If rough water weed the men from the boys, then last weekend’s P1 AquaX first two rounds of the year in Daytona Beach, Florida were all that was needed to sift the lineup. Massive swells buried skis, overturned racers and inflicted all sorts of wear and tear on athlete and machine alike. Yet, amid the chaos, those battling both the elements and the competition aboard Yamaha WaveRunners found themselves with a key advantage.
Someof the biggest names in PWC racing filled last weekend’s roster, and most all piloted Yamaha’s newest iteration of the 3-seater runabout, the FX SVHO. Powered by the tried-and-true Super Vortex High Output powertrain and navigating the surf with a larger, more stable yet wholly intuitive GP-inspired full-sized hull, the FX proved itself a world class watercraft, maybe even more so than the podium-dominating GP1800R.
Here’s the full press release:
By all accounts, race conditions at round one of the 2019 P1 AquaX Tour in Daytona Beach were brutal with rough surf more than six-feet tall. And that’s the way Yamaha WaveRunner racers like it.
Not only did Yamaha riders aboard the new FX WaveRunner platform sweep the Pro Enduro class for the weekend led by Broward Motorsports’ Chris MacClugage, Riva Racings’ Brian Baldwin, and Dean’s Team’s Aqsa Aswar respectively; 11 other Yamaha racers filled the top 14 spots before a Sea-Doo or Kawasaki rider.
According to Yamaha WaveRunner product manager Scott Watkins, with the addition of the new FX platform for 2019 and the already proven GP1800R, Yamaha riders are going to have their choice of the 2 best platforms in the industry for the 2019 race season.
“In the extreme conditions we had in Daytona, the larger FX platform was the choice for most of the pro riders,” said Watkins. “Our GP platform will be the choice for most closed course, calmer racing conditions. Either way, Yamaha is the brand that will be on the podium in every event in 2019.”
Round 2 of the P1 AquaX Tour is scheduled for June 15-16 at St. Pete Beach in Florida.
Round 1 Pro Enduro Top 10 Finishes:
1. Chris MacClugage, Yamaha
2. Brian Baldwin, Yamaha
3. Aqsa Aswar, Yamaha
4. Aero Aswar, Yamaha
5. Christian Daly, Yamaha
6. Eric Francis, Yamaha
7. Dennis Mack, Yamaha
8. Eric Lagopoulos, Yamaha
9. Tyler Hill, Yamaha
10. Jason Russo, Yamaha
