Watercross: World's largest personal watercraft race returns to Lake Havasu

Celebrating 20 years of professional personal watercraft racing, the International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) has announced it has reached an agreement with San Diego Bayfair for production of the 20th Annual Skat-Trak Watercross World Championships in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Oct. 7-14.

Bayfair will promote and produce the 2001 Skat-Trak Watercross World Championships. The world's largest personal watercraft racing extravaganza is sanctioned by the IJSBA and the IJSBA will continue to operate and officiate the competition portion of the event.

"We're extremely excited about the unique opportunity to produce this world-class special event, which has such a tremendous legacy of spectacular racing and ancillary events," said Jim Kidrick, President/CEO of Bayfair.

Bayfair enters the agreement with the IJSBA with an impressive history of producing major marine motorsports events. Based in San Diego, the organization has produced the World Series of Powerboat Racing on San Diego's Mission Bay since 1964 and has produced powerboat races in San Diego Harbor and Lake Havasu. The Mission Bay site has been the Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Association's National Race Site-of-the-Year for three of the last six years.

"It's great to have an organization with the expertise and enthusiasm for motorsports that Bayfair brings to the IJSBA's crown jewel event," said Mark Denny, Managing Director of the IJSBA. "This agreement reaffirms the IJSBA's continuing effort to work with successful organizations to produce events in our sport, allowing our association to remain as the sanctioning and governing body for the sport."

The massive internationally-televised event, formerly known as the Skat-Trak World Finals, enters its 20th consecutive year in Lake Havasu City with the 2001 Skat-Trak Watercross World Championships. The new title reflects the IJSBA's mission to clearly define the many forms of PWC competition.

"Watercross is really a better term to describe closed-course racing," Denny continued. "The watercross name expands the marketing effort begun this year with the Skat-Trak Pro Watercross Tour of eight national closed-course races. The term assists in building a brand image to separate it from other styles of watercraft competition."

A veritable salute to personal watercraft and the youthful lifestyle it represents, the industry's biggest week includes several distinct championship events. Starting the week will be the 2001 Novice and Amateur Watercross National Championships (Oct. 7-9), followed by the 2001 Expert Watercross World Championships (Oct. 10-12) and concluding with the featured 2001 Pro Watercross World Championships (Oct. 13-14).

Freestyle athletes will compete for the Amateur Freestyle World Championship on Friday, Oct. 12 and the Pro Freestyle World Championship on Sunday, Oct. 14.

Nearly 2,000 entries from as many as 40 countries will converge on Lake Havasu, the picturesque offshoot of the Colorado River, to compete for titles in 34 closed-course racing classes. The actual race site for the third consecutive year will be the purpose-built Aqua Stadium on the grounds of the Crazy Horse RV Resort & Campground in the shadow of the historic London Bridge.

Returning to Southern California for it's 50th and 51st IJSBA National Tour races, the 2001 IJSBA National Championships will be decided at the final two rounds of the eight-race 2001 Skat-Trak Pro Watercross Tour. Round 7 will be the IJSBA California Nationals, presented by 180, in Long Beach (July 21-22), followed by the season-ending IJSBA Moto Surf, presented by 180, in Ventura (July 28-29).