Jettribe has recapped a very wonderful time in Shenzen.
Jettribe International Team Competed in the Motorboat China Open
A short history of Shenzhen, China: a city with history dating back to ancient times, Shenzhen, China has extensive evidence of monopolizing the salt trade for thousands of years. Geographically it is criss-crossed with rivers and streams, and in more modern times, has hosted the naval center at the mouth of the Pearl River. Later, Shenzhen became one of the first locations for market capitalism, and eventually became the largest city in the Pearl River delta as well as one of the largest manufacturing places in the world, rivaling its border neighbor, Hong Kong.
Racing in China is nothing new for Team Jettribe USA. We have been organizing and working closely with China to build up their watercraft sports program for many years.
During the 2nd week of March, 2016, Shenzhen City, China hosted its first Personal Watercraft race. And to mark another “first”, the race was held beachside (instead of at an inland lake). This made for a unique experience. This site could not be more ideal: huge bleachers, miles of clean sandy beaches, food vendors lining the site, and to top it off, the host hotel was no more than 1000 feet away, providing 3 squares a day, and a warm bed.
Conditions were rough and windy, which can pose challenges for even the most seasoned rider. The extreme weather did not hinder the race organizers, and despite it all, the crowd came out in full force to witness this awesome event. To show the level of professionalism of the Jettribe team riders, and all the participants, riders were not fazed by the challenging weather, and put on an outstanding competition.
Jettribe is very honored to have such close relationship from our partners in China, and to be able to ship a full container of race skis to China and back to California again for our team riders. Plus, it was so nice to have an overseas home base in China to stage and store our race skis.
Team Jettribe was very excited to bring over seventeen team racers, and 2 freestyle riders to compete in this event. Their home towns span the globe, and the riders traveled far & wide to participate in this prestigious international competition. Riders include: Brandon Lawlor, Richard Saum, Brock Austin, Pete Zernik, Rick Sherker, Laura Milone and Bill Miracle - all from the U.S.A. Aero Aswar and Aqsa Aswar trekked from Indonesia. James Bushell, Phil Pope and Richard Plyer traveled from the U.K. , Antony Torelli from France, Christian Hammernes from Norway, and Christian D'Agonstin, Cameron Martin traveled from “down under”, Australia. Kasza Gyrogy of Budapest, Hungary, our newest team rider, joined us for the first time. And thanks to Louis Milone for keeping the skis running. Our riders competed against each other in several of the different classes such as Pro Runabout GP, Pro Ski GP, Freestyle, and Runabout Endurance. The Jettribe International team represented the majority of all of the foreign racers who competed in this event. We are very proud to be the world's largest team of professional PWC racers!
Team Jettribe is so proud of our riders - they competed with such great sportsmanship and professionalism! Many of them coming from different countries and backgrounds, yet for 1 week, all worked together seamlessly, as if a well-oiled machine. Although often competing against each other, they were always ready to help. Their mutual team support was inspiring to behold.
The competition sure was tough, with participation by some of the top riders from around the world. Our big winners were Phil Pope, winner of Pro Runabout GP, and Christian D'Agonstin, who won the runabout endurance race! Great job, you guys!
Along with our team riders, we were very happy to be able to invite U.S President of the IJSBA, Scott Frazier, and Peter De Smet from the European IJSBA. Mike Rogers arrived as technical advisor, and Mike Young, the legendary announcer, gave such energy to this event - as only Mike Young can – in spite of the language barrier. We are thankful for Michele Petro and Taylor Miracle for providing cool behind-the-scenes photos of the event. At Jettribe we are grateful to be able to work with such professional staff and riders, and to be on the ground floor helping build the Watercraft Sport in Asia.
The Seven days flew by so quickly. Before we knew it, it was the Sunday night awards. Then we all frantically packed up our equipment to ship home. We all said our good-byes with individual hugs and high-fives. Then Monday morning we all scattered to the Shenzhen Airport to head home to our day-time jobs. The Shenzhen Race is a memory we won't forget.
