Watercross: Rock 'n' Roll and Rockin' Racing to highlight 21st Annual IJSBA World Finals

Mangia Bene! Vivi Bene! Beve! Divertiti! (Eat well! Live well! Drink! Have fun!) Rapido! Cuidado! Vai! Forza! Veloce! (Faster, Look out, go, go, go!).

These are just a few of the comments you might hear in any one of 15 languages when the world's finest racers battle it out for world championship titles during the upcoming 21st International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) World Finals, Oct. 6-13 in Lake Havasu, Arizona.

Sanctioned under rules of the IJSBA, of Foothill Ranch, Calif. and co-produced for the first time in association with the FreeSpace Media Group of Laguna Beach, Calif., the IJSBA World Finals of personal watercraft racing is one of the world's most unique and spectacular sporting championships.

Returning to Lake Havasu for the 21st consecutive year, the massive racing extravaganza will be held in the shadow of the original London Bridge on the off-shoot waters of the Colorado River.

The race site for the third consecutive year will be at the purpose-built Aqua Stadium on the grounds of the Crazy Horse Campgrounds and RV Resort in the popular water resort of Lake Havasu City.

Featuring nearly 2,000 entries from as many as 40 nations, the IJSBA World Finals is the premier personal watercraft racing extravaganza in the world and boasts more than $120,000 in prizes and contingencies in the massive eight-day event. IJSBA World Championship titles will be presented in 30 closed-course racing classes and both Pro Freestyle and Amateur Freestyle.

After 20 years as an annual Lake Havasu happening, this year's IJSBA World Finals, will feature phenomenal racing as well as great food, live music, Hillbilly Games, Bikini Contests, Loudest Boat Contests, movie premiers and industry exhibits. More ancillary events are being finalized.

Musical entertainment will be provided throughout the weekend immediately following the day's racing action during the final four days (Thursday - Sunday, Oct. 10-13). In turn, an After-Hours party will be held on-site on Friday (Oct. 11) from 8-11 p.m.

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 2002 IJSBA Novice and Amateur World Finals (Oct. 6-8), followed by the 2002 IJSBA Expert World Finals (Oct. 9-11) and concluding with the featured 2002 IJSBA Pro World Finals (Oct. 12-13).

Freestyle athletes will compete for the IJSBA Amateur Freestyle World Finals on Friday, Oct. 11 and the IJSBA Pro Freestyle World Finals on Sunday, Oct. 13.

The IJSBA and the Lake Havasu City Tourism Bureau are in the third year of a current agreement to bring the internationally-televised event to Lake Havasu through 2003.

The popular event will once again showcase the 2002 IJSBA National Champions -- Chris MacClugage, (Pro Runabout 1200-Kawasaki), Dustin Motzouris (Pro Ski SS-Kawasaki), Alessander Lenzi, Brazil (Pro Freestyle), Mark Queen, Thornton, Ill. (Pro-Am Runabout 1200-Polaris), Stuart Rasmussen, Lantana, Fla. (Pro-Am Runabout 800-Sea-Doo), Lake Havasu City's own Tera Laho (Pro-Am Ski-Polaris and Pro-Am Women Ski-Yamaha), France's Karine Paturel-Schacht (Pro-Am Women Runabout-Yamaha) and Darryl Robbins, Huntingtown, Md. (Pro-Am Sport-Sea-Doo).

FreeSpace Media Group will produce and promote the massive, internationally-televised event with a small army of nearly 300 staff and volunteers.

FreeSpace Media is an integrated event management, media production and personal management firm focused on the Action Sports Marketplace. In addition to the 2002 and 2003 IJSBA World Finals, FreeSpace promoted the this year's Pro Watercraft Tour in conjunction with The Freeride Watercraft Tour and the FWA World Cup.

For more event information, check out the IJSBA web site.