear, face mask, goggles and our KickBack. The only things we took to the hotel each evening were a small backpack containing our valuables, snacks, the Garmin and coolers. (If you leave food in your ski overnight the raccoons can make quite a mess.)
Everything else including the life vest we left on the ski in the marinas and never had a problem. Having the rain gear, goggles, facemask quickly accessible for the occasional shower made riding in the rain fun, something we would have found hard to believe prior to the trip. And the way Dennis and his team handled all the logistics of our luggage from hotel to hotel made the trip so easy, everything would be waiting for us when we got off the water.
WCJ: Give us some concluding thoughts – did you like the group? Did you like the average speed? did you like the selected stops each night?
JB: We had a blast! And we will be back next year along with several others from our clan that are already sold from the pictures, videos and stories. Did we like the group? Absolutely! Within a couple of days everyone started to feel like family, and the way everyone helped each other made us feel like we hadn’t left Texas! There were 10-20 people we rode with each day that enjoyed riding the speeds we did. As a group we rode between 40-50mph with frequent stops just to kickback, talk and enjoy the views. For most of the 600 miles the water this year was glass (or close to it), which just begged for speed. With there being almost 100 participants, no matter what speed you enjoy riding there is a group for you.
So far for the 2018 racing season, Yamaha has a lot to celebrate as the GP1800 WaveRunner continues to dominate. Yamaha is proud to announce that ‘Yamaha racers are winning more championships than ever before. Our GP1800 WaveRunners remain unbeaten on the racing circuit.’
Recently earlier this month of course we saw Yamaha overwhelmingly sweep the LB2CAT offshore championship with Mike Klippenstein take the championship win aboard his FX SVHO and Cyrille Lemoine next in line on his GP1800.
In fact Yamaha not only took all podium positions, but they dominated the first eight positions in this championship endurance race.
We also recently saw Yamaha racers sweep the top ten spots at round 3 of P1 AquaX. Of course world champion Brian Baldwin took first place aboard his GP1800 followed by Chris MacClugage and Eric Francis who also rode the rocket-like GP1800 WaveRunner.
With all of the innovations such as NanoXcel2 employed on the hull and deck as well as the powerful SVHO engine in the GP1800, it’s no wonder why Yamaha continues to dominate the race circuit.
When you give the racers an industry-leading power-to-weight ratio, you give them the tools they need to dominate the competition.
For more information and race results regarding Yamaha WaveRunners, check out Yamaha news here.
With this being the last race of the wildly successful Hydro-Turf JetJam racing series, the joy of the season and all the new friendships, was not to be over shadowed by the fact that this was it, the end of the tour. It was ever so poetic that it ended at a lake named Success in Porterville, CA.
Lake Success came with its own unique set of challenges for the Red Shirt Crew which they quickly overcame with the greatest of ease. Putting together a monumental event that will not soon be forgotten. JetJam’s sponsors Hydro-Turf and Bud Light definitely, threw down some huge support. Bud light even set up a stage for Saturday night. Exit 13, a great classic rock band from Central California, put on a great show for everyone for the end of the season party. Racers and crew alike enjoyed this awesome time together. Ever sealing many more friendships and bonds that had been formed over the year.
The fast track, with the long back straight, and sweeping turns, didn’t give the riders a second to rest or make a mistake. With so many of the classes having points chases only a few points apart, there was very little room for error. Like the season points championship in GP1 650/750 that came down to one point. James Hendry barely edged out Cory VanCleave for the overall win. Cory, however took home the season overall in his other class, 550 Vintage. At the same time the sportsmanship was showing everywhere, like racers loaning boats to one another.
Caleb Kile, the Ski GP4 Stock season champion, jumped on the season overall Vet champions, Justin James, Bullet to race the Ski GP2 class for the first time ever and killed it. He finished 3rd on Sunday. JB Gasperone, the Ski GP1 season champion, jumped on a 550 and a 650 for a couple of races. Even Brock Austin got in on the fun racing a 650 for the first time, and not only did he not get last but he rode it in the Ski GP2 Limited class. There was also the triumphant return of Joey Pearce on the #88 boat. Joey had not raced since 2001/2002 and made quite the come back by taking 1st place in the Ski GP2 Limited and Vet Ski Open classes on Saturday.
Oh, did I mention the 2Up X2 race? A challenge was presented to the X2 class, at the awards on the last day of the Mossdale race. It was simple, two riders and a purse of $250. Lose a rider and you’re out. Saturday, Hayden Item and his passenger, Kyle Kreeger, took home the victory. With everyone having so much fun, awkwardly bouncing around the course, they decided to do it all over again on Sunday.
Jet Jam Racing definitely pulled out all the stops for the last race of the year, but they did so for the rest of the season before this as well. There was not one race this season that there wasn’t laughter and smiles all throughout the event. We should all take our hats off to Jet Jam Racing, the Red Shirt Crew and everyone that had a hand in any of this season, for bringing the heart and soul back to jet ski racing.
HydroTurf, Bud Light, Hidden Trails Motosports, River Rat Motorsports, Bodyline Swim Shop, Skat Trak, Pro Watercraft Racing, Water Craft Direct, Nprotune, Jet Renu, M&M Marine, TC Freeride, 3-2-1 Kawasaki, Blowsion, JetLift, Ryno Power, The Watercraft Journal, Team Oakley, Pro Rider Magazine, Shark Energy Drink, Devas Bling, Riva Racing, Gallaghers, Throttle Junkie News, Coach T’s BBQ, Every Kid Counts Charity, O’neill S&E, Sun Solutions, Titan Performance, Bomber Eyewear, WCWCC and Westside Media.
Article guest written by Matthew Goade All photos provided by Kenny Wong, and originals can be purchased HERE.
While Sea-Doo continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary, America’s Motor Sports has a phenomenal Sea-Doo Yellow Tag Event happening now! Take advantage of this promotion while it and the personal watercraft are still available. The last day of the sale is September 9, 2018. The $1200 rebate includes 0% financing for 36 months on all 2018 GTI models. This is a great deal, considering that the GTI’s starting price is $8,899.
