As we enter the jet ski racing season, one recent race definitely shouldn’t go unnoticed by extreme sports enthusiasts. Earlier this year, Dubai hosted the inaugural Jet Suit Grand Prix, marking a groundbreaking moment for both technology development and PWC racers worldwide.
Each racer at the February 28 event was equipped with a jet suit boosted by seven 130-horsepower jet turbines, totaling 1,050 hp per racer. The suits feature two jets on each arm for steering, along with three in the backpack to achieve groundbreaking levitation. The result was a genuinely breathtaking spectacle, with racers competing on a striking course at top speeds.
Of course, at an event like this, safety measures are paramount, which is why the race was conducted in controlled waterspace with no significant obstacles or hard objects to pose a risk to competitors. Even so, the first race of the day resulted in the sport’s first jet suit crash, but fortunately, no injuries were sustained.
Due to limitations in gas tank size (currently only five gallons in the suit), each two-man race has a duration of only around nine minutes. However, this doesn’t hinder the spectator opportunities as the competitors display a level of skill and agility never seen before with this type of watercraft.
While the price tag may be prohibitive for most, coming in at around $400,000 per suit, the sport’s novelty status makes it ripe for new competitors, presenting an exciting opportunity for many, with the assurance that it will continue to grow in the coming years.
The event took place as part of the Dubai Boat Show and was funded by Gravity Industries, the company behind the jet suits themselves. They view the event as a major success, opening doors to more public shows and competitions, as jet suits seem to be establishing themselves in the world of extreme sports.
If you’re interested in learning more about the event, you can check out the race footage from Gravity Industries or the write-up by NewAtlas.
