In this show I discuss what a new racer needs to do to be ready for their first race, what to expect on your first race day and some important things to consider as you wait for the rubber band to be released. I’ll also give some dates for upcoming races, some recent race results, and give props to this weeks APBA Rider of the Week.

I hope you’ve had a chance to listen to the last few podcasts to help you both decide if jet ski racing is for you and if you would like to actually give the sport a try. I’ve described what I think is the best class for a new racer and described the different classes that are available. In this show I’ll discuss what to expect on your first race day and how to make sure you’re prepared for what should be one of the most exciting days of your life.

So up to this point I’ll assume that you’ve been riding on a practice course and are comfortable with your capabilities and understand how your own ski handles especially around the buoys. Your first race day will be quite hectic so you’ll want to be as prepared as possible. This includes having your registration completed ahead of time and your race numbers on the ski. You can almost be assured that most any obscure three digit race number you choose will be available. The first hundred numbers are always reserved for ranked riders from the previous year’s competition. I would also suggest that you show up the day before the race and check out the course. Most race promoters will have the course laid out the day before the race and will often allow single racer practice laps and it’s a great chance for you to get familiar with the course. They usually won’t allow more than one ski on the course at a time because they don’t have the necessary safety personnel on site. This is also a good opportunity to introduce yourself to the promoter and their crew and to explain to them that this will be your first race. Although the promoter will be very busy preparing for the upcoming races, they’ll usually hook you up with one of their staff members and help you with understanding the course or any last minute questions you may have. Pre-race days are some of the best times because you get the chance to meet other racers as well as hang out with some old friends. Many race promoters or race directors will also appreciate the opportunity to tech your ski early. One of the major delays on race day is when tech inspection gets backed up as this must be done prior to the race. The night prior to the race is a good time to carbo load. When I was running marathons, I would eat piles of pasta the night before a race to help give me energy reserves for the next day. Although a typical moto is only 20 minutes or so, you will be amazed at how much energy you will use muscling your ski around the course.

I guarantee your first race day will be one of the most memorable experiences of your life and will seem like a blur by the end of the day. Race day usually starts early and ends late so make sure you have everything you need to spend 12 hours or so at the race venue. Many won’t have any decent food available so you will need to make sure that you have all the food and drink that you will need. I usually eat fairly light on race day and bring a good supply of Power Bars and energy drinks with me. Race day always start with a mandatory rider safety meeting the morning of the race so you’ll want to make sure that you arrive to the track early so you don’t miss this important meeting. The safety meeting will discuss the various flags used on the course, what to do if you fall off of your ski, how the course marshal’s will communicate with you on the course and the race director’s expectations of you the racer while on the course. After the safety meeting the different classes will be assemble and will meet up at the start line for a parade lap so that riders may familiarize themselves with the course. This lap is usually run close to race speed but there is never any passing allowed.

While I’m on the topic of flags, let’s go over the different ones used on the course and what they mean. The first one actually isn’t a flag at all but a card with a large number 2 written on it. This is the 2 minute card and indicates that the race will start in 2 minutes and is typically displayed in the starter tower set up on the start line itself. The starter will hold the card up and at this point you holder or holders will lift the rear of your ski out of the water to allow you to rev your engine to clear excess water from the ski’s waterbox so that you will get the maximum acceleration off of the start line. At this point I realize I haven’t discussed one of the most important things you need to do before hitting the start line and that is you need to either bring holders with you or recruit some. Pro racers actually travel with dedicated holders and there are some that are notorious for there ability to help launch a racer off the start line. If for some reason you are unable to recruit some before the race, let the tower know and they’ll usually announce over the PA that holders are needed and get some to the line for you. OK so you’re on the line, when the 2 minute card is turned sideways you will bring you skis RPMs up to speed and expect the band to be snapped at any moment.

So lets get back to the flags. The flag you definitely don’t want to see being waved at you is the black flag. This generally means that you have done something very, very wrong and are being ejected off of the course. Pay close attention at the racers meeting to find out what you are to do if black flagged. Usually you will safely head towards the course marshal so that you may either be brought to a safety zone till the end of the race or escorted off of the course.

The next flag, the red one, is usually seen right after a race has started or just after the first set of turns. This flag indicates that the race has been stopped and is usually due to a false start or a racer has not used the correct lane on the split at the beginning of a race. If you see the red flag in the middle of the race, it usually indicated that there has been an injury on the course and the race must be stopped so that a racer may receive medical attention. In this instance you want to be very aware and slow down gradually, don’t assume that all the racers on the course have seen the flag and get run over.

The next flag you’ll see used is the yellow flag. Unlike auto racing this usually does not require the racers to slow down or not allow passing. These are considered “local yellows” as you will see in motocross racing. The yellow flag usually indicates that a rider has fallen off of their ski and is in the water. If you are this rider, you will want to immediately put your hand up and wave it above your head. This does two very important things, first it helps the other riders to see your location in the water and the second is to let the course marshal know that you are OK. Typically a course marshal will position themselves before you on the race course to help protect you from oncoming skis and may assist you back to your ski. If there is any great distance between you and your ski, they will most likely grab you by the wrist and pull you to your ski. Do not try to get onto the marshal’s ski unless you are expressly told to do so. This is also a good question to ask in the pre-race rider meeting, find out if they will bring you to your ski or if you are expected to swim to it. Also find out if you are allowed to pass in a corner should there be a downed rider in it.

Whenever any of these flags are displayed, you will also here short repeated whistle blows. Even with motors screaming, you can hear these whistles and it alerts you to an incident on the course and helps you find out where it has occurred on the course.

The next flag is going to be the white flag. This is displayed in the race tower and indicates that there is one lap remaining. At the morning’s rider meeting, the race director will tell you how many laps each class will run. While you are racing you should try to keep track of what lap you are on but a lot of times you are concentrating on racing so much that you can easily lose track. As each racer passes the tower at the start finish line, the tower will display the flag to each individual racer as they pass and will blow their whistle to get your attention.

The final flag is the checkered flag. This indicates that you have completed the race. After you pass the finish line, you’ll want to gradually slow down, don’t let off the throttle abruptly as you may cause a collision. There are also no cool down or parade laps.

At this point I want to go back to something I said earlier in the podcast and that is what the race director’s expectations are of you on the course. As cool as it is to say that rubbing is racing, most race directors have a very different feeling about the term. Most won’t allow any rubbing or blocking as it is very dangerous and can cause a race to have to be re-run or contested. This is especially true for everything except the pro classes where it may be just a little more accepted. And while I’m talking about blocking, it is very important for each racer to maintain their line as best as they can, especially in turns. For a new racer, it may be even better to not ride the desired line but rather the outside line as to not get in the way of more experienced racers. This is really up to you because I realize that we all race to win.

Immediately after the race you will need to bring your ski to the designated post race tech area. This is usually just a quick check of the ski to make sure no major modifications were made after the pre-race tech inspection. If for some reason you blew the field away, plan to have your ski scrutinized or even impounded until tech has the time to go through it thoroughly.

Well I hope, between this and the last few podcasts, you should have enough information to participate in your first race and have a good idea what to expect.

In racing news, for those of you on the west coast, the 2009 APBA Offshore National Championship Long Beach to Catalina & Back PWC Race race is scheduled for the weekend of July 11th and 12th. The LB2Cat race is perhaps the World’s most prestigious offshore endurance race. Over 75 racers are expected to participate in this one of a kind event. With 5 different classes from bone stock to unlimited, there should be some great racing action with racers from across the country participating.

Race promoter Ross Wallach said, “I can guarantee everyone involved that I intend to raise the bar even higher with this event after what we learned from last year to ensure that every racer, fan and sponsor carries away enough memories to last them until next year along with some fantastic trophies for overall and class winners”.

The 60 mile race will begin with a rolling start form Los Alamitos Bay near the historic Queen Mary and across the channel to Catalina Island. The racers will then loop around the race official’s boat located a mile off of Catalina Island and return back to Los Alamitos bay where the race was begun. This is a serious and potentially dangerous offshore endurance race and requires racers to pay particuraly close attention to navigation as they quickly lose sight of land. In addition to standard safety equipment, each competitor is required to have GPS navigation, VHF radio, cellphone, compass and numerous other safety equipment to make this race as safe as possible.

Last year’s winner, Craig Warner will be there to defend his title and has hopes of setting a new record for the race. Other notable racers attending include Mike Folmer, Mark Gerner and Nick Ganis.

This week’s APBA rider of the week is particularly special as it awarded to one of the best junior riders that has come into the sport in the last few years. This weeks APBA Rider Of The Week award goes to Zachery Isaacs of Lumberton, Texas. In his first year of racing in 2008, Zachery became his Region’s Closed Course and Endurance Junior Champion. Last week Zachery swept every race he entered and although this is only his second year of racing, he has yet to loss a race in the 2009 race season. I really can’t say enough about this outstanding young man, I had the opportunity to see him race last year and he really is an incredibly talented rider that I can almost guarantee will be picked up by a major sponsor. Riders like Zachery are the future of our sport and The PWC Race Show wishes to congratulate Zachery on his outstanding accomplishments and wishes him continued success in the 2009 race season.

Last weekend also saw Monster Energy’s Midwest Watercross Tour kick off their 2009 race season with rounds 1 and 2 being held at Walled Lake, Michigan. In the Women’s Novice Ski Limited Class, Jennifer Ryzenga of Holland Michigan swept the class in both rounds. In the Novice Stock Ski Spec Class, Mike Ballantyne of Adrian, Michigan swept both motos in round 1 and Ryan Zamler of West Bloomfield, Michigan swept both motos in round 2.

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.

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.