The PWC Race Show #6 So You Want to Race

 

In this podcast I discuss some of the fundamentals of jet ski racing, give some recent race results and give props to the APBA rider of the week.

Almost anyone with a jet ski can fairly easily get into the sport of jet ski racing. Well first thing you are going to need is a ski to race on. In the 4th show, the Sport Spec racing podcast I discussed how I thought that this was an ideal class for a new racer but you can really race almost any ski you have as long it is considered safe and has a working lanyard kill switch. You will also need a Snell approved motocross style full face helmet helmet, goggles and a type 3 life vest. This is the absolute minimum requirements for safety equipment but I would also have to recommend a good pair of racing gloves.

While I’m on the topic of helmets and safety, I really need to strongly urge you to remove the visor that is found on most motocross style helmets. Although most racers continue to wear them, I feel that they are a really bad idea for jet ski racing. The reason why I personally have never ridden with a visor is because of an issue known as bucketing. Bucketing occurs when you fall off a ski at speed and the visor of the helmet hits the water and causes the head to be violently jerked back potentially causing a neck injury. The reason these helmets have visors is not to keep the sun out of your eyes but they became popular in motocross racing to protect your face from the rooster tail that is thrown up by the rear tire of motocross bike. Any of you that have raced motocross know just how painful that roost can be and how just dipping your head down for a second can help keep your goggles clean and the sand off of your face. In a jet ski race you are going to get an occasional pump blast or some spray in the turns but neither of these are as bad as a motorcycle roost and your goggles will do a pretty good job of protecting you. The bottom line is that the decision is up to you but I have always felt that the possibility of a neck injury from bucketing was not worth the limited protection that a visor gives you from a pump blast. Speaking of protecting your neck, some riders have begun racing with neck roles. The concerns with using a neck role is the affect the role will have on a racer while he is in the water, especially his ability to swim and keep his face righted. I’ve been trying to get some information from racers using them but so far I have only received a limited amount of feedback on their effectiveness and any problems the riders are having while in the water. If there are any course marshals, racers or safety personnel with experience with the use of neck rolls I’d like to hear from you and get your thoughts on this piece of safety equipment.

Next you’ll need a good pair of goggles. Your choice of brand and if you prefer tinted or clear lenses is strictly a personal choice. However you will want to make sure that you either have a helmet with goggle keepers incorporated into their design or purchase them separately and attach them to your helmet. Many racers will also attach a small float to their goggles to keep them afloat as they will eventually get knocked off when you do one of those very special face plants as you get tossed of your ski. Good goggles aren’t cheap so you will want to do what you can to make sure that they don’t end up on the bottom of the course and as far as I am aware there are no floating goggles although I think a goggle maker could dominate the PWC market if one was designed to float.

The next piece of equipment a racer needs is a very good fitting type 3 neoprene life vest. The two most popular brands are Slippery and JetPilot. I think most racers will agree that the side entry vest are the best design for staying in place when you step off of your ski at 50 plus miles per hour. For those of you not familiar with side entry vests, most have a zipper on the side of the vest and the vest is basically put on over the head like a t shirt and the side is then zippered closed and the straps tightened. And when I say tight I mean tight just to the point that it doesn’t affect your ability to breathe.

Additionally, although they are not required, I do recommend a good pair of gloves but this too is a personal choice as some racers don’t particularly care for them. I use a pair of Slipper brand gloves because they give my hand some protection from my finger throttle that always tends to cut up my hand after a long weekend of practicing or racing. Next, depending on water temperature and your tolerance for cold a wet suit may or may not be needed. The most I usually have to race with is just a pair of neoprene shorts. Finally you’re going to need some shoes. From what I’ve seen, you can put just about anything on your feet and no one will even notice. I say this because I’ve seen everything from expensive jet ski race boots to Chuck Connors high top tennis shoes on racers and everyone seems to swear by their own personal choice. I will say that most racers say that the expensive race boots seem to fall apart, neoprene dive boots keep your feet warm, the Chuck Connors seem to last pretty long but if your ready for this the most acclaimed shoes seem to be wrestling shoes. Now I personally have never used them but a lot of racers swear by them. I’m more of a dive boot kind of guy but the bottom line is really just wear whatever you want.

So lets talk about your ski. Believe it or not the requirements for your ski to be race ready are actually fairly minimal. You will need a working lanyard kill switch after all the last thing needed on a course is a runaway ski. You will also need a bow eye loop. This is just basically a tow loop that is attached to the bow eye of the ski so that it is easier to tow a disabled ski out of harms way. The only other requirement is a crossbar pad if your ski has aftermarket steering or handlebars. When you go through tech prior to racing, your ski will be checked to make sure that these safety items are present and that the ski is in good working condition and there are no items on the ski that may cause injury to you or another racer. That’s pretty much it unless you win or if your ski’s legality is challenged by another racer. Post race tech is fairly simple but if there is any challenges your ski will be scrutinized to make sure there are no parts or set ups that aren’t allowed in your class. Simply if you are found to be cheating you will be disqualified. So if you are in doubt about anything that has the potential to have you DQed, you should discuss it with the tech team and race director prior to the race. At this point I’m not going to say that no one has ever cheated but really why bother? What I’m trying to say is that no one is making living from jet ski racing. Sure the better racers are getting some sponsor support but cheating just makes you a loser, particularly in the eyes of your fellow racers. Once you spend some time in this sport you’ll realize the most important thing in this sport is not winning or loosing, but the respect of your fellow racer. We all race to win but the most important thing to the member of this sport is the sport itself.

Alright enough of the soap box. Now lets take a few minutes discuss how to practice for a race. Since there is no typical race course, you’ll want to set up a buoy practice course that has both high speed sweeping turns and technical sharp slalom turns. The best least expensive buoys to use are kids bouncing balls. You can buy race buoys but they are a little expensive and are smaller than the buoys typically used on a race course. Use whatever you want to weight them to the bottom brick, scrap metal, cinder blocks it doesn’t really matter and attach the buoys are balls using non floating rope. On a race course the buoys are heavily weighted to the bottom so that the course is not disturbed but during a practice session it’s not that critical that it remains exactly in place. You will also want to practice with another racer or rider. It’s really not that important for both skis to be that closely matched. What you want to do is to get used to riding in the wash of another ski, passing, and also riding with another ski in close proximity. You will also want to get used to how your ski handles the turns. The most important thing to always remember is that a ski does not have a rudder like a boat does and it will only turn by redirecting the thrust of the ski’s jet pump. You must be on the gas for your ski to turn. If you head to a buoy and let off of the gas completely and turn the handlebars the ski will not turn and continue to go straight. Learning how to set up for a turn is probably the most important skill to master to be a competent racer. Your individual ski and set up will determine how much throttle to use and when. Letting off of the throttle in a turn will cause the pump to loose hook up and cause the ski to spin out in a turn. The same thing will happen should you cross another skis pump wash in a turn. Just remember that smooth is fast and you must practice practice practice.

In racing news, it seems as though region 7 is having a rough start to the 2009 season with the postponement of their first two rounds of racing. From what I understand there was several issues with the race venue. I’ll try and get some more information for the next show but so far the race promoter hasn’t given out a lot of information and that in itself is an issue with many of the racers in that region.

Luckily there were no issues with the race venue in Parker Arizona as the 2009 APBA Hydro Turf National tour kicked off. In the 10-12 year old junior ski class Tyler Smith of Florida leads with 228 points followed by Zack Isaacs of Texas with 168 points and Blake Wicklund of Arizona with 118 points. In the 13-15 year old Junior stock ski class, Josh Block of Indiana leads with 259 points followed by Elizabeth Helms of Alabama with 207 points and Been Oaks with 205 points.In the 13-15 year old junior ski limited class, Josh Block leads that class also with 231 points followed by Zack Russ of Florida with 215 points and Ben Oaks with 205 points.

Tags: APBA, Jet Ski Racing, PWC Racing