We may still be in the midst of the dog days of summer (which is, by the way, July 3 to August 11 each year, corresponding to the 20 days before and 20 days after July 23, the date, historically, that the Dog Star, Sirius, rose and set in conjunction with the sun) with numerous race tours, series and championships smack dab in the middle of their competitive seasons – but it’s never too early to start thinking about Havasu and World Finals.
With that objective in mind, IJSBA Executive Director Scott Frazier took to the IJSBA website last week to post a few updates, scheduling notes and class list.
With a nod to Blowsion PWC performance accessories, Frazier hinted at upcoming news from World Finals Title Sponsor Short Block Technologies/SBT, which includes under its umbrella the Hydro-Turf, Adonis Impellers, Blacktip Motorsports, and Watercraft Superstore brands.
“All of these entities will have a voice at World Finals to remind you that they are all great partners in getting you across the finish line,” Frazier stated, “Stay tuned for specific announcements.”
Next up, Frazier covered some important date and scheduling details, including a mention of Mondays. “You may see October 14 as an end date posted here and there. This is part of our permitting process to let the public know we reserve Monday, October 14, as an emergency overflow day in the event of poor weather or other interruptions,” he stated, going on to also talk about Monday, Oct. 7. “Please take note that in most years we do not race on Monday, we only practice. However, this year, we will race on Monday October 7.”
Next up was an overview of the World Finals Week schedule, with Frazier stating, “The event officially opens on Saturday, October 5, for general check in and placement in the pits. Opportunities for early registration and pit placement may exist for some VIP and event sponsored riders. Sunday, October 6, will host the annual IJSBA Juniors Program while registration continues. Practice begins Monday morning, with racing to follow immediately after practice. Novice and Amateur classes begin the week, with Pro Classes wrapping up the weekend. A tentative schedule will be posted around the first week of August.”
An update on registration details was next, with the announcement that the registration process this year would be different than in previous years. “Online registration will begin in the middle of August with the lowest registration prices being for early registration until September,” Frazier stated, adding that standard registration prices will hold during the month of September and online registration will end September 30, after which only onsite registration will be available, with on-site fees added. It is the process for onsite registration that will be undergoing the most significant change. As stated by Frazier, “IJSBA will open registration, formally, at a location to be announced, on October 5 and 6. Beginning October 7, registration/check in will be on site at Crazy Horse. We are doing something different for on site registration this year. We are working on a plan to do on site registration down in the vendor area. This will require competitors to be preregistered if they want to check in after Tuesday, October 8, without having to potentially pay a parking fee prior to check.” He added that a number of different scenarios and plans are being considered, and further plans will be posted as soon as they are available.
Prices and awards were up next on the list of updates, with Frazier saying no increases in competition fees and no charge for most spectators. Awards will be held on site on Friday, October 11, and Sunday October 13, at the stage.
Frazier also briefly mentioned the inaugural Owners Convention, as first announced in October 2023, with a promise of more details to come.
Closing out the update, Frazier listed the current roster of expected race classes, including:
PRINCIPAL PRO CATEGORIES:
PRO RUNABOUT GP
PRO SKI GP
PRO SPORT GP
PRO FREESTYLE
PRO AM CATEGORIES:
PRO AM RUNABOUT 1100 OPEN
PRO AM RUNABOUT ENDURANCE
PRO AM SKI STOCK
PRO AM SKI LITES
PRO AM 4 STROKE SKI LITES
PRO AM WOMENS’ SKI Modified
PRO AM WOMENS’ SKI STOCK
PRO AM RUNABOUT STOCK
PRO AM RUNABOUT SUPER STOCK
PRO AM VETERANS RUNABOUT LIMITED
PRO AM RUNABOUT LIMITED
PRO AM SKI MODIFIED 1500
PRO AM RUNABOUT 1100 STOCK
PRO AM SKI LITES
PRO AM SKI FOUR STROKE LITES
PRO AM SKI SUPERSTOCK
PRO AM RUNABOUT 1100 STOCK
PRO AM WOMEN’S RUNABOUT 1100
EXPERT CATEGORIES:
EXPERT SKI GP
EXPERT SKI MODIFIED
AMATEUR CATEGORIES:
AMATEUR FREESTYLE
AMATEUR SKI LITES
AMATEUR RUNABOUT REC LITES
AMATEUR WOMENS’ SKI LITES
AMATEUR SKI 4STROKE LITES
AMATEUR VETS SKI LITES
AMATEUR VETS SKI STOCK
AMATEUR WOMEN’S RUNABOUT 1100
NOVICE CATEGORIES:
NOVICE SKI STOCK
NOVICE RUNABOUT STOCK
NOVICE RUNABOUT 1100 STOCK
JUNIOR CATEGORIES:
JUNIOR SKI 10/12 STOCK
JUNIOR 13/15 STOCK
JUNIOR 10/12 FOUR STROKE LITES
JUNIOR 13/15 FOUR STROKE LITES
JUNIOR 10/12 LITES
JUNIOR 13/15 LITES
JUNIOR 13/15 SKI MODIFIED 1100
UNDEFINED SKILL CATEGORY
MASTER SKI GP
MASTERS SKI STOCK
GRAND MASTERS SKI STOCK
MASTERS SKI MODIFIED 1500
RUNABOUT N/A
SPORT SPEC
X2 VINTAGE
SKI VINTAGE
You can read the full IJSBA Press Release below, or visit the IJSBA website
This first update about the 2024 Short Block Technologies WGP-1 World Finals is brought to you by Blowsion, the first and only name in the most attractive and desirable Personal Watercraft performance accessories anywhere. Your social media profile will be the most popular on the internet when you show off pictures of you and your watercraft adorned with everything Blowsion has to offer. Now that we have mentioned Blowsion and social media, lets talk about World Finals, Lake Havasu City, our title sponsor, and all of the fun we are going to have this October 5-13 at Crazy Horse Campgrounds and Resort.
- Short Block Technologies. SBT approached IJSBA last year and indicated it was their time to highlight the commitment they, and all of their brands, have to organized Personal Watercraft events with racing as the focus of the events they want to further. The SBT family includes Hydro-Turf, Adonis Impellers, Blacktip Motorsports, and the Watercraft Superstore. All of these entities will have a voice at World Finals to remind you that they are all great partners in getting you across the finish line. Stay tuned for specific announcements.
- Dates. There are some things to make sure everyone knows up front, so we will mention them often over the next couple of months. First, you may see October 14 as an end date posted here and there. This is part of our permitting process to let the public know we reserve Monday, October 14 as an emergency overflow day in the event of poor weather or other interruptions. Please take note that in most years we do not race on Monday, we only practice. However, this year, we will race on Monday October 7. The reason for this is that World Finals is always the week leading up to Columbus Day. Columbus Day, celebrated in the United States, is the second Monday in October and is a federal holiday. We use this week to give people a holiday to travel home after the event is over. Since it is not the same day each year, it can happen as early as the 8th and as late as the 14th. This year is the latest day it can happen in the year and, with this season, there is less daylight in a day as we go further in to October.
- Scheduling. The event officially opens on Saturday October 5 for general check in and placement in the pits. Opportunities for early registration and pit placement may exist for some VIP and event sponsored riders. Sunday October 6 will host the annual IJSBA Juniors Program while registration continues. Practice begins Monday morning with racing to follow immediately after practice. Novice and Amateur classes begin the week with Pro Classes wrapping up the weekend. A tentative schedule will be posted around the first week of August.
- Registration. IJSBA will open registration, formally, at a location to be announced, on October 5 and 6. Beginning October 7, registration/check in will be on site at Crazy Horse. We are doing something different for on site registration this year. We are working on a plan to do on site registration down in the vendor area. This will require competitors to be preregistered if they want to check in after Tuesday, October 8 without having to potentially pay a parking fee prior to check. We are running different scenarios with the grounds management team and will post tentative plans as soon as we develop them. However, early registration and check in will be the best results on site. Online registration will begin in the middle of August with the lowest registration prices being for early registration until September. The month of September will hold standard registration prices. Online registration will end September 30 and, then, only on site registration will be available with on site fees added.
- Prices. IJSBA is committed to no increases in competition fees for 2024. We think we can deliver this. The only deviation may be a couple dollar per class software licensing fee. However, race fees, including grounds fees and additional pit passes are planned to have no increases this year. The event will remain admission free for spectators who do not need pit passes with only parking fees applying.
- Awards. We will have awards, on site, on Friday, October 11 and Sunday October 13 at the stage.
- Owners Convention. 2024 will see IJSBA host the very first PWC Owners Convention. Please stay tuned for special programs celebrating the culture of Personal Watercraft.
- Classes. The following are the expected classes at the 2024 SBT WGP-1 World Finals. (see list above)
