It was bound to happen; the temperature has finally dropped for most of us in the Northern Hemisphere but that’s no reason not to keep the adrenaline going next year’s racing season. And to keep the fires stoked, Pro Watercross just released their 2017 schedule dates (well, most of them, at least) – as well as some big changes additions to the roster!
First, what’s missing: Utah. One of the least attended stops in the National Tour, the St. George, Utah location was just a bridge too far for most racers. Taking its place is the Lewisville, Texas stop. Adding Texas to the calendar is a boon, as its centralized location is far more accessible to potential competitors.
Next, is a bit of political banter. In an effort to encroach on the Pro Watercross World Championships’ usual late-September dates, the IJSBA bumped up next year’s World Finals’ dates by a week. As a direct response to the IJSBA, Pro Watercross pushed its 2017 World Championships to the end of October/early November, leaving September wide open.
Big additions to the tour include the newly branded Pro Watercross Daytona Freeride, Bradenton Riverwalk Regatta, three stops for the Great Lakes Watercross series, four stops for Typhoon Tommy’s series, and the entire Hydrofight Us National Championship Tour. It’s a pretty aggressive roster for next year and we’re trying to figure out a way to cover it all.
Here’s the original press release:
With the holidays right around the corner it won’t be long before many of you will be ready to hit the water, whether it is for fun, freestyle or racing. The northern part of the country is being covered with a blanket of white snow and to be honest it just makes us think of the white sandy beaches of the gulf coast and the first two stops of the tour…
Pro Watercross is always working to improve the tour looking for new venues and ways to advance our sport and today we are pleased to announce the tentative 2017 national tour dates as well as the dates for Pro Watercross sanctioned events.
As the 2017 race season draws closer, event organizers; Great Lakes Watercross, Surf & Turf Promotions and Typhoon Tommy’s regional dates will be finalized as well as the introduction of a US National HydroFlight Championship tour.
Pro Watercross has been considering the idea of breaking the National Tour into two individual tours – a West Coast/East Coast tour or possibly utilizing a drop round for the tour. As soon as this decision has been made, we will make an announcement.
The Pro Watercross World Championships will be held at the end of October, beginning of November with Watercross, HydroFlight, HydroDrags and Wakeboard as confirmed competitions. Details will be announced at the beginning of 2017.
PRO WATERCROSS TENTATIVE NATIONAL DATES
May 6-7 | Pensacola Beach, FL www.VisitPensacolaBeach.com
May 13-14 | Panama City Beach, FL www.VisitPanamaCityBeach.com
June 10-11 | Lewisville, TX www.VisitLewisville.com
June 17-18 | Sparks/Reno, NV www.CityofSparks.us/visiting or www.VisitRenoTahoe.com
July TBA | Atlantic City, NJ www.AtlanticCityNJ.com
August 12-13 | Hartwell, GA www.Hart-Chamber.org
National Championships | CBS Sports coverage
August 19-20 | Charleston, WV www.CharlestonWV.com
World Championships| CBS Sport coverage
October 27 – November 5 | Naples, FL www.ParadiseCoast.com
2017 REGIONAL DATE
Daytona Freeride
January 12-15 | Daytona, FL
2017 TENTATIVE REGIONAL DATES
Surf & Turf Promotions
February 4 | Bradenton, FL | Bradenton Riverwalk Regatta
Great Lakes Watercross
June TBA | Minnesota
August 25-27 | Kenosha WI | Surf Ride
September 16-17 | Milton, WI
Typhoon Tommy’s
June 23-25 | Detroit, MI | River Days
July 14-16 | Trenton, MI | Roar of River
July 29-30 | Oswego, NY | Harborfest
August 4-6 | Pittsburgh, PA
HYDROFIGHT US NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR
June | TBA
July | TBA
August | TBA