They may be far from home, but U.S. racers getting ready to hit the WGP#1 Waterjet World Cup start line in Thailand are far from unknown.
With Amateur championship races set for today and tomorrow (Dec. 13-14) and Pro championship races running Friday through Sunday (Dec. 15-17), race officials have posted the latest official riders list, and it includes ten US racers.
The Ski Grand Prix class’ lineup of 20 includes four US racers – Jonathan Phan (Kawasaki-Hotproducts), Deven Farthing (Farthing Racing), Sebastien Girello (GoFast US) and Jimmy Wilson (Team Kawasaki). Competitors include Kevin Reiterer (Austria/Flamingo Racing), Quinten Bossche (Belgium/QB1 Racing), Raphael Maurin (France), Mickael Poret (France/77 Racing), Jeremy Poret (France), and Toshi “Samurai” Ohara.
In Pro Sport GP, a lineup of 11 pits UK racers James Bushell (158 Racing) and Simon Belcher (Handy Motorsports) against a field of Thailand racers, including Freedom Racing’s Teerapat Meechai and Supuk Settura.
In Pro Runabout 1100 Open, multi-time champion Saly Ou Moeut (Cambodia/Flamingo Jet Ski Team) faces a field of 9 with a heavy Thailand representation, including Meechai and Suphathat Footrakul (K45 Maxima Yamaha Team)
In Pro Runabout GP, U.S’s Dustin Farthing (Farthing Racing), faces a lineup of 23 world-class racers including Rasmus Koch Hansen (Denmark/Lindbergh Racing), France’s Easy Rider teammates Francois Medori and Jeremy Perez, Hungary’s Gyorgy Kasza, Kuwait’s Rashed Aldawas and Mohammad Burbayea, and Bushell.
In Pro Freestyle, U.S. rising star Demi Morgan (High Speed Industries), who nailed down a amateur freestyle world championship in Havasu this year, is the sole female entry against a field of eight competitors, including Japan’s Bunn Freestyle teammates Taiji Yamamoto, Yuhi Iwaizako and Norio Fukuda.
In the Pro Am Endurance Open, the field of 36 includes two U.S. entries, Anthony Radetic (USA Sea-Doo) and Tory Snyder (Snyder Built). The crowded and challenging lineup includes Jean Bruno Pastorello (France/Pastorello Competition Kawasaki), who just took the Aquabike Endurance World Championship at Lake Toba with 154 points, edging out Radetic with 149. Aldawas, who took 3rd at the Aquabike Endurance Championship, is not competing in this class in Thailand, but top named racers such as Guy Greenland (Australia/GeeRacing), Kylie Elmers (New Zealand/Flamingo), Ou Moeut, Footrakul, and Oraphan Teerapatpanich (Thailand/Pusan Sea Doo Jet Ski Team) are entered in the class.
In ProAm Womens Ski Grand Prix, U.S. racer River Varner (GoFast US) takes on a field of five, including Emma Nellie Ortendahl (Sweden).
U.S.’s Tory Snyder will line up again, this time for the ProAm Runabout Stock class, racing against a line of 14 that includes Medori, Abdullah Al Fahel (Kuwait/Deans Team), and Waleed Alsharshani (Qatar/Qatar Jet Ski Team).
In the Junior divisions, the sole entry listed for the US is Andrew Huy Vo (Flaming, Jettribe), competing in the Junior 14-15 Ski 4-Stroke Lites class.
Visit the race website for race schedules through Sunday, as well as results as they are finalized. Livestreaming and video feeds are also available, and updates are posted regularly on the WGP#1 Waterjet World Cup Facebook Page and Instagram Page
