It’s a beautifully reassuring thing when the whole of the jet skiiing community gathers to support one of its own. Recently, an online HARP fundraiser was initiated for Amanda-Rae Poirier, who as of February 24th was admitted to the hospital for surgery. Amanda‘s friends and family have received an influx of emotional and financial support to help cover extensive medical expenses not covered by insurance and the expected loss of wages while recovering from surgery.
The flood of support has been extensive, and we hope that the readership of The Watercraft Journal can help in the effort. Currently, the goal is $10,500. Many have already pitched in in a big way. In fact, we noted a post on Amanda’s Facebook wall that read, thanks to “Brian Vergin from Thrust Innovation for auctioning off a amazing trim system.” That’s the kind of people in this sport and we’re proud to be a part of it.
All of us here at The Watercraft Journal wish Amanda a very speedy recovery.
Here’s the original post on Amanda’s HARP fundraiser:
On behalf of Amanda and her Family I am happy to report that in just 2 days of initiating the H.A.R.P. online Fundraiser, through the overwhelming response of prayers, support and donations we are at 81% of the online minimum goal of $5,500. Thank you to all for showing what prayer, friendship and support can do. It’s an amazing thing and after having many conversation with Amanda and her family and reading her posts on Facebook there is no doubt she is Completely Overwhelmed and Overcome with joy and love for all of this.
As Amanda and her family gears up for what is certain to be an emotional rollercoaster the next few weeks (Surgery 2/24/14), I want to take this opportunity to remind all Family, Friends, Supporters and Followers of Amanda, that Amanda’s challenge is just beginning.
When the Fundraiser goal was set it was set with the hope that we would garner the support to reach the bare minimum financial goal of $5,500. Due to the overwhelming showering of support and donations from family, co-workers, friends and friends of friends we are raising the Goal to ensure that Amanda has the financial backing that will ease her mind. This will ensure that Amanda can concentrate on making a full and complete recovery while facing the Mental and Physical challenges of Recovery all the while not having to worry about the inevitable surprise medical bills and related expenses.
The new H.A.R.P. Goal is now $10,500. Please spread the word and continue sending the prayers, support and donations and hopefully soon, we will see new post-op pictures of Amanda on her Jet Ski doing what she loves to do out on the water. Together, we can help Amanda get through this.
What do you get when you combine Japanese engineering, American build-quality and German precision? You get a Yamaha WaveRunner making more horsepower than some of the world’s fastest sports cars. That’s what. We only recently heard of CMJ4Tec (Custom Made Jetski) and their 500-plus-horsepower Yamaha FXR500. Although recently featured in a copy of Jet Ski Magazine International, we’re figuring you’re like us and are learning about this amazing machine for the first time, so here’s the quick version:
This is no ordinary FX SVHO. Retaining the top NanoXcel deck, CMJ cuts 170 pounds by using a carbon hull.
The turbocharged machine begins life as a 2014 Yamaha FX SVHO. Building upon the stellar 1,813cc four-cylinder, four-stroke, CMJ’s initial goals were to eke out the maximum power in addition reliability. And as we know, force-fed four-bangers aren’t terribly reliable at those kinds of speeds.
The block was bored over to 86mm x 78mm and sleeved, as the reciprocating assembly was equally modified with a knife-edged, rebalanced crank, new redesigned domed pistons. The top end equally was re-engineered with a pair of custom ground cams, and titanium valves and springs.
Unique to this build and proprietary to CMJ is the CCCS turbo header (or Co-Centric-Collector-System). Spooling this monster upwards to 22-to-28psi is a Garrett GTX 3076RS Turbo capable of spitting out 640hp. Also specific to this build is CMJ’s custom aluminum intercooler. A quartet of big injectors and a programmable Motec M1 ECU feed the beast with two brains – double maps serve to offer exact holeshots each round while the second map is activated by switch during the race.
There’s a metric ton of other innovations on this craft (like being 100-percent carbon fiber) and running a massive 14-vane 165mm Skat-Trak pump, so make sure to go to their site to read up. But until then, enjoy watching this killer in action below:
Yamaha WaterCraft made a huge announcement that slipped through the cracks for many in the PWC community (thanks in large part to the 10th annual Mark Hahn Memorial Havasu 300 taking place this weekend), so we’re going to dust this one off for those who missed it: Yamaha has signed on as the exclusive boat and personal watercraft sponsor of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross for 2014.
Yamaha, who remains the single OE manufacturer to continue producing the only production standup – the SuperJet – still retains its close ties to motocross racing. This partnership will result in a larger presence of Yamaha boats and watercraft at AMA Supercross tour stops throughout the nation, starting last February 22nd in Atlanta and running through the tour, ending in Las Vegas on May 3rd.
You can read the whole announcement HERE:
Yamaha WaterCraft, a division of Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., and Feld Motor Sports® today announced it is has joined forces with Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, as the exclusive boat and personal watercraft sponsor. Building on Yamaha Motorcycles’ close collaboration with Monster Energy Supercross and the company’s rich performance heritage, Yamaha WaterCraft will showcase its best selling line of high performance sport boats and personal watercraft at the tour stops beginning on February 22, 2014 in Atlanta through the racing finale in Las Vegas on May 3, 2014.
Yamaha’s 2014 212X performance wakeboard boat and its 2014 FZR high performance WaveRunner will be showcased in the Monster Energy Party in the Pits alongside the Toyota / Yamaha / JGRMX team. Yamaha’s top of the line luxury performance boat, the 2014 242 Limited S will also be prominently featured on the track at all racing events.
In addition, event goers can visit the Yamaha booth in the pit area and enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a 2014 FZR WaveRunner, the best performing production WaveRunner ever created.
“The demographics of the motorsports and outdoor enthusiast matches the profile for our boat and personal watercraft buyers, and by teaming with Monster Energy Supercross, these attendees will be able to see the products first hand, and see why they’ve become the best sellers in the industry,” said Yamaha Watercraft’s General Manager Bryan Seti. “Yamaha has a strong presence in Supercross racing, and it’s only natural to bring these products closer to an enthusiast community that is interested in the breadth of products offered by the brands that support Supercross racing.”
“Yamaha has been a long-time sponsor of Supercross and adding their performance sport boats and personal watercraft to these eight races will give fans an opportunity to check out their new product line in the Monster Energy Party in the Pits,” said Todd Jendro, vice president of two wheel operations, Feld Motor Sports.
Yamaha Watercraft products will be featured at the Atlanta, Indianapolis, Detroit, St. Louis, Houston, Seattle, East Rutherford, and Las Vegas race events.
Yamaha Boats are the number one sellers in the 19-foot, 21-foot and 24-foot runabout categories, and Yamaha WaveRunners are the number one selling personal watercraft in the performance, luxury performance and value segments.
Hundreds came from across the globe to compete in what has become a benchmark in competitive PWC racing.
It was in April of 2004 when regional long distance endurance racer, Mark Hahn passed away during an event in Parker, AZ. To commemorate the fellow racer and dear friend, Yamaha/R&D Racing’s Mike Follmer organized the first ever Mark Hahn Memorial Havasu 300 on the shores of Lake Havasu Island.
Only a couple dozen others joined Follmer that first year, a pale comparison of the 58 multi-person teams that showed for this year’s event, happening a decade later.
Although still winds made for smooth waters, otherwise giving Yamahas and Sea-Doos a clear advantage, it was the larger, big horsepower Kawasaki Ultras who survived the 300-mile enduro.Although the larger runabouts suck up much of the attention, it’s those riding the smaller standups who truly accomplish a feat of strength, eating up each 10-mile lap.
“Who would’ve thought where we’d be 10 years ago? This event has truly made a mark on the industry – it’s a world recognized event,” Follmer told The Watercraft Journal.
Over 14 nations were represented at this year’s Memorial 300, who lined the shoreline of the Crazy Horse Resort this past February 22nd. “Without our sponsors none of this would’ve been possible. That, and the racers. It’s very impressive how this has become a lifestyle event. Just to finish is an achievement.”
Although finishing the Hahn has its merit, the sport’s very best came from across the globe for a chance at glory, to win outright. Half of last year’s winning Pro Runabout team, 18-time IJSBA champion Chris MacClugage sought the impossible: winning both the Pro Runabout and Ski classes.
When the starting shot was fired, it was France’s Jeremy Portet who impressed, streaking out ahead of the pack like he was given a head start. Russell Marmon and Chris MacClugage soon reeled him in.The initial dash to the first turn boat is a wild one, as 58 riders fly towards one single point, with the faster units churning up the glass first.
This feat would require an extraordinary amount of training, preparation and planning to coordinate how Macc would trade between a wickedly fast Yamaha FX SVHO and a Bullet Racing V2 standup featuring a Wideboy hull capped with a lightweight deck.
Sporting a Skat-Trak pump and impeller, and powered by a Limited SX-R 800 twin and ADA cylinder head, the crew manning the #3 Bullet included Aaron and Andrew Gewecke in addition to MacClugage.
Chris MacClugage’s plan was so insane it just might’ve worked: Macc entered both Pro Runabout and Pro Ski classes, trading off between team members on two very capable PWC. Unfortunately, during Lap 15, Macc’s wickedly fast SVHO Yamaha broke down, leaving him to refocus on winning Pro Ski.The tenth annual Hahn 300 brought out some of the biggest names in racing, including Mike Klippenstein who rode his #212 Yamaha SVHO.
The previous Ironman champion from 2012, Russell Marmon, opted to team up with Sylvain Ente. Similarly, last year’s UWP-IJSBA Watercross Tour Stock Class champion Eric Francis paired with Anya Colley, as Canada’s Amy Green joined Lake Havasu local, Eric Burton in the Veterans Class.
“We rode in memory of Myles Andreasen, a young local Havasu resident,” Green explained to The Watercraft Journal. “He passed away last year unexpectedly. So, we rode a Kawi Ultra with Myles’ #331 in his honor.”
Kommander Industries’ Dustin Motzouris partnered with Jared Moore, who rode a Kommander Industries-built, Sea-Doo Centre-powered RXP-X. The two sported all-new Burn Industries gear to boot.The Mark Hahn Memorial is quite literally won or lost in the pits. Expensive “quick fill” fuel systems are central to clocking competitive pit stop times.
Tony Beck, who worked alongside Andreasen at Walt’s Motorsports, also competed in the Veteran’s class with legendary racer Chris “The Fish” Fischetti.
Craig Warner, who won the Overall championship in 2009 with the complete Kawasaki Racing crew behind him, sought to clench not only the Overall win, but that of Pro Runabout and Ironman simultaneously.
The Hahn’s traditional Le Mans-style start poised the record number of racers along the pebbled shoreline. “Havasu had been pretty flat most of the last couple of months,” Amy Green said. Gentle 3-to-4mph winds did little to stir the still water, promising a very fast race. The standing record stood at 4 hours and 12 minutes (set by Warner). Whether it would remain was on everyone’s mind.
National Tour Stock class champ, Eric Francis, who rode his Monster Energy Kawasaki all the way to a second place behind Marmon and Ente. His place came only through his team and pit crew.The action on the beach was just as frenetic as it was on the water. The smooth conditions shook out a lot of built skis, shaking the ranks of skis that finished to less than half of the original 58.
The sudden staccato crack of the starting pistol (a 12-guage shotgun) sent them sprinting to their waiting craft. France’s Jeremy Poret would explode from the lineup, distancing himself before Marmon and MacClugage’s wickedly fast Yamaha reeled in his Ultra.
MacClugage’s SVHO quickly devoured the course, greedily chewing up the 10-mile lap and put a 30-second lead on Monster Kawasaki’s Warner, who’s 310R whistled with the banshee cry of a high-spinning turbo.
For lap after consecutive lap, it was between the Yamaha and Kawasaki, with literally a minute’s cushion between them and the rest of the pack. In fact, it would be until MacClugage had completed nearly half of the 300 miles before he would hand over the lead to Warner due to a mechanical. Sadly, Macc’s SVHO wouldn’t be alone. The high speeds led to a gruesome attrition rate.
The new 2014 SVHO-powered Yamahas were on hand in a big way. Dennis Mack’s Stock class FZR wasn’t alone on the field.Flyin’ Brian Smith tested his mettle, but thankfully didn’t need to change much for the glassy conditions; plugs and add fuel. He joked, “We thought about changing the timing with my pro ignition but we didn’t feel it was necessary.”
Newly relocated Kommander Industries Rockstar Energy racer Dustin Motzouris recalled, “[Because] the water was so smooth we had good top speed but our rev limiter was cutting out on the fuel map and this lost us a ton of time. We also ran out of fuel on [teammate Jared Moore]’s first run, so that set us back too.”
Green likewise underestimated the rate of fuel consumption, “Due to the conditions being so calm, the fuel consumption was at a faster rate than many planned for. There were a dozen boats towed back to the pits after running out of fuel on the track, much more than year’s prior.”
Before the skis hit the water, pit areas were marked and designated for each respective team.Since it’s beginning 10 years ago, the Mark Hahn Memorial 300 has welcomed hundreds of different competitors from nations around the globe, and there’s no sign that anything will be slowing.
“We had an issue with the back pressure in the quick fill system, and fell a bit short on one of the fuel stops ourselves, so I found myself getting a tow back, too. That cost us quite a few laps and took us out of the 4th place overall position we had been running.”
With fuel being a major concern, Francis and Colley had a quick fill system installed to his ’13 300X by Steve Webster at Kommander Industries. Francis beamed, “We had zero issues and ran a solid race all day and everyone from the pit crew to the riders worked as a team and smoothly.”
There are very few other venues where you’ll find standup racers and runabouts sharing the same track at the same time, especially for over four consecutive hours.Never without his iconic fishtail mohawk, Chris “The Flying Fish” Fischetti partnered with Tony Beck to dominate the Veterans class aboard a SVHO FX Yamaha.
By the twentieth lap nearly 35 skis out of the original 58 were still running. By the end, the numbers were even fewer. There were even two skis that only made a single lap, one of which being the legendary Tera Laho.
Unique to the Hahn is the pit stop. Each team is required to pull their craft completely out of the water to refuel, and spillage can result in disqualification. Quite literally, the race can be won or lost in the pits. PWCOffshore competitors Mark Gerner and KC Handler enjoyed the benefit from a pit crew who ran like clockwork, recording a near 30-second stop.
Monster Kawasaki racer Craig Warner returned back West from his new home in Georgia to claim not only the Overall win, but both the Pro Runabout and Ironman titles.Warner continued, “Thanks to my sponsors Monster Energy, Kawasaki, Troy Lee Designs, Hydro-Turf, Skat-Trak, Slippery, Mountain Motorsports, WWR Products, and my family.”
As the timer passed the speed record, it was up to Warner to keep his craft together long enough to turn his lead into a win. And at one minute and 24 seconds past 4 hours and 30 minutes, he did exactly that.
Elated, Warner stated, “I cannot explain how hard it is to get prepared for this race, and everything come together so well. I would like to thank my team for an outstanding performance in the pits and my mechanics setting this PWC up extremely well.”
KC Heidler and Mark Gerner played it safe, and ran a almost completely stock ’14 Ultra 310R hoping that keeping the ski within factory tolerances would ensure zero breakage.Every year, one of Mark Hahn’s iconic GP Yamahas are raced. This year his son-in-law was honored to ride.
MacClugage, whose Yamaha had been trailered earlier, joined his teammates to bring in their Monster Energy ski in for the win in Pro Ski Open.
Mark Clemons, who alongside John Carter, provided The Watercraft Journal with the awesome photography you see here, had this to say, “Mark Hahn was a personal friend of mine. I raced with him, and spent hours upon hours in his garage just talking racing. I was on the track with him the day he died. It was a tragic day. I lost one of my very best friends.”
But through Mark’s legacy and the friends who knew him in life as well as those who have come to know him, we have all gained new friends, grown together and come to call the Mark Hahn Memorial Havasu 300 one of the greatest traditions in our sport.
It was 10 years ago that the sport of personal watercraft racing lost a good friend and champion. But because of his loss, the sport has grown closer as a community through this event.
If you fancy yourself a PWC rider worthy of a big challenge, we think we’ve got exactly what you’re looking for. The Grand Tour to Benefit Leader Dogs for the Blind is an exciting three-day, 350-mile ride across Lake Michigan, from Mackinaw City to Holland.
Based in Michigan, the privately funded Leader Dogs Organization trains guide dogs for persons in need nationwide at no cost to the recipient. The Grand Tour has raised more than $250,000 in its 16 years. As this is a charity fundraiser, each rider must raise at least $500 to participate, as well as cover the costs of fuel and hotel; most meals are provided.
For 2014, the Grand Tour will begin in Holland Wednesday, August 6. From there, the skis are loaded into a tractor trailer and driven to Mackinaw City. Beginning Thursday, August 7, with 110 mile ride from Mackinaw City to Traverse City. Friday, will be another 149 miles to Ludington. With a nice relaxing 90 mile trek Saturday back to Holland, for a banquet and party.
Best of all, the Grand Tour carries on rain or shine, unless inclement weather poses safety concerns. The ride has never been totally cancelled, and when the ‘all clear’ comes, we are back on the water. For more information and details, visit www.grandtour.org, email us at [email protected].
Get get you excited to participate, make sure to check out the video from 2012 below:
As a followup to the previous announcement reported here at The Watercraft Journal, 18-time IJSBA World Champion Chris MacClugage will be participating in the globe-trotting UIM Aquabike World Championship, kicking off in Doha, Qatar this March. Late last night, the 40-year-old racer provided a great peek into his race schedule, plans, preparedness, training regiment and weapon of choice for the worldwide series.
Here’s the original announcement:
Hello Macc Racing fans!
First of all we are excited to have another stellar 2014 race program in progress! The best thing that got our year going was that Rachel and I welcomed our new daughter into the world on December 30, which also happens to be my birthday. Looks like we have 2 birthdays to double our family fun and we are really happy with our little baby girl. Our son now has a little sister he can be proud of as we are.
The first week of January I started my training regime. Training is the most important part of race preparedness apart from equipment selection. This same week I received an email from Alec Cavallero from aquabike.net.
For those of you who do not know him, let me tell you who he is. He is the promoter of the UIM personal watercraft race tour. He had invited me to race their entire UIM series. My wife Rachel and I discussed the possibilities and we both decided this was a great fit for Macc Racing and our supporting sponsors.
This series take Macc Racing to 5 stops around the world over the course of the 2014 race season. The UIM series is set up similar to Motogp.com, but a lot less stops involved. It’s the first big news for PWC fans who love the racing aspect.
In order to race for the UIM I had to renew my APBA license and also get a UIM competition license. The APBA also wrote a letter endorsing my professional status as a competitor. Looks like we are ready!
I will be racing a fully equipped Bullett V2 with a Kawasaki 1200cc engine.
UIM rules allow for a 1300cc, but we did not have enough time to build one. We will have one ready to go however for the second round in Milan, Italy. What a great place to have a race! Rusty Gewecke will be flying to the races with me and occasionally my wife Rachel and kids, all I need is to get our daughter her passport and off we go!
I have been training hard to get ready for this championship. My training regime has gotten solid and I’m happy with the results I’ve been getting in my pacing these past 2 months. I am the first ever USA rider to compete in this series. It should be and exciting time.
In order to compete at this level and be able to fly to the events I had to come with a decent budget. This year once again Monster Energy is my number one sponsor. Just like a title sponsor at race events, Monster Energy has a strong commitment to working with the worlds’ greatest athletes and venues. I appreciate their continued support of myself and Macc Racing. I am fortunate to have acquired a new sponsor for 2014! Check out Eurofin: www.eurofingroup.ch. Eurofin has helped make it possible to attend this amazing UIM world tour.
I have signed with a new wetsuit company: Optimum Racing. I am very excited to be working closely with Fred and to help develop new products. It’s nice to be with a company that is solely interested in jet skiing. At this point my Bullett v2 will be departing from Lake Havasu, Arizona, USA on the 24th and heading towards it final destination in Doha Qatar which is the Middle East for the first round of the tour. I will be departing on the second of March to catch up with the equipment and tune everything when we arrive on scene. I am very excited to be a part of this professional tour and hope to do the USA proud!
As the northern hemisphere slowly crawls out from the battering it got from a prolonged winter into spring, the event announcements continue to pour in, providing us with warm thoughts of fun on the water. As part of the good news, we’re very excited to announce the first of the TELUS Ride For Dad charity rides.
Scheduled for July 12, in Rideau Ferry Harbour in Ontario, Canada, the day of riding will include a catered lunch, poker run, prizes and a while lot more all while raising money to fight prostate cancer. The Ride For Dad series has raised over 13 million dollars for the Prostate Cancer Fight Foundation since 2000. Working to support prostate cancer research and awareness in the same communities where the rides are held, TELUS Ride For Dad is saving lives while helping get the most from life.
According to their site, “We raise funds through large scale one-day motorcycle, snowmobile, watercraft and ATV ride events and through ongoing public fundraising throughout the year. TELUS Ride For Dad events take place in multiple cities across Canada, representing every Canadian province.”
For more information and how to participate, contact Rob O’Donnell at [email protected]
[I’ll preface this by apologizing, as I know what I’m about to say will likely infuriate the most passionate of racing enthusiasts. It’s been a lifetime’s worth of experience to teach me that I have an uncanny talent for enraging people, so again, you’ve been warned. -Ed.]
People say “racing is dead.” I disagree. Racing is not dead, it’s just irrelevant. I say this without intent to discredit the talent, training and dedication of the many passionate racers who faithfully pay their dues both figuratively and literally. I say it as a reflection of its current health. The sad reality is that personal watercraft racing is teetering on its last leg.
But it can be big again and with very little effort. And I believe I know how.
The topography of PWC racing has changed since 1991. The machines are far bigger and faster than the 550s of years past. Last year’s AquaX in the US steadily grew with each tour stop. Racers like Scott Dawley raced on a bone stock runabout against pros and novices alike.
Racing mattered most when it translated into unit sales, and it is no coincidence that racing’s apex paralleled the industry’s all-time height in unit sales. The two are intrinsically tied. As an illustration, consider this cyclical chain of cause and effect:
Step 1) Imagine there is a new found consumer interest in personal watercraft – for whatever reason. The new broad consumer appeal immediately translates into a spike in PWC sales. OE’s and dealerships see immediate profitability.
Step 2) A rise in watercraft sales invites more people to modify their skis (because it’s human nature to want to go faster), therefore encouraging the growth of an aftermarket. A vibrant aftermarket rightly influences the next generation of OE product, thereby providing superior vehicles. (We have all seen this happen firsthand, most recently with the SVHO Yamaha and 310-horsepower Kawasaki.)
Step 3) An increase in performance-bred watercraft, dramatically increased gains by the OE’s and aftermarket paired and a new swollen population of PWC enthusiasts consequently results in increased attendance in existing local and regional racing events. This encourages new promoters to provide more and larger events wherein newcomers can compete.
Step 4) With vibrant dealer sales, OE’s begin pouring extra marketing dollars into encouraging new additional sales, as well as creating stronger brand loyalty and awareness. The more successful aftermarket companies do likewise. This results in greater event support, larger venues, bigger racer payouts, and increased public interest and racer participation…which in turn, leads to greater interest in PWC and consequently, sales.
Even Sea-Doo’s Tim McKercher took to the water last year on a 215hp supercharged GTR. McKercher spoke very highly of the format, explaining that the factory stock format encouraged more participants than the “big dollar” race skis.
The burning ember that gave life to this chain of events 40 years ago was the introduction of the first JetSki. The newness of the vehicle gave birth to an industry. And following the exact model I outlined above, from 1991 to 1995, jet ski racing saw its highest numbers of events, tours, racers, participants, spectators and sponsorship dollars as sales peaked at 200,000 units sold annually (1995).
But by the late 1990s, the aftereffects of decades of bad behavior, concerns of environmental impact and a general malaise on behalf of the organizing bodies resulted in a steady decline which nearly snuffed out the once out-of-control brush fire that that one initial spark ignited. It was only due to steeled dedication and determination of those wholly dedicated to this industry that PWC racing has held on at all.
But I fear that it can’t last much longer as is. Preliminary sales reports of narrowly surpassing 29,000 units sold and less than 900 paying members of the IJSBA for 2013 convinces me that if something doesn’t change soon, we won’t see the “comeback” we all dream of. And right now, I don’t see anyhing on the horizon that will parallel the same level of catalyst as the initial standup JetSki.
Rather than trying to rekindle the same flame that ignited the sport over 30 years ago, its best that we artificially arouse the aforementioned cause and effect cycle that’s already in motion, like push-starting an old VW Beetle. Thankfully, we’re already a few steps into my earlier example as the OE’s and aftermarket have never produced better, more race-ready quality products.
What is needed are enough people racing to get the attention of the OE’s. But there’s the rub: purchasing a new runabout is expensive, and racing is only more so. The deterrents are too many, while the rewards are too little. Thereby, racer attendance is low. So, how do you mitigate the cost of racing to encourage more participation? Easy. Manufacturer Stock Classes.
Manufacturer Stock classes aren’t anything new, and have been successfully executed at the Long Beach-to-Catalina Offshore Championship, the legendary Mark Hahn Memorial Havasu 300, and of course, is the standard rule setting for all AquaX race events. By restricting modifications to a near, if not total minimum, enthusiasts are left to battle brand-against-brand, racer-against-racer rather than against each others’ pocketbook.
Frankly put, the OE’s hardly care about the Open and GP classes. Sure, they’re happy when it’s their ski is on the podium, but don’t expect them to greedily pursue it. Heck, even Limited is too far removed from what’s offered on showroom floors. No. The manufacturers will only care about racing when the skis participating are nearly identical to what the regular customer can purchase.
The average age of a PWC racer isn’t far from that of a PWC buyer, 43 years old, which unlike motocross, is twice that age. Local and regional races need to be crafted accordingly.
And I feel very strongly that the AquaX series has all of the DNA necessary to reignite this cycle. Its tightly controlled three-tiered class system, tech inspection and commitment to fun and safety is the right formula. As pointedly as possible, the OE’s are stupid not to support the AquaX with as much as their budgets can allow. Consider the following:
Step 1) All local and regional promoters offer Manufacturer Stock classes with reduced entry fees. Lower costs entice new grassroots racers, youth and racers from other classes to participate. Increased entry fees permit larger payouts, encouraging more participants yet.
Step 2) As more and more participants enter Manufacturer Stock classes, the OE’s begin taking notice and supplementing the events with larger payouts. This in turn, lures in more racers (new and old) to the class. More racers wanting to participate purchase new units.
Step 3) An increase in sales directly tied to additional Manufacturer Stock entries encourages vigorous OE and dealer support, thereby provoking promoters to host more events and open up larger venues. This draws in broader public appeal, welcoming new watercraft owners and rekindling interest with previous PWC owners.
Step 4) More public appeal converts into an increase in unit sales. OE’s and dealerships see immediate profitability.
Addendum: It has come to my attention that for 2014, the US series of the AquaX has completely recanted from its “Box Stock” policy and has caved to pressures from individuals (and most likely manufacturers as well) to better “level the playing field.” Of course, as we all know, the only people who cry for the playing field to be leveled, want the rules changed in their favor. So, I guess I must retract my outright support for AquaX and remain solidly behind RPM Enterprise’s Ross Wallach’s Manufacturer Stock class rules. Manufacturer Stock should remain stock. What a shame.
It’s been a very busy winter for our friends at WMF Watercraft. The Millsboro, Delaware PWC and boat dealer has seen a tremendous spike in pontoon and dayboat sales despite the chilled-to-the-bone off season months. But not all of the attention has gone towards the big family cruisers. Nope, WMF made a huge splash during these past months’ boat shows with their wild Geico Powersports-themed RXP-Xs.
The trio of custom Sea-Doos made the show circuit across the nation alongside the insane offshore race boat, Miss Geico. Featuring custom wraps, painted panels, Jettrim seats and a slew of RIVA Racing goodies, the WMF-built Sea-Doos were huge attention grabbers. But that’s what WMF does best. Besides a full service PWC and boat dealer with an attentive staff of fellow enthusiasts, WMF also features a very capable crew of technicians who can build, repair and customize your personal watercraft to your desire.
Be it a pre-owned ski or used, new parts or old, vintage carburetor rebuilds or salvage parts, WMF Watercraft is the East Coast’s answer to your performance needs. That is why we at The Watercraft Journal are so excited to announce that WMF Watercraft has partnered with the internet’s fastest growing PWC magazine to bring you more technical how-to articles, more insight on repair and maintenance and much, much more for 2014.
The success of the program led de Schipper to form his own business with a colleague Sierd de Vries. The company, Shore Monitoring & Research, has now been operating for five years. Together, their research has garnered plenty of business and notoriety around the world.
In a fantastic example of irony, a Dutch PhD candidate at TU Delft and researcher has spent the last three and a half years on a jet ski taking measurements along the Dutch coast to measure abnormal effects on currents caused by suppletion. Matthieu de Schipper will be awarded his PhD at TU Delft for his work measuring the aftereffects of a process wherein tons of sand are being deposited on Dutch beaches in order to preserve the coastline and compensate coastal erosion.
Created as a countermeasure to predicted rises in the sea-level due to global warming, de Schipper wanted to discover how large-scale suppletion affects the height variation in the seabed level along the coast. This was particularly timely, as substantial height variations can cause abnormal currents, endangering swimmers.
In an interview with TU Delft, de Schipper stated, “An important question prior to implementing a suppletion project is how the alongshore variability will evolve. For three and a half years we took measurements of the topography of a nourished Dutch beach – the Vlugtenburg beach at ‘s-Gravenzande. Every month we mapped the depth of water in an area of sea measuring 1.8 km by 1.2 km. We took measurements every 70 to 80 metres.”
To accomplish this, de Schipper used a Yamaha WaveRunner fitted with a survey system. Being a watersports and surfing enthusiast, the use of the ski was only common sense. He said, “That is what gave me the idea for carrying out the research in this way. The advantage of the jet-ski system is that it’s very flexible. It can be set up fairly quickly. Normally, measurements are taken from boats, but that’s much more time-consuming.”
