Greetings to the Personal Watercraft Racing Community.  What a summer this has been.  If you are in the business of selling Personal Watercraft and performance accessories, it has been a pretty good summer season for you.  If you are in the business of organizing competitions, or racing in them, this has been a pretty horrible summer.  IJSBA is the organization that created PWC Racing and a World Championship.  We intend to keep this very important activity going indefinitely.  We are planning a low impact World Finals, as scheduled from October 3-11, in Lake Havasu City.  We have the permit, we are approved to carry on the event with precautions, and, absent a change in these, or order from the IJSBA Board of Directors, the event is scheduled to take place as planned.  This update contains the first tentative list of competition categories for the 2020 event.

  This is the first of weekly updates leading up to the World Finals.  We will include a reminder, at all of these events, that 2020 is not going to be a World Finals like normal.  We are starting with the most basic skeleton event and will add amenities back as the situation and finances allow.  Safety and a thoroughly competent staff are the first priorities and we will deliver an event with these in place.  These updates will keep you posted as to what you can expect for a schedule, venue layout, prizes, safety precautions, provisions for public attendance and participating exhibitors.

  As of today, August 18, we are processing invitation letters for some international travelers who believe they will be able to attend.  We have received hundreds of emails from United States persons confirming their intention to attend.  All food service providers have committed to having an on site presence so that nobody has to leave the venue for services.  Some vendors have declared their intention to have some degree of support presence.  Again, this event will not be able to look like a normal World Finals.  However, we are planning to deliver you what makes sense and is feasible under the world conditions that exist during the planning stages.

  Safety, on and off the water, will not be compromised under any circumstances.  We realize that many people have different opinions on the state of the COVID-19 global pandemic and how it should be handled.  The 2020 IJSBA World Finals are supported by GoLakeHavasu, the Lake Havasu City Convention and Visitors Bureau.  Additionally, the event is subject to the jurisdictions of Lake Havasu City, Mohave County, the State of Arizona, and the United States Federal Government.  Crazy Horse Campgrounds and Lake Havasu City have welcomed our event as their guest.  All attendees, and participants, at the IJSBA World Finals will, without exception, comply with all directives, restrictions, and requirements in place at the time of the event.  Not only will IJSBA adhere to these requirements, we will exceed them as part of our good stewardship of the trust and goodwill placed upon us by our benefactors.  Please be prepared that your attendance, and participation, in World Finals is expressly conditioned on complete compliance with the protocols placed upon us.

  IJSBA believes it is in the best interest of the sport to keep the continuity of the World Finals going through 2020.  The sport of Personal Watercraft racing is resilient and able to adapt to various different challenges and obstacles.  We have survived through some tough ones over the years and this one may or may not turn out to be the toughest.  But, we will get through it by focusing on what we CAN do and make the best of it despite whatever it is that we can't do this year.  Athletes, builders, engineers, organizers, families, fans, and local economies who have brought PWC Racing into their functioning systems depend on us doing our best to make things work and that is what we are going to do.  From the OEM all the way down to every small business, IJSBA takes our responsibility to this niche economy very seriously.  Other sports, of all sizes, have started back up and are either planning or have held major events.  PWC Racing is no less of a sport than any other and we see no reason to hibernate when we can produce this event within safe limitations thereby ensuring all of the passion and planning our community has put in to this year does not go to waste.

  With IJSBA's position clearly stated and an open declaration that this will be a scaled down event with restrictions in place, we now turn to planning.  At this stage, competition is planned for Wednesday, October 7 through Sunday, October 11.  Check in will be spaced out and take place Saturday, October 3 through Monday, October 5.  Initial practice and riders meeting will take place October 6.  Awards ceremonies will  take place, at the end of each day, for categories which have completed.  There will be no off site awards ceremonies.  The tentative class list is below.

Please notice that some classes have been altered, for 2020, to streamline multiple skill levels.  Please notice that several Runabout classes were intended to have restrictor plates in 2020; this requirement is removed with the subject of restrictor plates to return in the future.  Finally, please notice that only Pro Classes are 100% guaranteed to run without modification.  Other categories may require minimum pre registration numbers.

Pro Classes

Pro Ski Modified

Pro Runabout GP

Pro Freestyle  

Pro Am Classes

GP Ski 

Runabout Superstock

Runabout Stock

Ski Stock (2017 Kawasaki SX-R is permitted without a restrictor plate)

Womens’ Ski*

Ski Lites

Runabout Limited 

Veterans Runabout 

Endurance Runabout Open

Expert Classes

Expert Ski Modified 

Expert Ski Stock 

Amateur Classes

Amateur Freestyle 

Amateur Ski GP 

Amateur Ski Lites 

Amateur Veteran’s Ski Stock (Two Stroke Limited Legal Ski allowed- this year only).

Amateur Veterans Ski GP  

Amateur Runabout 1100 Limited (Up To 1100cc Normally Aspirated Four Stroke, 800 CC limit for Two Stroke)

Amateur Runabout Rec Lites

Amateur Women’s Ski Lites  (All participants who hold an Expert License, All participants who have had a World Finals podium finish in Novice Women’s Ski, and participants who have participated in Pro Am Women’s Ski must petition IJSBA for eligibility in this class).

Amateur Runabout Limited 

Veterans Ski Lites

Novice Classes

Novice Ski Stock 

Novice Runabout Stock

Junior Classes

Junior Ski 10-12 Stock (2017 Kawasaki SX-R Allowed only with IJSBA approved restrictor plate)

Junior Ski 10-12 Lites (Stock Rules 2 Stroke Only)

Junior Ski 13-15 Stock (2017 Kawasaki SX-R Allowed only with IJSBA approved restrictor plate)

Junior Ski 13-15 Lites (Stock Rules 2 Stroke Only)

 

Other Classes Open To All Skill Level

Grand Master Ski

Runabout 1100 Open

Runabout 1100 Stock

Sport GP

Sport Spec (All Skill Level, Pro Ranked Competitors Must Petition To Participate)

Blaster GP  (All Skill Level, Previous Podium Finishers Must Petition To Participate)

Ski Mod Lites  (Juniors 14 and over with sufficient experience may petition to participate)

Master’s Ski GP  (2017 Kawasaki SX-R is not allowed in this class.  No displacement above 1300cc.  Forced induction Ski are limited to 950cc)

Master’s Ski Stock (2017 Kawasaki SX-R allowed to Stock Class specifications Only, Two Stroke Ski allowed to Limited Class specifications- this year only)

Vintage Ski (Two Moto’s- Combined Score for Overall)

Vintage X2 (Two Moto’s- Combined Score for Overall)

Women’s Runabout (Limited Class Rules For Two Stoke, Stock Rules For Four Stroke Plus Aftermarket Seat Allowance)

Ski Endurance  Sprint (2017 Kawasaki SX-R Allowed to Stock Class Specifications)

Slalom

Ski Modified

Runabout Open

Sport GP

Four Stroke Ski Stock

 

This concludes this first 2020 pre World Finals update.  Please send questions or comments to info@ijsba.com.