Speeding and dangerous personal watercraft operators have lead to camera installations along three of the busiest areas along the Georges River in Australia. The areas lie between Revesby Beach and Picnic Point. There is also ongoing discussion about installing cameras across the state. People in the area have experienced more than enough of the reckless and unsafe behavior by certain personal watercraft operators and want them held accountable for their actions.

David Coleman, a Federal MP who wants skis banned from the Georges doesn’t even think the craft belong on the waters of the Georges. Coleman also claimed that when authorities were present, everyone was on their best behavior. (That’s true in any scenario.) His remarks were recorded during a 7 News Sydney broadcast October 3, 2016.

State Authorities, on the other hand, were adamant about not banning personal watercraft from the river. Angus Mitchell, of Roads and Maritime Service, said that skis were legitimate vessels and should be allowed on the waterway. According to Mitchell, banning only leads to jet skiers moving to another area and the reckless operators will wreak havoc wherever they are present.

Since speeding is an ongoing problem; Coleman put personal watercraft operators on notice by saying that the government will roll out the cameras and stricter laws will be enforced by fining and seizing skis from repeat offenders. The cameras will also be outfitted with speed detectors and State Officals will be able to view activities along the river through Closed Circuit TV.

A spokeswoman from Transport New South Wales stated,“The Georges River National Park is a popular destination over the summer […] and with so many different activities going on in a relatively narrow stretch of water, it’s critical everyone follows the rules.”

This video is a little late, but here is a recap of the 2016 IJSBA World Finals Pro Runabout Spec that highlights Abdullah Al-Fadhel in his championship run. People believe that if you have a great start to the race, you have a good shot at placing in one of the top positions. When the 2016 IJSBA World Finals came around in October, tensions were high. People had been racing all year and had prevailed in many of the qualifications to get to where they were today.

There is no doubt that Abdullah backed by his Dean’s Team support had been going over every single component of the Factory Yamaha FZR the night before and the morning of. His team must have done something right because once that gun was fired signalling the start of the race, Abdullah never looked back. He was able to get out of the gates quickly and executed each turn and start out away to the best of his ability.

After the first lap he had a great lead on the racer behind him but he never let up on the throttle. When in doubt, or in his case, when in the lead, throttle it out! There was plenty of talk about Abdullah Al-Fadhel before the World Finals as he was turning in great times. He continued to win and ultimately was crowned the 2016 Pro Runabout Spec World Champion.

Puerto Escondido, Mexico is a small port and tourist town that is very popular for their beaches. Their beaches attract snorkelers, world class surfer, and bodyboarders. The waves are massive and have been know the snap surfboards (and surfers) into pieces. While this is a very dangerous place to surf, that does not hold the few back who come here to sharpen their skills in the off season for their up coming surf season. This is also becoming a place where a select few freestyle riders are risking their lives to reveal new tricks. While they do look small compared to the waves, the air they get off of each wave is huge.

Monster Energy and Rickter team rider Abraham “Ho” Hochstrasser, decided that he could get some good practice in with going to Puerto Escondido. He didn’t just show up, he showed off. Abraham was surfing in barrels, flying off of almost crashing waves, and to add even grabbing his free foot while in the air. The physical shape one has to be in to perform these tricks is top notch.

The tricks Abraham pulled off showed that the sport of freeride is no joke. Failing to execute each jump perfectly can be a matter of serious injury or death if a wave catches hold of you. While the sport of freeride is dangerous, I believe it is what fuels the riders to continue to go out their. When the adrenaline starts pumping in their bodies there is no stopping them.

Back in 2014 we showed you the revolutionary “water-based transportation” vehicle known as Quadrofoil Q2. The original news story showcased the Q2 prototype which has C-foil technology, an electric outboard motor and the ability to reach speeds of up to 21 knots with a battery life upwards of 2,200 nautical miles. While many of these features are the same, the original production of Quadrofoil Q2 was set to be shipped out to buyers in March 2015.

This year, the R&D team improved many of the key components to satisfy the consumers. With a second prototype they were able to upgrade existing features. The major upgrade was deciding to switch out the generic electric outboard engine and designed a Quadrofoil-specific engine which has proven to be a very successful move. While Quadrofoil did want to keep their promise of shipping out the first production line in March 2015, they feel that by having one more year to test, fine tune and reorient a few things their product is even better. Many of the investors, dealers and buyers continued to trust Quadrofoil even with their late production by inviting them to help in the prototype testing.

With spending another year refining their Q2 machine, Quadrofoil is proud to announce that they will be coming out with a Q4 prototype shortly. This will be the luxurious vessel of the company with a sleek new design that has a rooftop protecting four passengers from the elements.

One can associate the Q2 to a Prius and the Q4 to a Tesla. Both terrific car that are economically friendly but offer two different styles of riding. Quadrofoil is out to create a personal water transportation vessel that leaves minimal impact in the environment while providing the passengers with a comfortable ride. This is a new market with riding above the water. This could explode so stay tune and we will let you know of any news to come.

OK, so today’s “Case of the Mondays” is pretty dang cool if we say so ourselves. Not only do we have “Star Wars: Rogue One” coming out this Friday (being the first spin-off film from the core “Skywalker” saga, and predating the events of “Episode IV: A New Hope”), but the producer of this YouTube mini-film is none other than Devin Supertramp who you might recognize as being a major attraction in Sea-Doo’s recent viral video exploits in recent years. And best of all, this video not only has Jetovators – but totally decked out Jetovators and riders very creatively dressed up as the iconic speederbikes from “Return of The Jedi.”

In fact, the entirety of this video is a near cut-for-cut recreation of the infamous sequence when Han Solo, Chewbacca, Leia and Luke attempt to get the jump on and disarm a squadron of Imperial Speederbike pilots. Devon himself takes on the role of Han Solo, while a pair of actors portraying the Skywalker twins pursue the fleeing Storm Troopers. There’s some huge nods to the original films despite the lack of John Williams’ legendary score and some choice sound effects, but the spirit is there and that’s really what counts in this homage. We particularly like the little kids suited up as attacking Ewoks.

Unfortunately, you cannot purchase a real speederbike-edition Jetovator, as these were made from spare parts and literally dozens of rolls of duct tape painted to match the original props. Even the Storm Troopers’ helmets and armor were also made from layer upon layer of duct tape. If you don’t believe it, we’ve included the very cool “making of” video at the bottom. Enjoy!

With the holidays quickly approaching we can easily forget about a very important race coming up. The Mark Hahn Memorial 300 race is a tribute to former racer Mark Hahn. When Mark Hahn died, his legacy stayed with the racing community. Here is a quick review of the event, rules, and entry form. The full review and specifics will be located on the bottom of the page.

Registration and Dinner:
The race will take place on February 12, 2017 in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Camping reservations for the Crazy Horse Campground are limited so be sure to call them at (928) 855-4033 as spots will fill up quickly. Once you have your sleeping arrangements in order make sure that you and your team members hold a current IJSBA membership. At registration you will be asked to show your card so you must have it! Luckily if your membership is expired or do not have one you can get one at registration. Becoming a member is $50 for one year.

Since this is a IJSBA sanctioned race, all rules and regulations will be enforced. Registration will be held at Havasu Powersports from 10am to 5pm on saturday, February 11th. There will be a dinner to conclude the events, each racer will have an armband which will give them entry into the complimentary dinner. Tickets for non racers will be $25 and can be paid in advance or at the door. Dinner buffet will begin at 5:30 and the awards will start at 6:00.

HERE IS THE OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM

Race Information:
All boats must have current registration from whatever state they are form and wear USCG equipment at all times. Boats will need to have race numbers that are legible and  easy to read. There will be no duplicates of numbers so it is on a first come first serve basis. Arm bands must be worn by racers at all times to ensure that everyone is there for the race and is a member of IJSBA. This is not a closed course event but with the help of chaseboats, United States Coast Guard and the Bureau of Land Management racers will be protected by normal boating traffic that is using the lake.

HERE ARE ALL THE OFFICIAL RULES

2017 Stand Up Refueling:
Since stands ups have a much smaller fuel tank compared to the larger sit down boats, you may only refuel your stand up with a hand held fuel jug or a gravity fed can. If you have any questions about refueling please contact Ross Wallach at [email protected]

Race Time!
There will be a mandatory racer meeting at 7:30am before the race. The starting line is organized by order of entry. Sit Down riders will start 50-yards behind their boat and when the gun is shot, run to their boats and take off! Riders must maintain their lane until they pass the buoys marking the hot pits. Stand up riders will start 2 minutes after the sit down riders.

If you have any questions feel free to contact the following:
Jim Russell – [email protected]
Mike Follmer – [email protected]
Ross Wallach – [email protected]

Here is a quick history lesson for those of you who do not know about how the jet ski came about. The creator of the first Jet Ski was Clayton Jacobson II. When he moved to Palos Verdes, California, he became immersed in the culture of motocross racing. While out riding one day he stopped at a irrigation ditch to cool off and he had a crazy thought which has turned into a lifestyle for many. He created the “motorcycle on water.”

Last year, professional stuntman Robbie Maddison, on a specially-prepped dirt bike raced across the water and charged the waves of world-famous Tahitian surf spot Teahupoʻo. Clearly that footage was the solitary animus that spurred the rehashing of the pseudo super-spy Vin Diesel vehicle, “XXX.” Here is the trailer for the new movie which shows Vin Diesel aboard his dirt bike/motorcycle/jet ski riding on the water. The machine works by shooting out skis to keep the front of the machine afloat while the back is not shown. In the trailer it show two guys riding on separate bike in what appears to be one chasing another and they are getting pretty high off the waves just before they crash.

While this does look like a good movie, us PWC enthusiasts can’t help but argue that the name should be changed to something more related to the dirt bike/motorcycle/jet ski machine.