IJSBA has received this press release from Chris MacClugage:
Pro Champion Racer - Chris MacClugage #30
RACE READY - IT'S A DESTINATION
We left Arizona Sunday night driving halfway across the country and stayed over night at a friends house in Dallas. Upon waking, we trained, it's all about preparation. Racing is the easy part; preparation is the big push of dedication and a major key to my success.
Then off again on Tuesday morning we headed out. Arrived Wednesday at 1am in Florida. We rose early then scouted out a local boat ramp and went to work testing. My goal was to get there early on Wednesday to test because we needed to tune my RXPX's to the local conditions, from our home base of dry desert to humid Florida weather.
We use MoTeC electronics and we were able to get logging off both our RXPX's. Then we sent them via iPhone hotspot and my laptop to Pete Swinney in Australia. He would wake up and go into work at MoTeC, to examine the files and then send us back a tune to suit the humid conditions.
Rachel, Mac, Christophe and family came in Wednesday evening; we picked them up and settled down for the night. Thursday morning we pulled the stand-up out of the trailer, tested it, and it ran flawlessly.
Friday we brought the stand up back out with both RXPX's and all watercraft ran perfect!
From there, it was waiting for race game. Conditions were beautiful, white sandy beaches, emerald colored water, nice hotel, fun times, and good celebrations with our families.
Lots of sting rays visible through the clear waters, a beautiful place. If I had a business in that area, that is where I would live, a beautiful part of the USA, nice town, the people are nice; the Boardwalk Resort is a great destination place. It's nice to compete in locations that offer more than just a race to watch. PCB is a great vacation destination.
Saturday morning came quick. I was up early watching Moto Gp practice on my iPad.This got me pumped up for my upcoming practice and races. Practice went very well,with no changes needed. We were set to dominate!
ONE-ONE-ONE SNAP!
PRO-AM RUNABOUT STOCK: I raced the new 2012 RXPX SEA DOO. I didn't hole shot the first race on the RXPX; I ended up starting in second place off the line. Ermino was in front and I could read the DOT on his helmet. I passed him on about the sixth lap. My RXPX has incredible power with it's MoTeC/ Macc Racing and Riva parts. One thing I really love about my RXPX , is that when I make a pass the 4 tec 1500 cc engine has the power to keep me ahead of the competition. In previous years, I would work hard for a pass, only to overtaken by a lesser rider, on a faster watercraft.
I never had a great start this weekend but, this let me really showcase how great of a handling watercraft the RXPX is! All three races I started off behind and was able to pass. Once ahead of the competition, I was able to put a big gap on the rest of the field. It was fairly easy, I rode about half throttle, really concentrating on my lines around the track. It was a true joyride.
Myself and Macc Racing proved the point that we can make an SEA DOO work very well. Comparison: nobody was close, speed; handling and performance, considering a lot of the competition are very experienced sea doo gurus! I can attribute a lot of this to Pete at MoTeC because he has a lot of time into the tune on the RXPX. Daniel my mechanic at Macc Racing and Riva parts and Skat Trak with the impellers, everything pulled together for the repeated wins, thank you.
ONE-ONE-TWO
PRO-AM SKI GP: My first major outing on the ski, I can't do any better! I have not been on a stand up since world finals. I did about 15 mins of testing before leaving Havasu, then ski was loaded.
The race track was flat, offering a lot of high speed sections. I was hoping for a rough water race to really show off but, instead it was like a lake.Practice went well and I felt like I never missed a beat being off the ski for so long.
The track was basic, no split, and with no split you have to work harder to pass racers on the track. All my passes were on the outside of the other riders at higher speeds.
It was a right handed track, a bit of chop on the outside was creating friction and I would strike in that zone when others would slow down. It was less technical, but a good track nonetheless with the resources available. Pristine conditions existed, making the mood light and positive. Good combinations prevailed.
Stand up was built @TECH 1 Racing by Christophe. He's worked with good European riders, and has a great industry background, but most importantly he enjoys what he does. He's building great boats for me and put together a great package. I enjoy our collaboration, he works good under pressure, tunes things to rider spec's and builds them to win.
Saturday I was wondering how I would come out not training on the stand up as I would have liked. I was physically in good shape, just not using those muscles groups in a while that a stand up demands. Derek Powell holeshotted. I was on his heels. I pulled him down the front straight and drove my stand up a lot deeper into the turn and made the pass! Then I had clear emerald green water in front of me and just keep clicking off perfect laps. I was able to finish ahead of the other riders by a half lap. The ski was incredible and I was pleased with my riding.
Second Moto I was a bit late out of the gate and was really able to showcase my skis speed!I pulled into the lead by the first turn, then lead wire to wire for a great moto win!
Third Moto started out with a jump start by another rider and we were called back. Second start was jumped by Flores but, no red flag. Oh well,I was up for a challenge. I started out in 5th and made quick work of two riders. Then I settled in for a few laps behind Wilson. I used what I had learned in my runabout race,passing on the outside to pass Wilson with ease.
1 kept it on and hooked up, caught up to Rob Flores, I was starting to feel the burn, running two classes in the weather, I was shifting down a bit. I made an attempt to pass Flores on the inside; I just didn't have a great line so I backed off. I decided I had the win, why throw it away? I want to win the war, I didn't' care about winning the last battle. I could have pissed it all away, so I chose the right path. End of that story.
Mentally knowing how much effort I had put into training and practice before this race, I knew I had a lot more in me for future races.With this being said the World Finals will be exciting!
Next Destination? I'm on my way to a family wedding in Naples, with my wife Rachel and little Macc, a vacation and family week lay ahead. We'll be back at the next race, we will miss Montgomery, Alabama this weekend, but we'll be back in Racine, Wisconsin.
New Racer Advice?
Ride, be on your boat, but more important than that is your physical conditioning. I try to concentrate on this when I can't be on the track; I switch out and cross train. For me that means I'm going to run or stay engaged physically. It could be a versa climber, anything that keeps your physical striving for the action on the track you are going to experience. Put a training program together, stick to it, improve and sustain. How you train will reflect how you perform.
SPONSORS
Monster Energy, Macc Racing, Riva, SEA DOO, MoTeC,Hydroturf, quakysense, Liquid Militia, Paleo Treats, Ryno Power, Alpina Watches, Tuff Stands, Oakely, JE Pistons, XPS, ADA Racing, K&N Filters
I want to thank my holders and crew, Jeffrey and Tiny, Daniel, Christophe, Major Brian Dennis,Rachel and lil Mac.
