The PWC Race Show #7 Classes

 

In this show I discuss the different classifications of both riders and skis, give some recent race results, dates for upcoming race events and give props to this weeks APBA rider of the week.

One of the main objectives of this podcast is to encourage new racers to give the sport of personal watercraft racing a shot. In the last show I discussed how just about any ski can be raced. Now of course some skis are going to be better than others to race but for now lets just concentrate on getting you into your for race before you rush out and buy a dedicated race ski.

Personal watercraft are divided up into three basic classifications, ski, sport and runabout. Classifications of PWCs are determined by size, weight and engine displacement. The ski class are commonly referred to as stand up skis and are defined as having a dry weight of at least 260 pounds, a hull length that cannot exceed 10 feet and a hull width between 20 and 30 inches.

These skis include Yamaha Superjet, the Kawasaki SXR, and the HSR Benelli Hydrospace S4. For those of you not familiar with the Hydrospace, this is a race ski that came out about three years ago and had some controversy surrounding it since it was a limited production ski that was specificly homologation requirement to race in the stock class. According to the APBA rulebook

11.1.2 STOCK AND LIMITED CLASSES
a. To be eligible to race in APBA Stock and Limited classes the
manufacturer must produce a minimum of 300 identically
manufactured units of a model and make those units available
for sale through a normal distribution network established for the
purpose of selling watercraft in the United States of America. The
Hydrospace S4 is grand fathered in and eligible to race.

The second concern was the ability to monitor the boost pressure supplied by the turbocharger. Since I doubt any new racers are going to choose this ski, I’ll just say that since the introduction of this ski, most of the concerns have been resolved.

Since I wouldn’t recommend a new racer to begin in any class other than stock or limited, I’m only going to define the displacements for these two classes. Ski stock and limited classes are limited to a normally aspirated two stroke engine not to exceed 803 cc, a normally aspirated four stroke of 1100 cc and a super or turbocharged two or four stroke not to exceed 800cc.

The next class is the Sport division. If you listened to the third podcast, you already know that this is my personal division of choice for racing. These PWCs are defined by having a minimum weight of 300 pounds, a hull length not to exceed 10 feet and a hull width between 26 and 38 inches. The most common models raced in this division are the Yamaha B1 first gen Wave Blaster and the Sea Doo HX. The displacement of the engines in this division is limited to 800 cc.

The final and largest class of personal watercraft is the runabout and four-stroke runabout divisions and include both two and four stroke models as well as normally aspirated and turbo or supercharged models. Because this class includes so many different models of skis, the class is subdivided into several different classes and it can get a little complicated but I’ll do the best I can to break down these various classes.

The Runabout division is typically a two-stroke division and is defined in two different classes, the 800cc and the 1200cc. The dry weight for the 800cc classes must be a minimum of 400 pounds and the 1200cc classes must have a minimum dry weight of 475 pounds. I’ve used the term dry weight a few times now so let me just explain that the term dry weight refers to the weight of the ski prior to the addition of fuel and or oil. To further complicate these rules four stroke runabouts may also race in these classes. Four strokes less than 1100cc may compete in the 800 cc runabout classes and four-strokes up to 2000cc may compete in the 1300cc two-stroke classes.

The Four-stroke Runabout division is the fastest classes run and some have over 250 horse power engines and are capable of speeds over 70 miles per hour. These skis are divided into two separate classes. The 1100cc classes must have a dry weight of 550 pounds or greater and the 1600cc classes must have a minimum dry weight of 600 pounds.

I realize that I’ve thrown a lot of information and numbers at you so I can understand if you still may be unsure of what class your ski would be raced in. The best way of making certain what class your ski would be raced in is to contact the race promoter for the region you are planning on racing in and tell them the make and model of your ski and any modifications made to it. Another great source of information is PWCToday.com. If you are new to the site, take a moment and introduce yourself and tell the members of the forum that you are interested in racing and you will receive a wealth of information and more race tips than I could ever begin to give you in this podcast.

Now that I’ve discussed the ski, lets talk about you the new racer. There are specific classes for both the beginner and novice racer. The APBA even has classes for racers as young as 10 years old in the Junior Ski 10-12 Stock and the Junior Ski 13-15 Stock and Limited classes. All of the other classes require a racer to be at least 16 years of age and for those under 18 to have a Minor Release Form filled out every year and a parent or legal guardian must accompany them at rider check-in. If a parent or legal guardian is not able to attend racer check-in, an original notarized Power of attorney form must be presented with proper ID at rider check-in. Junior Ski classes are open to all riders that meet the age requirements as of January 1 of that race year.

First time racers have the option of racing in Beginner’s classes. This division is restricted to Stock and Limited equipment only. A beginner is defined by as a racer that has competed in three or less races. A new racer does have the option of competing in a beginners class but must move up to novice after the completion of their third race. By the same token, first time racers must compete in novice or beginner classes. Novice riders may move up to Expert class but will only be allowed to return to Novice class if officials determine that the racer’s skill level affect the safety of the rider or the other riders in the class.

There are also several classes open to riders of all skill levels. These include Women’s Runabout, Runabout 800 Open, Sport Modified and Sport Spec.

Tags: APBA, Jet Ski Racing