The 2010 race season has been so awesome and we’re so happy to be a part of it! And because it’s been such a great season we at Jettribe wanted to reflect on all the races we’ve been to this summer. The Daytona Free Ride brought back the true core PWC sport as close to where it all began. Stand-up riders stuffed their skis in the trunks of their cars and some of the runabout riders even used their cars to pull their boats. The Free Ride showed that all you need is your ski and some gas to have a great time with your fellow riders.
The Mark Hahn 300 was also a great race to start the season off with. The weather was ideal for the riders as well as for our booth set up. It was so great to be back on the racing scene again for another successful season.
When the APBA kicked off its first National Tour race in Parker, AZ we made sure that we were there to join them. It was a fantastic event and the fact that the race was basically in our backyard made it even better.
We decided to pay a visit down south to Region 7’s race in Tavares, FL and it turned out to be an absolutely amazing event right from the very start. Mike Young and his staff were absolutely great and the whole weekend was a huge success.
We headed back down south to hit the first race of the IJSBA’s National Tour in Panama City Beach, FL so that we could be part of the excitement right from the start! AJ and his staff were fantastic and put on a terrific event. We couldn’t wait to see how much more excitement the rest of the tour would bring!
At the IJSBA’s Syracuse, NY race our 32-foot stacker Jettribe tour rig made its debut appearance so that we could transport even more of our gear. It was also a great Jettribe family reunion for many of our team riders, who gave some phenomenal performances all weekend!
Our crew was so excited to make the trip out to Myrtle Beach, SC again this year for rounds 3 & 4 of the APBA National Tour. We got a great spot right on the beach where we were able to watch the racers battle with the killer ocean surf. It was also great to see the rest of our Jettribe family that wasn’t able to make it to the race in Syracuse.
At the IJSBA National Tour race in Rochester, NY we were able to show off the new graphics on our dulley. It was so great to be back at one of AJ’s races again. Our new RS-15 Race Series Boots were also released for the first time and were selling like crazy!
The APBA’s National Tour stop in Belle River, Ontario was also an exciting race to be at. It was so great to be a part of jet-ski racing finally coming back to this part of Canada after a decade. Many of our team riders were also able to make it to the races and made us proud by getting podium finishes all weekend! It’s been such a great season, thanks to everyone who has helped us and supported us!
We headed down south again for another APBA National Tour stop in Colonial Beach, VA where we were welcomed by the town with open arms. The town was quaint and peaceful, but it was also an ideal spot for a race. The racing action took place along a large pier and the weather was great all weekend; both factors provided a fantastic atmosphere for all of the race fans!
A week later we headed down to Lake Hartwell, GA for one of the last stops on the IJSBA National Tour. This was one of the best events we have seen yet; the locals turned out in record numbers! AJ Handler and his crew, as well as the town, also showed us an immense amount of hospitality. AJ was constantly providing the Jettribe crew with burgers for lunch while we were busy working at our booth all weekend. And the racers’ party that was hosted by Watercrafters was a great opportunity for us to kick back and relax with the racers and have a chance to just be ourselves for awhile. What a great time!
The following weekend we headed back up north a little bit until we reached Charleston, WV for the grand finale of the IJSBA National Tour. This is always a favorite event of ours and we love the warm and friendly town atmosphere. This race was especially memorable because we had a special guest come out to enjoy the races: Governor Joe Manchin! The annual women’s volleyball games were also going on so it was nice to see some familiar faces that we got to meet last year. We also put on a fashion show to highlight some of our 2011 gear and to get everyone in the mood for our upcoming fashion show that we have been putting on at the World Finals. It was a very exciting weekend!
Over Labor Day weekend part of the Jettribe race team packed up their racing gear (as well as some Jettribe merchandise) and headed to Nashville, TN for the annual APBA Nationals. This is also a favorite site for the Jettribe crew with the camping area and water park right at the race site! Several of our team members were working hard all weekend to sell some of our Jettribe merchandise in order to help fund their trip to Thailand for the King’s Cup. Many of our riders also placed very well, bringing home many top 10 and podium finishes!
For the first time ever we headed up to Pacific City, OR for the Blowsion Surf Slam! This site was absolutely incredible; the site had beautiful and lush scenery that made the weekend so enjoyable. The Blowsion crew greeted us with open arms and was very accommodating to us. Over the weekend we stayed at a quaint bed and breakfast that made us feel right at home. We got to interact with a huge amount of stand-up riders who showed up from all over the world and proved that they are some of the most hardcore riders out there. We will definitely be back next year!
The Jettribe crew finally headed out to Lake Havasu City, AZ to spend 2 weeks out at the World Finals where we truly feel at home. We were so excited to be back and we couldn’t wait to see all of our old friends again. We also got to meet many new friends who we have been corresponding with throughout the season. Yet again, Quakysense and the IJSBA put on another outstanding event that brought in riders from all over the world to represent their countries. Our race team was also out in full force to represent the US, and they certainly made us proud! Our 2nd annual fashion show was also a huge success yet again and our 2011 gear was very well received by the racers and fans. Now we have one more race of the season (the World King’s Cup in Thailand) to look forward to!
Team USA PWC Race Team Heads Out to Thailand
Jettribe Team USA accomplished something that none of our team members ever thought could be possible. The whole team spent a year scraping together funds to make the trip of a lifetime a reality.
At midnight on Sunday, November 28th Jettribe Team USA came together at the Bangkok International Airport for one more race of the 2010 season: the World King’s Cup in Phitsanulok, Thailand!
The first few days of the trip were spent in Bangkok where many of the team riders worked on boats in Sam Chaisirivichiean’s warehouse. Sam was gracious enough to allow us to use his warehouse and even his own private lake for test riding. Words cannot express how much of a help Sam and his family were to us.
When we weren’t working on boats and organizing merchandise in Sam’s warehouse we were out doing site seeing at the Grand Palace Temple and eating authentic Thai food, which we couldn’t get enough of!
On Wednesday morning our team of riders travelled to the race site in Phitsanulok, which is about 5 hours away from Bangkok. Once we arrived in Phitsanulok we made a trip to the site and we liked what we saw: our own pit area, huge grand stands for the many fans, and Thailand’s own version of Vendor Alley! What more could we ask for?!
Thursday was a day of practicing for the racers and later that night we joined all of the other racers at the opening ceremony. The ceremony was absolutely amazing and we were so impressed with how much work the promoters put into making it a memorable experience for all of the race teams. Our team was even able to meet some of the dignitaries who were at the ceremony.
On Friday our team kicked it into high gear for the first day of fiberglass warfare! Our racers couldn’t have been happier to experience the moment that they had all been waiting for: the chance to race on international water for the first time and to be a part of one of the most prestigious races in the world! Our team raced hard all weekend and all of our riders were exhausted after each day but glowing with excitement at the fact that they were racing in a foreign country with some of the best racers in the world. Although our team doesn’t always win their races, there couldn’t have been a better team to represent the US in such a positive light.
On Sunday night after the races were finally over we packed up our equipment as fast as we could to get back to the hotel because the roads were going to be closed down for the arrival of the Princess. We barely had enough time to change our clothes back at the hotel before we had to rush over to the awards ceremony. As with the opening ceremony, they really hauled out the red carpet for this occasion…literally! After we passed through security we were ushered into the beautiful room where we excitedly waited for the Princess to arrive. After the Princess was finished presenting the King’s Cup awards to the four pro racers who won them we were given the honor of being the only racing team to personally meet the Princess (thanks to Tony Vo’s persistence) and present her with one of our team pit shirts. It was the experience of a lifetime for us to be given such an opportunity!
Despite the fact that we ran into a few problems throughout our trip (flat tires, blown motors, and broken steering cables) the trip was still amazing. We also made a ton of new friends and we were so impressed by how friendly and helpful everyone was. Thailand is definitely the “Land of Smiles”! we can’t wait for next year’s race and we’ll be back bigger and better than ever before!
