newbie looking to race this season

[jstemhx]

i am looking to race in greatlakes watercross this season and would like meet up with someone in milwaukee area that will be racing get some pointers and go to race to help get me started

[spence-r]

Hey, jstem its spencer from pwc-t. Im not really a sport spec guy so Im hoping paul or eb could chime in on some of his sport spec questions.

[fox river pwc]

jstem,
I'll be glad to help get you started.

I live on the fox river just 30 min SW of milwaukee (lake tichigan in waterford). I have a private launch/beach w/my subdivision and 1100 acres of boatable space with a few spots where we set up buoys w/o much hassle.

I also ride a lot with a great group of people at bender park in oak creek. Usually we surf ride there, but do set up buoys when it's flat.

Send me an e-mail to my bb at poolside1@sprint.blackberry.net, and I'll give you my cell number - and we'll go from there.

Paul

[CHOOCHOO]

Nice! Welcome to Great Lake Watercross. My name is Craig and I race a 1998 Seadoo XPL #619. Here at GLWC you will have a great time racing and hanging out at the race sights. We are all one big family and we welcome you with open arms. So welcome to GLWC and ask any questions you want i am sure they all can be answered. What class are you going to be racing in?
Late, Craig

[fox river pwc]

I'm just going off a hunch here, but judging by his username, spence and I are guessing a SeaDoo HX ;).

I think you need to take your eyes off the road a bit more when you're looking at your laptop while cruising down the highway. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaahaha!

Luka beooootcha...

[joe563]

good times my man, you will have a ball this year...
luka beeocha

[CHOOCHOO]

Just thought I would ask. You never know he might have more then 1 mechine to race. [^]
Late, Craig


quote:Originally posted by fox river pwc

I'm just going off a hunch here, but judging by his username, spence and I are guessing a SeaDoo HX ;).

I think you need to take your eyes off the road a bit more when you're looking at your laptop while cruising down the highway. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaahaha!

Luka beooootcha...

[joe563]

bring on the vintage, xpl?????????

[jstemhx]

that is correct i do ride an HX looking to enter in the limited class i have a factory pipe, triton head, have to get a prop and some sponsons, intake and ride plate yet i also have 44mm boswell carbs with westcoast flame arrestor but not sure if i can run those in limited class. its going to paint shop the end of the month and still have a little work to go but hope to have it ride ready by begining of may.

[fox river pwc]

There is no longer a Sport Limited class.

Quick history: First, there was the X2, then the blaster came along and made it extinct. Then, the HX came along and made the blaster extinct - and the sport class essentially died in both stock and limited forms. Lack of parody between the models kept driving the previous group of racers away when the better model made the last one extinct.

Then, Sport Mod was created, which finally gave both blasters and HXs a reasonable chance at winning when lined up together - after you spent $20-30k building a carbon fiber v-hulled blaster with a ton of motor or an almost equally expensive HX.

Finally, after years of guys with pump-gas limited recreational blasters sat and watched, and waited, and wished for a class that they could be competitive in, Sport Spec was finally developed (by some of the best Sport Mod racers) last year, and is basically set to be offered this year - depending on what happens with some big announcements on Liquid Speed tomorrow night. I would assume that whatever happens, Sport Spec will still be offered here in Region 4, as will Sport Mod.

You can read all the Sport Spec rules here, http://www.apbaracing.com/rulebook/2009_rulebook_rule30_tech_sport_spec.pdf, but you basically have 2 choices:
1) Run your HX the way it is in Sport Mod, where you'd do fine here in Regions 4 or 6, since no one currently races Sport Mod - and then get out-motored mercilously at Nationals in Sport Mod.
2) Or, detune your HX to Sport Spec rules, and have a blast and a chance in regional racing, and have a blast and a chance at nationals.

From what you've listed, you'd have to reinstall your OEM pipe, head, and carbs to be Sport Spec legal. Your handling stuff is legal.

If you run Sport Mod here in region 4, my assumption is that you'd get lined up with the Sport Spec racers, but you'd be scored separately from them. Assuming, again, that you're the only Sport Mod racer, you'd get first place every time - but at least you'd be racing with whatever Sport Spec boats show up.

I got your e-mail a bit ago. We'll talk more about this later...

[fox river pwc]

quote:Originally posted by CHOOCHOO

Just thought I would ask. You never know he might have more then 1 mechine to race. [^]
Late, Craig


quote:Originally posted by fox river pwc

I'm just going off a hunch here, but judging by his username, spence and I are guessing a SeaDoo HX ;).

I think you need to take your eyes off the road a bit more when you're looking at your laptop while cruising down the highway. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaahaha!

Luka beooootcha...




Don't be silly, Craig. No one has more than one ski[:p][:p][:p]...

[joe563]

type type type i cantr read all that what the ?...all he needs to know is
luka beeocha
yes you can run those carbs in limited class, as a rule of thumb it is any bolt on part.. no port work of any kind... i know there are some other exceptions to the bolt on rule but you will be fine with what was stated there... you should still start off in beginner..

[fox river pwc]

Beginner what?

Did you start early today, Joe??? He's got an HX, so I'm guessing he can't line up in beginner runabout - and certainly not beginner ski. And since there are no longer any Sport Limited classes to enter, his options are basically Sport Mod, or return his motor to stock and run Sport Spec. Sport Spec would probably be the safest class for him to start out in, since it probably won't have full lines here, the speeds will be relatively tame, and it's likely to have many beginnners and novices anyhow.

[joe563]

beginner runabout it is the only run what you brung class... stand up sit down thats it...once you move to a novice class you have all the cool rules...

[fox river pwc]

You realize the HX isn't a runabout, right?

[jstemhx]

well guess im returning it to stock i havent put the head or carbs on yet so not much work to do except i need to look for a stock pipe cause when i bought the ski it had the pipe on already. wow that sucks not even going to get to see how it will run with the new carbs and head damn it.

[spence-r]

Hey, I got a stock blaster for sale. Buy mine and make it spec and have youre other with head/carbs/etc. Contact me for further info...

[joe563]

it isnt a stand up???look at under beginners in the rule book no talk of other boats stand up, runabout.... what would you run of the 2, if you went to nashville and entered this class it would be ugly for a first timer.. our region, 1st every weekend unless paul is doing more than talking here????? hummmmmm you plan on running this class???so he isnt alone??? alos lots of talk of these guys from bender park, we should have a award for most brought into the sport this year... nothing big, some bacon maybe???mmmmmm bacon

[fox river pwc]

Which rule book ;)???

Only beginner classes I've seen are for skis and runabouts. I'm not getting what you're meaning here I guess, Joe. Rulebook says runabouts have to be 38-50 inches wide. HXs are less than 38 inches wide, so I don't know what beginner class you're suggesting for him???? Sport Spec is the closest thing to beginner racing for HX and blaster riders that we've got right now.

From what I've heard about the sport spec racing in other regions, it's pretty beginner-friendly, kinda like our vintage classes. He can always go wide in the turns and survive just fine.

Been trying to get the blaster bender guys excited about racing since the sport spec rumors started late last summer. We'll see. If I'm needed to help fill the line, I'm in...

You know I can be this sport's best friend when I'm motivated, and I'm not all that hard to motivate :):):).

[JB]

Paul, bring some of them Bender folks to the forum and see if they have interest in racing.

[joe563]

i think we got ahead`of ourselves anyway, what do you want to do????
have fun at some regional races?? thats a given
try for a title somday????

if you just want to come out have fun and do the boat the way you want i guess since you dont have a oem pipe and you have a head and carbs for it maybe run mod... there isnt going to be alot of racers in that class anyway...

[joe563]

i think we got ahead`of ourselves anyway, what do you want to do????
have fun at some regional races?? thats a given
try for a title somday????

if you just want to come out have fun and do the boat the way you want i guess since you dont have a oem pipe and you have a head and carbs for it maybe run mod... there isnt going to be alot of racers in that class anyway...

[jstemhx]

i think i can get an oem pipe fairly easy found them on ebay. i would like to run what i have but from the sounds of it there really wouldnt be any compition in regionals here and i would get smoked at nationals if i were to go cause i wouldnt have enough in my boat to keep up with those guys. guess ill go with stock set up and see how good i do, and how far i could go and maybe build the boat up more for next year and get into mod class. have been riding my hx for a few years now and am pretty comfortable with it but i know racing and more boats close together is a different story have to wait and see how it goes all i know is i want to race.

[jstemhx]

i think i can get an oem pipe fairly easy found them on ebay. i would like to run what i have but from the sounds of it there really wouldnt be any compition in regionals here and i would get smoked at nationals if i were to go cause i wouldnt have enough in my boat to keep up with those guys. guess ill go with stock set up and see how good i do, and how far i could go and maybe build the boat up more for next year and get into mod class. have been riding my hx for a few years now and am pretty comfortable with it but i know racing and more boats close together is a different story have to wait and see how it goes all i know is i want to race.

[fox river pwc]

Keep in mind that the Sport Spec rules are really a "work in progress". So, if after a few races, it looks like the HXs don't have a chance - maybe that pipe you have could be a legal add-on, we'll see. However, a LOT of testing was done (by riders who can ride and tuners who can tune) to come up with rules that are meant to keep all the skis very equal over the course of a full moto - not just the holeshot and/or top end. It's really a class where the best rider has a great chance to win, regardless of which ski they are on.

IMHO, as the rules are written now, a properly tuned spec blaster should solidly beat a spec HX to the first buoy. However, after a couple laps and some good chop builds on the course - that blaster is gonna be bouncing like a pissed off piece of plywood and struggling to keep the pump primed, while that v-hulled HX is gonna slice through the chop and have a real chance to make up for a slower start.

As for regionals, if you commit to running Sport Spec, than so will I. I'll even help you get ready for the season and help you get to the races (if you need me to) - and you can pit with me as well. In other words, I'll make sure you're prepared for all aspects of what it takes to show up, have fun, and be safe. I also have a buddy that keeps his blaster in my extra garage I rent, and I know he'll start racing this year - now that we finally have a class for his ski. I also know a blaster rider in northern illinois that would love to race with a few other sport guys. Finally, I rec ride with a bunch of other blaster guys, and I'll do my damndest to talk as many of them into racing as I can. Oh, and scott (our promoter) knows of a few others interested in Sport Spec, so there could be other riders I don't even know about yet. Also, I can tell you from personal experience - if 3 or 4 of us show up to race Sport Spec, and demonstrate that we're having a blast with decent competition, others WILL take notice and the lines will fill up. Trust me on that one...

As for nationals, don't worry about that one bit right now. First you need to get some regional laps in, have some fun, and see what you're made of - then decide if you want to run nat'ls or not. And if you do, go there focused on having fun and being safe, as there will be plenty of other VERY experienced sport riders that will demonstrate how to race and win on a sport ski.

Lastly Sport Mod is a huge step over Spec - boatwise and skillwise. You're talking thousands of $$$ and drums and drums of race fuel - and then you WILL be racing regional races against yourself (here in regions 4 and 6 at least). Let's make the most of Sport Spec right now, and see what happens...

[fox river pwc]

Keep in mind that the Sport Spec rules are really a "work in progress". So, if after a few races, it looks like the HXs don't have a chance - maybe that pipe you have could be a legal add-on, we'll see. However, a LOT of testing was done (by riders who can ride and tuners who can tune) to come up with rules that are meant to keep all the skis very equal over the course of a full moto - not just the holeshot and/or top end. It's really a class where the best rider has a great chance to win, regardless of which ski they are on.

IMHO, as the rules are written now, a properly tuned spec blaster should solidly beat a spec HX to the first buoy. However, after a couple laps and some good chop builds on the course - that blaster is gonna be bouncing like a pissed off piece of plywood and struggling to keep the pump primed, while that v-hulled HX is gonna slice through the chop and have a real chance to make up for a slower start.

As for regionals, if you commit to running Sport Spec, than so will I. I'll even help you get ready for the season and help you get to the races (if you need me to) - and you can pit with me as well. In other words, I'll make sure you're prepared for all aspects of what it takes to show up, have fun, and be safe. I also have a buddy that keeps his blaster in my extra garage I rent, and I know he'll start racing this year - now that we finally have a class for his ski. I also know a blaster rider in northern illinois that would love to race with a few other sport guys. Finally, I rec ride with a bunch of other blaster guys, and I'll do my damndest to talk as many of them into racing as I can. Oh, and scott (our promoter) knows of a few others interested in Sport Spec, so there could be other riders I don't even know about yet. Also, I can tell you from personal experience - if 3 or 4 of us show up to race Sport Spec, and demonstrate that we're having a blast with decent competition, others WILL take notice and the lines will fill up. Trust me on that one...

As for nationals, don't worry about that one bit right now. First you need to get some regional laps in, have some fun, and see what you're made of - then decide if you want to run nat'ls or not. And if you do, go there focused on having fun and being safe, as there will be plenty of other VERY experienced sport riders that will demonstrate how to race and win on a sport ski.

Lastly Sport Mod is a huge step over Spec - boatwise and skillwise. You're talking thousands of $$$ and drums and drums of race fuel - and then you WILL be racing regional races against yourself (here in regions 4 and 6 at least). Let's make the most of Sport Spec right now, and see what happens...

[Chopper]

Just show up and race. I'm not going to lie, the state of this sport is in a serious slump right now... Probably worse off than the current economy. The reality of it is that the only way to turn it around is for the current racers to rally, be positive, show up race, and encurrage other to do the same. I've been involved and competed in many sports, as low as this one is, it is by far my most favorite, which is the only reason I keep coming back. Cause it is not for the full line of racers. Wait, I am the ONLY expert ski limited rider in region 4. But on a national level Expert Ski Limited is one of the largest most competitive classes around. Not to mention it paided quite a bit more than Pro/Am GP at Nationals Last year (due to shear number of entries).

Sport is a good class to race if you are going to Nashville, you may not have many people to line up with in R4, but you'll have some. So even though there will never be full lines in that class this year or even probably next year, don't let that discurrage you from attending races. Paul S will be on line with you, and I know I can convince a certain X2 racer or maybe 2of them for the Sport Spec Class so you will be in good company.

[Chopper]

Just show up and race. I'm not going to lie, the state of this sport is in a serious slump right now... Probably worse off than the current economy. The reality of it is that the only way to turn it around is for the current racers to rally, be positive, show up race, and encurrage other to do the same. I've been involved and competed in many sports, as low as this one is, it is by far my most favorite, which is the only reason I keep coming back. Cause it is not for the full line of racers. Wait, I am the ONLY expert ski limited rider in region 4. But on a national level Expert Ski Limited is one of the largest most competitive classes around. Not to mention it paided quite a bit more than Pro/Am GP at Nationals Last year (due to shear number of entries).

Sport is a good class to race if you are going to Nashville, you may not have many people to line up with in R4, but you'll have some. So even though there will never be full lines in that class this year or even probably next year, don't let that discurrage you from attending races. Paul S will be on line with you, and I know I can convince a certain X2 racer or maybe 2of them for the Sport Spec Class so you will be in good company.

[jstemhx]

well i apprecciate all the info really helped me out a lot would have been in a daze going there on my own without knowing anything

[jstemhx]

well i apprecciate all the info really helped me out a lot would have been in a daze going there on my own without knowing anything

[JB]

jstemhx, I know I came into this race scene on my own without knowing anything about it. I started doing the music for a couple of the races and then it turned into me being one of the course marshals for the season. This helped me understand the rules of racing and got to know the racers. I am know racing full time and am having blast doing it. Once you get to know us you will understand why we come back year after year. If you have problems with your boat you will find there is someone that is there to help you figure out what the issue is and you might also find there is someone that is willing to let you race their boat if they are not in the same class as you.

I got hooked on the R/A class when Brad let me race his STXR when he got hurt in Sheboygan two years ago. I was going to race Craig's DI but brad offered a much me better option to race. Not to put down your DI, but I wish I could of raced Brads STXR better that round.

As others will say, Just Show Up! You will not regret it.

[JB]

jstemhx, I know I came into this race scene on my own without knowing anything about it. I started doing the music for a couple of the races and then it turned into me being one of the course marshals for the season. This helped me understand the rules of racing and got to know the racers. I am know racing full time and am having blast doing it. Once you get to know us you will understand why we come back year after year. If you have problems with your boat you will find there is someone that is there to help you figure out what the issue is and you might also find there is someone that is willing to let you race their boat if they are not in the same class as you.

I got hooked on the R/A class when Brad let me race his STXR when he got hurt in Sheboygan two years ago. I was going to race Craig's DI but brad offered a much me better option to race. Not to put down your DI, but I wish I could of raced Brads STXR better that round.

As others will say, Just Show Up! You will not regret it.

[jstemhx]

yea im really looking forward to it just running short on time cause i work in milwaukee but live in the U.P dont get home much and i still need to get the boat painted and get a stock exhaust back on it then get it down here so i can do a little work on it but not to knowledgable on wrenching on it always had a friend back home work on it he use to race a few years ago out in vegas. so guess ill see what kind of damage i can do haha

[jstemhx]

yea im really looking forward to it just running short on time cause i work in milwaukee but live in the U.P dont get home much and i still need to get the boat painted and get a stock exhaust back on it then get it down here so i can do a little work on it but not to knowledgable on wrenching on it always had a friend back home work on it he use to race a few years ago out in vegas. so guess ill see what kind of damage i can do haha

[joe563]

you ask any of us at the race site and you will get help.. that is a fact.. we have a great group of guys here and we all have alot of fun... if things sound goofy on this forum it is just for fun... there is nothing personally... at all... we are just iching to get out on the water... good times my man good times..

[joe563]

you ask any of us at the race site and you will get help.. that is a fact.. we have a great group of guys here and we all have alot of fun... if things sound goofy on this forum it is just for fun... there is nothing personally... at all... we are just iching to get out on the water... good times my man good times..