Well, we made it to the 2020 World Finals. The pits are open, racing has started, motos are being won, and the weather has toned down a little bit bringing a welcoming environment to the venue. Folks were setting up lawn chairs, along the shoreline, behind the snow fence, as this bulletin is being written. This is the final update for the 2020 VP Racing Fuels World Finals. This posting has important information about the event, so, please share the following news with your friends and colleagues in the PWC Racing family.
A global pandemic may be our biggest challenge yet, to World Finals, but it is certain we will get through it. This morning, the pits were reasonably full and a handful of vendors started opening their booths for display. In fact, the pits were about as full as they normally are on the first day of racing. Some classes…well… not so much. Predictably, but no less disappointingly, Novice and Amateur classes were the hardest hit this year- especially in Runabout categories. In some cases we cancelled classes for insufficient numbers. In another case, we had pre-registrations but few people picked up their credentials in the class; we ran that one anyway unsure if there would be morning arrivals (there were not). In yet another case, a class that was canceled was revived on site. These are all notes for how to proceed with registration going forward, COVID or no COVID. If you cant participate, we still hope you will come down and support those who chose to make racing their priority in a difficult year.
Spectators
If you are a spectator for the 2020 VP Racing Fuels World Finals, come on down and enjoy some great racing. We don’t want to hide that it is a scaled down event, this year, but that does not mean you wont see amazing racing. We have many of the best competitors from the USA as well as racers from Japan, Argentina, Russia, Philippines, Kuwait, the United Kingdom, and more. On weekends, you will be able to access the grandstands, after a temperature check, and by utilizing a mask while seated in the stands. You are also invited, and highly encouraged, to bring your own lawn chairs. A special shoreline seating has been arranged for you to set up a lawn chair and enjoy the best viewing of the racing. The event continues to remain admission free.
Racers
Racers, check in and enrollment begins every morning, at 7:00 AM at the upper parking lot at Crazy Horse Campgrounds and Resort. A white trailer is parked in the parking area. If you are adding classes, you can do that at 7:00 AM, or after 7:30 in the scoring trailer, next to the boat house, in the pits. Please help the staff start on time by avoiding last minute additions and planning the night before if you can.
Dos and Don’ts
Really, this section is about the don’ts. For sure, do be safe and do have a good time at World Finals. But there are some things that our venue host, the US Coast Guard, the Mohave County Sheriff, and other fine agencies with authority over the event want brought to your attention that you should not do during the World Finals (or ever in some cases).
- Do prevent contamination of the water by not servicing watercraft over the water, by not fueling watercraft over the water, and by not leaving a vehicle or trailer over the water after launching a watercraft. We are mandated to issue fines for violations , through our water permit, and have to enforce the prohibition on operations that good infiltrate into the water. Shockingly, in a year where we are the shortest on revenue we are also wanting to collect no fines so please help out here and lets stay compliant and happy in the pit.
- Do not maneuver your watercraft outside of the race area and into the channel of water leading to the London Bridge. We have extra perimeter buoys set up to remind you of this. The lake is busier during these days and we need to be good stewards of the lake by not disrupting the commonly navigated path. Fines are set for violating this rule but, more so, the Mohave County Sheriff will be regularly patrolling this part of the channel.
- Do adhere to our COVID-19 mitigation policies. If you are in the pits, we ask that you social distance and requests the wearing of masks. However, masks are not required in the pits or any competition areas unless you are approaching the scoring motorhome. Masks are 100% required in the spectator area even if you are a competitor. You must wear a face mask covering your mouth and nose, at all times, unless you are seated in a lawn chair and your chair is properly distanced from other spectators not in your social bubble. Face masks must be worn in the grandstands. The only time face masks may be removed, in the spectator area, is when a beverage or item of food is being actively consumed. Please don’t be the person that holds a cup on an apple or something trying to get out of wearing the mask. You are entitled to have whatever beliefs you do about masks and mitigation but, if you come to World Finals, you need to follow the rules that are set.
- Do not think that, just because there is fewer competitors, there will be any less emphasis on safety and proper decorum. The race course is still an environment for skilled and seasoned competitors who have proper respect for their fellow racers on the track. Please keep your head focused as you would if this were a normally attended World Finals. Please don’t make any moves or take any chances that you would not normally take. Some classes are very close to regular attendance so it will be business as normal. But for the ones that are not, please make your racing business as normal.
- Motor vehicles cannot be driven anywhere on Crazy Horse Campgrounds except by persons who possess a valid drivers license. Do not operate a motor vehicle, anywhere, on site, if you are not at least 16 years of age and have a valid drivers license. We wont go around checking drivers licenses in the pits unless an operators conduct gives us reason to do so. Responsible safe use of atv, utv, golf carts, and pit bikes will have security staff assuming the operator is of suitable age and licenses. Please don’t give us reasons to start checking.
Fragrances
It is fall. Pumpkins, dried corn stalks, Halloween, and hints of Thanksgiving are visible all over Lake Havasu City. As temperatures drop, nothing is as enjoyable as the smell of a nice oak fire warming the living room. The smell of burning wood, in your home, is not so great if you didn’t intentionally light a fire in your fireplace- in fact it is downright scary. Likewise, there are some burning smells that, depending on your preferences, can be, to some people, very enjoyable fragrances in the privacy of your own home. However, this same burning material is not appropriate to be smelled in the pits and can be downright scary to competitors who expect everyone on the track is 100% in charge of their senses. Lets please keep inappropriate burning smells away from the race site.
Schedules
At the end of each race day, the next day’s schedules will be created and reviewed by staff. The schedule is usually posted, at the top of ijsba.com by 7:30 PM. While these are the expected run times, it is also expected that each and every competitor is on site at the start of each day. Practice for each day’s class is at the morning so racers should be on site for practice. Even though the schedule posted, in the evening, is more than likely the run of the next day, racers should be prepared for morning changes. This is especially the case if on site additions require the schedule to be reconfigured.
Awards
Awards begin Thursday and will take place, on the stage, in front of the grandstands. Awards will take place, between heats, and at the end of the race day. Competitors should listen to the pit announcements if they wish to be on stage to receive their awards. Beginning Thursday, awards are planned for the classes completed that day.
Vendors and VIP
We are still getting inquiries about being a vendor or having a VIP presence at the 2020 VP Racing Fuels World Finals. IJSBA isn’t known for declining money at World Finals, this year is no exception. Heck, we might even negotiate a little bit this year. Last minute inquiries are surely welcomed. Please send all questions to info@ijsba.com.
Accountability
Many people throughout the sport, and the industry, had different opinions as to whether or not the 2020 World Finals should have been produced during a COVID-19 pandemic. Arguments against having the event included impacted economic conditions, certain decreases in rider turnout, reduced availability of lodging, inability of industry members to attend due to COVID risks as employment matters and, most of all, the fact that nearly all international riders would not be able to attend. Upon weighing all of these concerns, comparing the obstacles future events would face if the 2020 World Finals were not produced, and evaluating the role of IJSBA’ purpose to ensure that successful sanctioned racing takes place, I, Scott Frazier, the Managing Director of IJSBA, determined it was in the best interest of the sport to continue with the event. As the event unfolds, and the upcoming months view the decision to have World Finals with crystal clear hindsight, I will accept all of the comments and criticism that the public may have regarding the decision. I am the one responsible for the final decision and any responses should be directed towards me. My hope is, that after this event concludes, the public believes that the cumulative benefits outweighed any negative aspects of the event. I am extremely thankful for the authorities and entities that believed that we could execute a positive event and am very grateful for the IJSBA and DSM staff that made executing the event a possibility. Whether or not you agree with my decision to hold the event, please know that the staff all came out and gave their best so that, if an event was held, it could be held under the best standards and supervision possible. The decision to hold the event was mine, the decision to make the event the best it could be was theirs. If you feel the need to express negative comments about the 2020 World Finals, please focus the comment on my choice and find a way to support these hard working people who are out there, as I type, giving competitors, who chose to come, a World Finals that was worthy of their efforts to attend. I hope this will keep the continuity of going into the 40th anniversary, next year, with IJSBA seen as clearly dedicated to doing everything possibly to make sure World Finals happens indefinitely. If not, at least we went down racing. I welcome the conversation over the winter. I can be reached, by email, at scott@ijsba.com.
