It was with heavy hearts that the Jettribe family received the news that Kawasaki is no longer making stand-ups. Kawasaki first started making stand-ups in 1973 when they came out with the WSAA Jet Ski 400 and the WSAB Jet Ski 400. The 440 was introduced in 1978 and the 550 came along four years later in 1982. In the mid-1970s the birth of closed course racing came about with the help of Doug Silverstein, Steve Stricklin, Brian Bendix, and Larry Rippenkroeger. Most racers rode modified 440s and 550s. Throughout the next few decades Kawasaki produced the 650, the 750, and last of all the SX-R 800.
We at Jettribe are a core group of stand up riders and the 550 SX stand up was how it started for us. We all even still ride our 750 SX now. Tony raced in region 1 in Southern California with his 1993 750 stand up and there were about 50 riders per class. The stand up was the seed that started Jettribe and has changed so many aspects of our lives.
We will forever miss the stand up.
No comments:
Post a Comment