Listen, we already know you’ve got plenty of selfies and sure, even some video of you enjoying the heck out of your Sea-Doo, so why not get some awesome prizes for doing the same thing you’re already doing now? We know, right? Well, lucky for you, Sea-Doo has launched its all-new “Share Your #SeaDooLife” video contest for a chance at winning some seriously cool prizes like waterproof cameras and up to $500 in riding gear and accessories that we’re certain you’re going to put to good use this riding season.
Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, sorta. There’s a bunch of legal gobbledygook that you need to agree to (like being a legal residents of Canada and the United States (excluding Puerto Rico), providing your contact info, and agreeing to only submit one video), and filling out the basic video submission application, but besides that, you’re good to go. All that’s asked is that each entrant uploads a video demonstrating their Sea-Doo experiences, adventures on the water and/or “living the Sea-Doo life.”
• FIRST PRIZE: One (1) voucher valued at $500 of Sea-Doo accessories, riding gear, and clothing.
• SECOND PRIZE: One (1) CGX2 4K HD Waterproof Action Camera by Cyclops Gear valued at $300.
• THIRD PRIZE: One (1) CGX2 4K HD Waterproof Action Camera by Cyclops Gear valued at $300.
So are you pumped? You bet you are! To enter, just click HERE!
New to the calendar of freeride in Australia, The SBT King of Freeride was a great success. Held on the beautiful sunshine coast at the location of last years IFWA and Oz Surf Slam.
A bit of a change from the usual competition scoring formula. This event was more to have fun and hopefully get new people to the top of the podium. With scoring on not just riding skills, but also tool wrenching, best presented ski, best bailout, best fist pump and best supporting crew just to name a few. They also had the usual sickest trick, best 180′ and The King of Freeride title, which was judged on overall talent, participation, attitude and someone that just stood out all day.
Zane Taylor (cousin of Brock Taylor) was crowned the King after two days of smooth clean riding with massive air and awesome trick combos. He rode in every round he could and smiled the whole time while doing it. Only just piped at the post was young gun Tom Aiken who was sending it all weekend. A series of mind blowing 180s and flips that are probably the highest we’ve ever seen. Connor Lane took out the third spot with a consistent riding style and some sweet rolls and flips.
The day started out with no wind and a beautiful 3-foot swell, a nice high tide and a warm 28’C (82′ F). But the tide was on its way out making landings a bit risky. A bit of lawn darting went on over the weekend (you know who you are). It was great to see so many people helping out with new engine mounts and their time to put the skis back together. All in all, it was one of the best days for an event we’ve been to.
The location is great too, with a great grassy area and beautiful sandy beach to sit back a watch the event. With the Alexandra Heads Surf club next door and all of the holiday accommodations across the road there was no shortage of spectators. And spectators are just what our sport needs! It was so good to speak to people and hear what the thought. Most never new freeride existed let alone the tricks that are possible. All were amazed at what they saw.
It was also good to see so much media coverage, also the constant event promotion from Joanna Kristoffersen, Ben Dayman and the team at SCJSC. All the sponsors were really impressed the professionalism. With over $20,000 worth of cash and prizes, all the riders were getting into the fun, with double fist pump backflips to massive lazy boys on the ‘Blasters. And when the waves were few a far between, it was a race to the face to get there first. Plenty of waves had two or three riders in the air at once.
The girls are getting more impressive every day, 18-year-old Maddison Youngblutt got a couple of nice backflips in and some sweet surf riding. She is only a skinny little thing but she shows the boys how to throw that Krash ski around. With great support from her family it’s good to see her riding with her dad all the time.
So if you have never been to a freeride event and want to check out some great riding with a great all over vibe, check out your local jet ski clubs and get to their events. You won’t regret it.
Just as important as the engine is the jet ski pump, and SBT carries rebuild kits for possibly every driveline and pump housing application imaginable – as well as new and remanufactured complete housings for easy bolt-in repairs. SBT has been offering both new Yamaha jet pump housings (with Delrin liners) and remanufactured Kawasaki jet pump housings (with new stainless steel liners and seals/bearings), as well as Kawasaki replacement trim seals for reinstalling the housings.
Of course, SBT, Inc. is well known for its stainless steel impeller remanufacturing program, refurbishing damaged impellers. Bent, chipped or otherwise injured impellers cause cavitation, robbing your PWC of power and thrust. SBT’s inexpensive but high quality stainless steel impeller remanufacturing process turns around thousands of impellers a year, making it affordable to include impeller replacement in your yearly maintenance schedule! Of course, there are plenty of other jet pump products available through SBT:
These include SBT’s high quality replacement stainless steel driveshafts, impeller shafts, and coupler shafts for driveline rebuilds; Delrin wear rings for Sea-Doo and Yamaha; jet pump rebuild kits that include the necessary bearings and seals to rebuild your jet pump; and driveline rebuild kits to replace all the wear items from the PTO to the impeller, bearings and seals included. And even some of SBT’s kits come fully assembled for simple bolt-in replacement.
I have won this race in 2006 and 2008 and my last participation was in 2010. I had a little bit of time away from the Karujet because the brand for which I was running had no competitive jet for this kind of race, but now that I’m at Yamaha we have a jet that is perfect.
Day 1 (Thursday)
A little training and some sea time for the first stage of 52 km in the morning. The race is very long and it is really important to make a smart race strategy to get to the end. So the first day was used to see just how we compared to other drivers and machines. I took a very good start and had topped the first buoy, and had known my Yamaha FX prepared in the workshops of RIVA Motorsports in Florida was quite efficient to win, when I turned to see two pilots who were at the same pace as me: American Chris MacClugage and Guadeloupe’s Vincent Thomas.
It was not really a surprise, as they are very good drivers with great experience! I raced in front for most of the round, but the last crossing was made with the waves at our back so the jet of the American was more effective in these conditions. I finished in second place with a few seconds delay. The afternoon leg was the same scenario. In the evening I was second with less than a minute to make up.
Day 2 (Friday)
Two races including one 65 kms to Marie Galante. The conditions were different, the voyage at sea is really much more difficult and brittle for the drivers than for the machines. I also wanted to increase the pace and widen the gap over my competitors. I arrived first with 3:40 min ahead of second place. For the second round of St. Anne with only 22km to Viard, I still dug my lead to end 4:20 min ahead at the end of the day.
Day 3 (Saturday)
The hardest stage of the race! 110kms non-stop racing with a return to Saintes, with the famous canal in Saintes well known for its harsh conditions. I got a good start once again and I enjoyed difficult conditions to further dig deeper my lead, I turned first to the return of Saintes with 3:20min advance. So I attacked the second shorter and easier leg when my jet loop started to make a strange noise and underwent a sudden big loss of power!
I said ‘That’s it’ and I opened the saddle, but no smoke or leak, so I decided to try to leave the jet and restart, but it continued to lack power. An injector wire was cut following the violent shocks of the waves. I ended up somehow on 3 cylinders instead of 4. So I gradually lost the lead I had taken in the first round to Vincent Thomas a few meters from the finish! We limited the damage because I finished just 9 seconds ahead.
Day 4 (Sunday)
I arrived relatively confident with respect to the ranking because despite my worries of the day before I was 4:20 minutes ahead of second, but we still had two races, one of 90km. I still had the fear of a mechanical problem because all the material was strained. The two races on Sunday were going perfectly for me, and then I ran my race to still stay in front but saved my jet maximum.
I arrived first both runs with a few seconds of advancement on Vincent Thomas. What a relief when I saw the checkered flag on Sunday afternoon!! Finally the victory after more than 600kms and 4 days of racing! So I won my 12th world title and I am the only driver to win the Karujet 3 times.
It’s a long race but I have a great race team so I want to thank Yamaha for the machine, RIVA and Jesus for the preparation, Jet Style and Al mech service for local logistics, Joanna and all my friends who were there to facilitate my spot!
When first conceived, the developers at BRP dreamed of “two skis on a trailer for $10,000.” Although even at its original price tag of $4,995, a pair of Sea-Doo Sparks on a trailer would come in a little closer to $15,000 when properly equipped, licensed and such. Nevertheless, the idea had a whole lotta merit and the idea that a Spark was cheap fun that could be had by all stuck with the public.
Now, with a new batch of fun colors (Chili Pepper, Key Lime and Blueberry), and some new graphics to go along with it, today’s Sparks are moving off of dealers’ floors faster than ever. And to pour some gasoline on the fire, Florida’s Cycle Springs PowerSports is offering an unprecidented two Sea-Doo Sparksplus a trailer plus accessories and official Sea-Doo clothing and apparel for about what you pay for your cell phone bill each month.
That’s right! You can get all of that and get financing starting at $169 per month, when qualified. Plus, you’ll also be driving home with the industry’s only Lifetime Engine Warranty honored through Cycle Springs PowerSports itself. It’s an incredible offer and the fastest way to get the personal watercraft novice out on the water and having a blast than anything we’ve ever seen.
Sea-Doo continues to have a serious strong hold on it’s ever expanding consumer base in Australia and New Zealand beyond the 61% market share. Putting this figure into perspective for you readers; that’s double as much market share as the closest competition! With Sea-Doo’s continued innovation, new technologies and designs taking riding to the next level with their new model line up, it’s absolutely no surprise that 6 out of every 10 watercraft sold in Australia and New Zealand are Sea-Doo products according to OZPWC. Also helping hold their spot as top of the leader board in sales is the fact organizations such as Surf Life Saving Australia recognize the quality and build of Sea-Doo and have been choosing Sea-Doo as their watercraft of preference for over 7 years now!
Whether it’s a family looking to play all weekend, friends spending endless hours wake boarding or racers looking for every advantage on the course, there is truly a Sea-Doo for everyone. The entry level Sea-Doo Spark continues to attract new entrants to the sport with its affordability and ease of use. The latest introduction in the performance segment with the new 300hp model (available only on the RXP-X, RXT-X and GTX Limited) combines the industry’s best power-to-weight ratio with handling and control like nothing else on the water. In between these two segments, Sea-Doo offers specific products for the recreational and luxury market and is the only watercraft manufacturer with a specific watercraft designed for towing sports in two models with the Wake 155 and the Wake Pro 215.
The confidence and success of Sea-Doo in Australia and New Zealand with PWC owners is supported by an extensive and experienced dealer network that provides best in class customer service.
As the industry leaders, Sea-Doo continues to facilitate the entry to the sports with demo days, reinforces the responsible rider program with community activities and ensures customers are experts on the product with customer VIP nights.
You couldn’t have asked for a better backdrop then Panama City Beach’s pure white sand, emerald surf, and perfect mild weather to start off the first round of the Hidden Trails Sea-Doo Pro Watercross National Tour presented by Jet Lift. Promoter AJ Handler and his staff has things clicking early as the riders meeting got underway on time Saturday morning at 8:30am. Immediately following, as is customary, Team Faith delivered the their riders’ meeting devotional, which was well attended.
Something not customary was the lack of big surf for this venue. Regardless, racing was exciting as the erratic chop wreaked havoc on many of the competitors, including some heavy hitters. Major players convened on the Florida beach this weekend, including multi-time national and world champions Chris MacClugage, Dustin Farthing, Craig Warner, Dustin Motzouris, Mark Gomez and many, many more on the line.
When the Pro Show commenced all the class’ starting lines where healthily populated with strong showings from veteran racers and newbies alike. The Pro Runabout box stock and GP classes saw the return of multi-time Champ “King D” Dustin Farthing aboard a blacked-out RXP-X 300 and Kawasaki rider Craig Warner representing Team Green all the way. The two battled throughout the weekend with Farthing just coming out on top of Warner for the top spot on the podium, sharing the spotlight with Erminio Iantosca who claimed third.
Multi-time champ Chris “the Mac Attack” MacClugage partnered with Broward Motorsports and Kommander Industries to put his new K1 through its paces early on Saturday in Ski GP. Unfortunately, on this day he wouldn’t even get a lap in Moto 1 due to a mechanical issue, thus registering a DNR ruining his chances to keep his well-documented Mother’s Day winning streak alive. He’d later rebound the next day to take a second in Moto 2 (despite a big get-off) and rounded out the weekend’s racing finishing with a win in Moto 3 for a final tally of fifth overall.
Top praises went to Jimmy Wilson who won both Ski Stock and Ski GP on his Judge Motorsports-built machine. David Redinger and Tyron Motzouris had strong showings for Kommander Industries also, filling out the podium. The elder Motzouris suffered an injury that frustrated his weekend, stating: [it was a] tough weekend for me in Panama. First moto I came from 6th to 3rd in half a lap and then tried to make a run for 2nd and stepped off down the back straight and destroyed my back (but came back to 5th).
The Sport classes continue to grow and are easily the biggest classes outside of the Pro Ski classes. Sam Nehme on his Broward Motorsports/Wamilton’s Customs-built WaveBlaster proved once again that living in south Florida and riding year ’round has its advantages as he took home the top spot in both Sport Stock and Sport GP. Team Faith’s Kelly Smith kept Nehme honest though throughout the weekend in Sport GP and it can be argued that their battles were the most exciting as they swapped leads upwards of four times in Moto 1 and multiple times in Motos 2 and 3.
Johnny Smith, (no relation) got in the mix as well bettering Kelly who got tangled with a lapper on the last lap in Moto 1 and then coming from the back of the pack after a dead engine start in Moto 2 to pass Kelly on the last turn of the last lap. Kelly Smith would take the top spot after getting by leader Sam Nehme in the final Moto earning himself a second overall making the Sport GP podium look like Johnny Smith in third, Kelly Smith in second and Sam Nehme in first.
All in all it was a great start to what looks like is going to be a great tour this year. If you haven’t been to a Pro Watercross Tour event you owe it to yourself to go check one out! Next week the Tour makes it way just down the road to Pensacola Beach, FL for Round 2 this coming weekend.
Hidden Trails Pro Watercross Tour – Round 1 Panama City Beach, FL Results
Pro-Am Runabout GP: 1. Dustin Farthing, 2. Craig Warner, 3. Erminio Iantosca, 4. Brian Baldwin, 5. Tim Ducat, 6. Trey Frame, 7. Claude Clayton, 8. Dylan Osborn, 9. Dennis Mack, 10. Cameron Frame; Pro-Am Ski GP: 1. Jimmy Wilson, 2. Tyron Motzouris, 3. David Redinger, 4. Brock Austin, 5. Chris MacClugage, 6. Josh Block, 7. Dustin Motzouris, 8. Broc Harris, 9. Bill Haig, 10. Pete Zernik, 11. David Cabrera, 12. Dave Davidson, 13. Jordon Carroll, 14. Dustin Higdon; Pro Freestyle: 1. Mark Gomez, 2. Chris Langlais; Pro-Am R/A Box Stock: 1. Dustin Farthing, 2. Craig Warner, 3. Shante Bukes, 4. Tim Ducat, 5. Troy Snyder, 6. Dylan Osborn, 7. Jeff Dyckowski, 8. Billy Dearman, 9. Claude Clayton, 10. Michael Borges; Pro-Am Ski Stock: 1. Jimmy Wilson, 2. Callaway Turner, 3. David Cabrera, 4. Mark Gomez, 5. Marchall Brown, 6. Dave Davidson, 7. Gage Schoenherrr, 8. Jules Hopkins, 9. Dustin Higdon; Amateur Freestyle: 1. Justin Sylvain, 2. Peter Waldron, 3. Steven Coatney, 4. Jeff Luther; Sport GP: 1. Sam Nehme, 2. Kelly Smith, 3. Johnny Smith, 4. Keith Dill, 5. Robert Sayah, 6. Billy Dearman, 7. Jules Hopkins, 8. Kyle Hayes, 9. Jeff Mcphail, 10. Cody Mccallum, 11. William Beers, 12. Andrew Bezan, 13. Morgan Beers, 14. Shawn Reynolds, 15. Dirac Barbee; Sport Stock: 1. Sam Nehme, 2. Keith Dill, 3. Chad Eggleston, 4. Phil Mosrie, 5. Ken Waddle, 6. Jeff McPhail, 7. Logan Hayes, 8. Kyle Hayes, 9. Bobby Cardone, 10. Kevin Benjamin, 11. William Beers, 12. Shawn Reynolds, 13. Gage Schoenherrr, 14. Morgan Beers; Amateur Ski Stock: 1. Matthew Richuk, 2. Marchall Brown, 3. Branden Edwards, 4. Chris Saxon, 5. Aj Luinstra, 6. Erin McConkey, 7. Niki Turner, 8. Hans Krajc, 9. Kyle Hayes; Veteran Ski GP: 1. Pete Zernik, 2. Ralph McGregor, 3. Dan Masters, 4. Kevin Redinger, 5. Erin McConkey, 6. Stu Vaught, 7. Marchall Brown, 8. Brian Edwards; Junior Ski Stock 10-12 YR: 1. Haden Skellett, 2. Sammy Nehme, 3. Devin Farthing, 4. Taylor Skellett; Junior Ski Stock 13-15 YR: 1. Aj Luinstra, 2. Matthew Richuk, 3. Wyatt Hayes, 4. Bret Underhill; Amateur Ski GP: 1. Matt Barbee; Runabout N/A Spec: 1. Cameron Frame, 2. Robert Greenwald, 3. Kevin Sullivan; Veteran R/A Box Stock: 1. Jeff Dyckowski, 2. Shawn Compton; Amateur R/A SS: 1. Kevin Sullivan, 2. Travis Moore; Amateur R/A Box Stock: 1. Juan Rada, 2. Shawn Compton, 3. Michael Borges; Runabout Rec: 1. Eric Gabryel, 2. Justin Gabryel, 3. Sean Miles; Womens R/A Box Stock: 1. Shante Bukes; R/A 1000 CC & Under: 1. Kevin Sullivan; Womems Ski Limited: 1. Niki Turner; Beginner Ski Stock: 1. Clay Jones, 2. Taylor Johnson
“This past weekend my girlfriend Kate and I were able to make a day trip down from Vancouver WA to the Oregon coast. I was invited to come down and ride freestyle for all the wonderful people of Lincoln City, Oregon at the Devils Lake Dash Watercraft races. Taking advantage of being in the Pacific Northwest, it was about a 2 hour drive to the beautiful event site of Regatta Park on Devils Lake.
“The weather was blue sky and a sunny 65 degrees. We were welcomed by event coordinators Bill and Dawn Cox, it was great to see old friends and to meet new ones. In between the motos I performed some freestyle routines for the crowd, riding 2 full tanks of fuel and stirring the excitement of spectators all around the lake. I was stoked on the positive responses I received from everyone.
“I was also prepared with posters to sign and hats for the kids. Thanks to everyone who came over, visited and picked up posters. I am happy to share my knowledge of the sport I work so hard for when it is appreciated by such great people. Thanks to the Dawn and Bill Cox, Roger Harnack, Northwest Jet Sport and the IJSBA for making the event happen, the racing action was a blast to watch and hopefully I will be able to attend next year as well.”
Nearly a month ago, we laid pretty hard on Belassi and the road its taken in getting the latest batch of prototypes in front of ever-hopeful personal watercraft enthusiasts. At the recent Top Marques Monaco manufacturers’ display event in Monaco within the Casino de Monte-Carlo, the Linz, Austria-based company displayed its most recent prototype: a polished, far more posh version of its current non-existent top tier machine, the B3R, a turbocharged 333-horsepower super runabout.
The 2017 prototype features almost inexplicable features that are so over-the-top that they’re almost superfluous on such a machine. The ’17 B3R’s top deck was highlighted by a sequence of pale blue LEDs wrapping around the utmost fairings as well as a tail marker presumably tied to the brand’s own version of Sea-Doo’s iBR.
The hardlined, angular contours of the craft were sumptuously wrapped in either soft, forgiving vinyl or deep, rich automotive-grade paint. The seat is almost explicitly for a single-seater, and the lack of stowage compartments makes this concept look less like a “proof of concept” and more a “we can dream, can’t we” effort.
Needless to say, the Belassi units drew quite a crowd but ultimately result in very little real world units, as Belassi’s presence at Top Marques Monaco was more to measure public interest, gather a quantity of hard committals (resulting in hopeful down payments), and lastly, to secure an “angel” investor to actually make the company’s aspirations become an albeit shaky reality.
I’m convinced that there are two base philosophies that at their respective core, are the fundamental groundwork for every political, religious and personal theorem that people can have. Either life is unfair or life is supposed to be fair. Personally, I lean towards the prior as I was not born with the natural ability to sing, run particularly fast or without a seething, almost irrational distaste for math. That such a thing as childhood cancer even exists should be evidence enough to convince you that life is an uncaring procession of events, like a winding river. The moving water can be a rushing torrent or a gentle current, it doesn’t care if you can’t swim or are riding safely in a boat. All it knows is to continue flowing. So no, life itself is not fair, but I will submit, is just.
Being just is something else entirely. To be just is defined as being equitable or better yet, balanced. Newton’s Third Law of Motion (“for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”) is duly applicable here. While life (ie. “the universe”) is not fair – as it is without bias or favoritism – it is balanced. This is what Hindus defined as the spiritual principal of karma. Centuries of physics, astronomy and experimentation have proven that all of life, from the routes of electrons circling a cluster of neutrons and protons, to the orbits of planets constituting our solar system (within an endless array of massive universes), all abides by the laws of balance. Any object that is acted upon by an external force will indeed result in a response. Unfortunately, the “equal and opposite reaction” to our “force” is the consequence we are often not willing to accept.
Earlier this week, a notice was issued to all Lake Havasu City, Arizona residents that an emergency meeting was to be held to thwart a proposal by the US Fish and Wildlife Department to restrict all motorized boating in the area to a maximum of 30 miles per hour, stretching from Mesquite Bay to Topock. The massive “No Wake Zone” would drive out a large portion of recreational boaters, and effectively cripple the desert town’s waterborne economy. Citing claims of “emotional distress and concern” that the fast-moving watercraft and boats were a threat to more environmentally-friendly kayaks and paddle boarders, the measure was contested by over 800 residents who rallied in person, joined by Lake Havasu City Mayor Mark Nexsen as well as Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar, representatives from Sen. John McCain’s office, and Mohave County Supervisor Buster Johnson.
No, this is not a joke. All of you with classic cars that have been modified with performance parts, aftermarket wheels and tires, and even fuel-saving ignition and electronic fuel injection systems, would be in violation. Those with lifted trucks or Jeeps, you’re also in violation. Even you knuckleheads trying make your front wheel drive Hondas and Toyotas chirp second gear would be in violation of a Federal law. Thankfully, the EPA had no idea that it was trying to backdoor a $56 billion-dollar-a-year industry, and several million signatures flooded the White House’s webpage to terminate the effort. And as it was defeated, the EPA responded literally with, “we’ll find another way to accomplish this.” And no, I am not kidding you.
Oh, and let’s not forget the Bureau of Land Management’s recent attempts to close access to favorite Southwestern sand dune locations Ocotillo Wells and additional portions of Glamis. As it stands, unelected bureaucratic entities such as these are actively encroaching upon individual’s rights to own and operate motorized vehicles in a manner that suits their personal interests, be it a personal watercraft, powerboat, quad, ATV, sand rail or modified car. Many such efforts are disguised as being for environmental reasons, but the true reason lies beneath: control. There are persons pushing for ultimate control and will pursue said power via any forcible means at their disposal. And that is why it is incumbent upon us – the acted upon – to push back.
And no, now is not the time to cry foul and bemoan, “That’s not fair!” Because, life is unequivocally unfair. Some animals are born with more teeth, sharper claws, and faster legs than others, and it has been since the Chicxulub crater cooled. If you want to fight being acted upon then you must act accordingly by responding in kind. The 800-plus persons who filled the Lake Havasu Aquatic Center to fight against the United States Fish and Wildlife Department is a good start. Properly vetting, campaigning and electing like-minded persons (or running yourself) for public office is next. We’re two generations removed from “The Greatest Generation,” and have lived in the comfort that “somebody will take care of it” for too long.
