Here’s this week’s WCJ Weekly Racing Roundup, where we check in with the organizations, racers, and championship battles shaping the 2026 personal watercraft racing season. This week, European champions are crowned on French water as the UIM-ABP Aquabike season closes out, IJSBA rolls out fresh World Finals details ahead of its 45th consecutive year in Lake Havasu, the Western Canadian Watercross Association reflects on a season of major organizational growth, East Coast Watercross addresses a championship-format mixup head on, and we tip our hats to Great Lakes Watercross as its 2026 season officially comes to a close.
AquaBike
The 2026 UIM-ABP Aquabike European Continental Championship crowned its champions this weekend at the season-ending Grand Prix of Vichy in France, closing out a European campaign that came down to the wire in several categories.
Belgian rider Quinten Bossche delivered what may be the most dominant season in recent memory, entering Vichy with a perfect win record and closing it out the same way, taking both remaining motos by comfortable margins to finish the year undefeated and claim the Ski GP1 European Championship. Current World Champion François Medori made a guest appearance in Vichy despite skipping most of the European season to focus on his world title defense, and he made the most of it — lapping the field in the final moto and setting a best lap more than six seconds faster than anyone else on the water. Medori’s absence from earlier rounds kept him out of title contention, but it allowed Jeremy Perez to lock up the Runabout GP1 European Championship, extending a run of French dominance in the category that traces back to Perez’s first title in 2014.
The women’s Ski Ladies GP1 class delivered one of the weekend’s bigger swings. Current World Champion Estelle Poret won all three motos in Vichy on home soil, but her European title hopes had already been undone by a scoreless showing earlier in the season at Gyor. That opened the door for Benedicte Drange to reclaim the championship she first won in 2024, edging out Jessica Chavanne for the title. Roberto Mariani, meanwhile, held off a hard-charging Massimo Accumulo in Freestyle to secure his European crown, adding it to his current World Championship title.
Several other categories went down to the final moto of the season. Estonian rider Mattias Siimann outlasted countryman Karl Keskula for the Runabout GP2 title by a single point, while Robin Sylvester denied Daan Hoeke the Ski GP2 crown by a nine-point margin despite Hoeke’s last-gasp moto win. Jose Vainio claimed both the Runabout GP4 and Runabout Junior GP4 European titles, and Csongor Jászai held on for the Ski GP4 championship despite being outpaced in Vichy by Daniils Potrivailo. Leo Kete swept both the Ski GP3 and Ski Junior GP3.3 titles in dominant fashion.
With the European season now complete, the Aquabike calendar turns to the opening round of the UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship in China next month.
IJSBA
IJSBA has announced Cliff Cassel of CasselCreation as the official photographer of the 2026 Short Block Technologies World Finals, with veteran World Finals photographer Ronny McHenry joining in a guest co-photography role. Cassel has built a strong reputation this season as official photographer for the IJSBA-sanctioned Wild West Watercross series, one of the largest-turnout tours in the country in 2026, known for his action work as well as his eye for candid moments among racers and crews trackside. McHenry’s return marks a welcome sight for longtime followers of the sport — a 
fixture behind the lens for decades, he’s been away from the World Finals in recent years while recovering from a stroke. IJSBA said more details on photography packages will be released soon; fans can follow Cassel’s work on CasselCreation’s Instagram and Facebook pages.
The 2026 SBT World Finals run October 3-11 at Red Rock Waterside in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, marking the 45th consecutive year the event has been held, uninterrupted, since 1982. Competition dates run October 6-11, and the event remains free for spectators courtesy of support from Go Lake Havasu. IJSBA released a tentative first-draft class schedule this week, front-loading as many classes as possible into the first two days of racing to accommodate a new Thursday awards ceremony. The schedule remains subject to change, and IJSBA is asking racers to direct any questions to [email protected].
This year’s World Finals also doubles as the second round of the WGP#1 World Series, with WGP#1 organizers pledging additional prize money, paid in Thai Baht, for select classes scored across both series. Running alongside the main event, the IJSBA-sanctioned US Freestyle Championship returns to Bridgewater Channel under the London Bridge on October 3, serving as a crucial last-chance qualifier for World Finals freestyle classes.
On the operations side, RaceReady will return as the event’s official scoring and registration partner for a second straight year after debuting in 2025, with founder Greg Call rolling out a newly integrated platform covering registration, website management, social media, and membership cataloging. VP Racing Fuels also returns as the World Finals’ official fuel supplier, though racers are being encouraged to pre-order and pick up fuel early in the day, as vending will run half-days only and close shortly after the lunch break to help keep on-site prices down.
Western Canadian Watercross Association
The Western Canadian Watercross Association wrapped its 2026 season having completed a full organizational overhaul behind the scenes, transitioning from its previous Saskatchewan incorporation to become an Alberta-registered non-profit society with a newly formal Board of Directors. Along with the restructuring, the IJSBA affiliate rewrote its bylaws, updated its rulebook and race procedures, and strengthened both its Event Safety Plans and Emergency Response Plans as part of a broader push to tighten the organization and professionalism of its events, while deepening its working relationship with IJSBA.
On the water, the WCWA completed a six-round championship season that saw new racers and families join the sport alongside strong turnout in its Beginner and Vintage classes and expanded opportunities for Junior competitors. The organization pointed to families racing together — parents, children, and siblings sharing the same weekends alongside seasoned racers — as one of the season’s most encouraging developments, calling that mix of new and experienced competitors critical to the sport’s long-term future in Western Canada.
Thirteen champions were crowned across the WCWA’s class structure this season. Casey Merrills claimed three titles — Pro-Am Open Ski, Pro-Am Ski Lite, and Veteran Ski Open — while Ian Stafford (Beginner Runabout, Pro-Am Runabout) and Emery Burton (Novice Ski Lite, Novice Ski Open) each doubled up as well. Hudson Merrills topped both Junior Ski Lites (Under 16) and Vintage Ski, with Alexandre Gates, Lincoln Maki, Bryn Mallard, and Kim Richardson also claiming season titles in their respective classes.
Looking toward 2027, the WCWA said its priorities will center on continued growth in its Beginner, Junior, Vintage, and Pro-Am ranks, along with ongoing improvements to safety, race procedures, equipment, and volunteer resources. The organization credited its volunteers, officials, safety crews, EMS personnel, board members, sponsors, and host venues for making the season possible, and specifically thanked IJSBA for its communication and support throughout the year. Full 2026 standings and results are available at wcwa-online.ca.
East Coast Watercross
IJSBA’s National High Points standings are heating up as racers close in on the season’s #1 plate, with awards set to be handed out during World Finals week in Havasu. Full standings are updated regularly at nationalhighpoints.com, but a few of the tighter premier-class battles include Brayden Sebben’s lead over Harley Ritchie and Patrick Parker in Pro-Am Ski GP, and a close three-way Sport Spec race topped by Parker over Ryder Bliss and Shannon Watson.
Separately, East Coast Watercross showrunner Shawn Dudek issued a lengthy public statement this week addressing confusion over the series’ 2026 championship format. In a post to racers, Dudek explained that an original May 27 announcement had described the five-round championship as a “best four of five” format, allowing racers to drop their lowest finish. That plan changed internally on June 4, the Friday before Round 1, when ECW shifted to scoring the championship on all five rounds instead — a decision made alongside the development of the related 8 Ball Cup, which requires full attendance across all five rounds to be eligible for payout and podium contention. The problem, Dudek acknowledged, was that the original May 27 post was never removed and no standalone announcement clearly told racers the championship format itself had changed, leaving outdated information publicly available for months.
Dudek took personal responsibility for the miscommunication, saying it fell on him regardless of the workload — which this year has included simultaneously running ECW, the Pro Watercross National Tour, the 8 Ball Cup, and a full slate of race operations, scheduling, and marketing duties, all while managing a minor injury. He confirmed the 2026 ECW championship will be scored 5-of-5 as decided in June, with no dropped round factored in. Looking ahead, Dudek said the situation underscored a need to bring on dedicated communications support as both series continue to grow, pointing to recent investments in GPS transponder timing and Live Race Services, along with the addition of respected scoring and registration veteran Dawn Carey, as examples of the kind of structural upgrades the organization plans to keep making.
Dudek closed by thanking racers for their support this season, with East Coast Watercross now turning its attention to the Road to Havasu National Tour Finale.
Great Lakes Watercross
We’ll catch up properly with the close of the Great Lakes Watercross season soon, but we couldn’t let the season wrap pass without offering a quick congratulations. GLW capped its 2026 championship by handing out its special end-of-season awards, with Ryder Gahagan taking Junior Rookie of the Year and Tyler Richards earning Rookie of the Year honors. Alex Dobson was named Most Improved, while Aubree Gahagan and Isabelle Gahagan shared Most Valuable Racer. Jeff Wright took home the Ed Bohat Memorial Sportsmanship Award. GLW also recognized racers who competed in a specific class at every single round of the tour with special Dedication Awards, honoring the commitment it takes to make the full season-long journey. Congratulations to all of this year’s champions and award winners — and just like that, the 2026 Great Lakes Watercross season is officially a wrap.
From European title battles in Vichy to a season of institutional growth in Western Canada, this week’s roundup is a reminder that personal watercraft racing’s momentum doesn’t stop at the water’s edge — it’s built race by race, season by season, and often by the hard, unglamorous work happening behind the scenes.
As the 2026 season pushes toward its final stretch, WCJ will keep tracking the stories, competitors and organizations shaping personal watercraft racing — both on the racecourse and throughout the communities that make these events possible.
