This is your monthly update for December. It is the last update of 2005 which is good because 2006 has so many great things in store for the PWC community that we are eagerly awaiting the new year. We hope that some of you are still able to enjoy riding during the winter months. Please share the following news with other members of the personal watercraft racing family.
New IJSBA Hours and Location
Beginning in 2006, the IJSBA will have open hours of Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 AM, PST, to 4:30 PM, PST. Mondays and Fridays, as well as hours outside of 9-4:30, will be available by appointment. In March, the World Headquarters Office will relocate to Northern California with plans to keep a satellite Competition Office in Southern California. The new office address will be available shortly.
2006 World Finals
We were pleased to announce the dates and venue for the 2005 World Finals. The beautifully landscaped Rotary Beach Park in Lake Havasu City, Arizona is going to be an excellent location to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the world’s premiere personal watercraft event. There are some new additions for this year.
The World Finals will feature a food and culture festival which will showcase culinary arts and lifestyles from many of the various nations that make up the IJSBA and participate in the World Finals event. We will be offering a complete set of recreational activities for the non-competing members of the PWC community. We have a new twist on a poker run that we believe will delight all of the participants- stay tuned for this one.
We will also be offering many other activities such as riders’ rights forums, safety and training workshops, and a custom show which will allow PWC owners to show off their exotic modifications and paint schemes. The 2006 World Finals is poised to be the best personal watercraft event ever!
2006 World Tour
The stops for the 2006 World Tour are now being finalized. The World Tour will feature venues in several countries. There will be one Runabout class, one Ski class, and one Freestyle class. These classes will be open to Expert and Pro racers. Competitors may use points from a limited number of stops to be combined with a final round to be held at the 2006 World Finals. The ultimate points winner shall be deemed the IJSBA Runabout Champion, IJSBA Ski Champion, and IJSBA Freestyle Champion, respectively
Individual classes such as Pro Runabout, Expert Ski, and Pro Freestyle will remain single-round classes at the World Finals. The top three winners of these classes shall be entitled to run unique number plates for the 2007 season. Please stay tuned for these details, shortly.
2006 Motorsurf Tour
We are putting together the final details for the Motorsurf Tour. The opening dates cannot be guaranteed until February, so the schedule will take at least another month to announce. Competitors should plan for the Motosurf Tour to start in May with four rounds over two weekends on the West Coast and two rounds over one weekend on the East Coast. We will work carefully to try to avoid conflicts with other scheduled events.
The Motosurf Tour will be the events that bestow the United States Pro Runabout, Pro Ski, and Pro Freestyle National Championship titles. The Final Motosurf round shall be a World Tour stop. Motosurf shall also host an amateur support class of Runabout and Ski. More details on this shall be available soon.
2006 Rule Book
The 2006 Rule Book shall be released online and shipped to printers on January 7th. We deeply apologize for not meeting the promised date. There were simply too many developments late in the 2005 season which needed to be addressed. When faced with the choice of a late rule book or a rule book which did not adequately cover the concerns and issues facing the PWC Racing community, we chose the former.
The rule changes are settled, the delay is creating language which will avoid confusion and not leave room for debatable interpretation. Therule changes are as follows:
- All open class PWC may use aftermarket crankshafts which may be stroked so long as the designated CC displacement is not exceeded.
- Freestyle may have a maximum displacement of 1200 CC.
- Competitors may change Cylinders on their PWC so long as the cylinders are of the same OEM make. Modifications to the cylinders to allow such a pairing must be approved, in writing, by the IJSBA. This rule is applicable to Limited and Open classes only.
- Homologation numbers have returned to 500 units. An OEM manufacturer may opt to have unit productions of 100, so long as the following conditions are met:
- The Manufacturer shall produce 100 units and an additional 50 units if the first 100 units should sell out.
- The Manufacturer shall transport an IJSBA representative to inspect the working assembly line of such units.
- The Manufacturer shall disclose the location, status, and purchaser of each unit.
- The IJSBA shall be allowed to broker the sale of 25% of the produced units to insure distribution to privateers.
- The IJSBA reserves the right to place performance restrictions on such units.
- Failure to comply with all conditions will result in an immediate suspension of the allowed use of the non-complying unit.
- The Pro Am Sport class at the 2006 World Finals will follow Modified Class rules. Please note that this is not a rule book change. Mod class is still in the rule book, this is a change in a class offering. I included it here to head off the flood of concerned emails asking whether Sport would still use Mod rules.
Again, these will be the rule changes for 2006. If you have questions or comments regarding how the language should be written then please submit it to us right away.
Trophies, Number Plates, and DVD
If you did not pick up your trophy or number plate from the 2005 World Finals then we will mail it to you. You are responsible for shipping and handling costs. We will begin packing and mailing these trophy and number plates on January 10th.
There are still some outstanding 2004 DVD orders. If you did not receive a 2004 DVD, and have actually been charged for it, please contact me immediately. Please be merciful, I know it is a frustrating experience and I promise you I am just as frustrated about it as you are. We have a few limited edition 2005 DVD left. Each DVD comes specially packaged and signed by Chris MacClugage. Get them while you can. We hope to have a more organized and better functioning online purchase system in place by the end of January.
About The IJSBA
The IJSBA is the only association in the world which invests all of its effort solely to the furthering of personal watercraft competitions. We are the only organization where all of your board members are the product of a democratic election.
We are an association of Manufacturers, Promoters, Racers, and aftermarket producers. The IJSBA is made up of the comprehensive PWC community in favor of a positive future for the community. We are responsible for the rules which govern the sanction, organization and conduct of sanctioned events; the standards for eligibility and conduct of competition and officials; the regulations for eligibility and preparation of watercraft; and the rules for annual series of events around the world.
The IJSBA has been the World Leader for PWC racing for the last 25 years and will continue to serve the PWC community for the next 25 and beyond.
It is my pleasure to helm this association. I can be reached best by email at scott@ijsba.com
I look forward to working with all of you in the 2005 season.
Scott Frazier
IJSBA Managing Director
