From rockin’ racin’ to rock ‘n’ roll, the 2004 Dos Equis Desert XX featuring the 23rd International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) Dos Equis World Finals, opened today and continues through next Sunday (Oct. 10) in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

The sports and lifestyle festival will include demos by action sport stars from BMX and Skateboarding on a half-pipe, a Freestyle Motocross air show, Mini-Moto Grand Prix, live music, and the massive Performance Alley.

Sanctioned under rules of the IJSBA, of Costa Mesa, Calif. and produced for the first time by IMG Action Sports, the IJSBA Dos Equis World Finals of personal watercraft racing is one of the world's most unique and spectacular sporting championships. Returning to Lake Havasu for the 23rd consecutive year, the massive racing extravaganza will be held in the shadow of the original London Bridge on the offshoot waters of the Colorado River.

The race site for the sixth consecutive year is at the purpose-built Aqua Stadium on the grounds of the Crazy Horse RV Resort and Campgrounds.

Featuring over 1,200 entries from more than 30 nations, the IJSBA Dos Equis World Finals is the premier personal watercraft racing extravaganza in the world and boasts more than $120,000 in prizes and contingencies in the massive eight-day event. IJSBA World Championship titles will be presented in 34 closed-course racing classes as well as Pro Freestyle and Amateur Freestyle.

“Dos Equis Desert XX has landed and this year’s event promises to be among the most memorable and certainly the most unique in the long history of the IJSBA World Finals,” said James Leitz, vice president for IMG Action Sports. “We have put together a sports and lifestyle festival that is sure to keep the participants busy and the spectators delighted over the eight days of this massive international event.”

After 22 years as an annual Lake Havasu happening, this year's IJSBA Dos Equis World Finals, will once again center around the world’s finest PWC racing. Additionally, the festival will include great food, the Dos Equis Desert XX Concert Stage, wakeboard demos, a poker run, Dash-4-Cash Australian Pursuit, Supercourse exhibition race, Sea-Doo Challenge, 4-stroke mini motorcycle races and the Pro-celebrity mini moto challenge. Also part of the event site is the interactive Performance Alley industry exhibits.

The 2004 IJSBA Poker Run, presented by Personal Watercraft Illustrated, will be held Saturday at Rotary Beach in Lake Havasu City.

The official website of the IJSBA Dos Equis World Finals, www.ijsba.com, will provide daily results, photos and updates along with LIVE broadcast of the public address dialogue Wednesday through Sunday.

Another exciting part of the fan-friendly festival will be daily photo and autograph sessions with the sport’s top riders at various manufacturer and aftermarket company displays in Performance Alley.

Participating in the action sports half-pipe demos are: Skateboard stars Neal Hendrix, Jesse Fritsch, Sandro Dias and Lecio Batista; BMX noteables Tom Stober, Dave Brumlow, Danny Williams and Jim Burgess. Freestyle Motorcross riders are: Ronnie Renner, Jimmy McGuire and Myles Richmond. Times are set for 12:30-4:30 p.m. this Thursday, 12:30-6 p.m. on Friday, and 11:30a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Dos Equis Desert XX Concert Stage will fire up on Friday with live concerts by Asphalt, Another Damn Disappointment and Common Sense and on Saturday with Stickman Group, Pepper and TSOL. Concerts are scheduled from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

Asphalt is a popular Havasu alternative rock group while Another Damn Disappointment is a Punk Rock group from Sacramento, Calif., and Common Sense is a Reggae vibe touring band that appeared as part of the Vans Warped Tour.

Stickman Group is an Orange County (So Cal) alternative rock band while Hawaii’s Pepper is a fuse pop punk group with a dub/reggae sound and recording group TSOL has remerged on the punk scene it helped start in Orange County in the late 1970s.

Hendrix, a competitive skater since 1991, finished second in this year’s Asian X Games Vert, while Fritsch, won first place Vert Best Trick at the 2003 Summer Nationals. At this year’s Latin X Games, Dias became only the third person in history to land the 900, earning a gold in the Vert.

Batista earned first Vert Best Trick at this year’s Eastpacl Rheinkultur Subvert Jam.
In BMX, Stober, who has been a competitive rider since 1989, earned thirds this year in both the 2004 BMX Worlds and the Bank of the West Beach Games Phillips Soul Bowl.

Brumlow is a veteran competitor at the Latin X Games, Asian X Games and the Gravity Games, while Williams is one of the youngest pro street riders in the world. Burgess has been riding professionally since 1985 and is considered one of the top Vert trick stars in the sport.
One of the most charismatic freestyle motocross riders, Renner won the gold this year at the WFA Moto-X Championships in the Step Up event, while McGuire is one of the top riders of IFMA Freestyle Motocross. Richmond, eighth in this year’s Gravity Games, is a young rider with big extension and a smooth style.

General Admission to the first half of the IJSBA World Finals (Today through Wednesday) is free. Individual daily General Admission tickets for the featured four days of the event (Thursday through next Sunday) are $10 each for Thursday, $15 Friday, $20 on Saturday and Sunday. Pit passes for those four days are an additional $10 for Thursday, $15 Friday, $20 each on Saturday and Sunday. A four-day General Admission ticket is available for just $40.
Special IJSBA Super Passes, which include both a general admission ticket and a pit pass will also be available at the gate for the final four days (Oct. 7-10). Four day Super Passes will be $65 each, three day (Friday-Sunday) will be $60, Two day (Saturday and Sunday) will be $55 and Sunday only will be $40.

Various discounts, with valid ID and good for up to two discounted tickets, are also available for AWA/IJSBA members, Military personnel, senior citizens (over 60) and residents of Lake Havasu City.

Children under six years old will be admitted free when accompanied by a paid adult.
Tickets are available on-site or through Tickmaster at www.ticketmaster.com/artist/9237163, or by calling 702.474.4000, 619.220.TIXS OR 714.740.2000.

Title Sponsor of the Dos Equis Desert XX and JSBA Dos Equis World Finals is Dos Equis.
Co-sponsors of this year’s Dos Equis Desert XX and IJSBA Dos Equis World Finals are Accutron (Bulova), Kawasaki and Sea-Doo. Associate sponsors are: Fly Racing, Skat-Trak, Jet Pilot, Nintendo, Atlas Insurance, Rockstar and Arizona Road Runner.

IMG Action Sports, based in Los Angeles, is handling sales, marketing and producing this year’s massive, internationally televised event with a small army of nearly 300 staff and volunteers.

Based in Los Angeles, IMG Action Sports is a division of IMG, the world’s largest company dedicated to the marketing of sport, leisure and lifestyle. The division produces more than 25 events per year. For information regarding IMG: www.imgworld.com.

The IJSBA, headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., is the worldwide sanctioning body for personal watercraft racing, with affiliated associations, organizations and members in over 50 countries across the globe. For more information, contact the IJSBA at 714.751.8695.

2004 Dos Equis Desert XX
featuring the
23rd IJSBA Dos Equis World Finals

ANCILLARY EVENTS:
Thursday, October 7
12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Performance Alley--Action Sport Demos (half-pipe): Skateboard, BMX
Mini-Moto Grand Prix Practice

Friday, October 8
12:30 p.m.-6 p.m. Performance Alley—Action Sport Demos (half-pipe): BMX, Skateboard,
Freestyle Motocross Air Show, Mini-Moto Grand Prix Qualifying
3 p.m.-6 p.m. Dos Equis Desert XX Concert Stage—live music: Asphalt, Another Damn
Disappointment, Common Sense

Saturday, October 9
11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Performance Alley—Action Sport Demos (half-pipe): Skateboard, BMX,
Freestyle Motocross Air Show, Mini-Moto Grand Prix Finals
3 p.m.-6 p.m. Dos Equis Desert XX Concert Stage—live music: Stickman Group, Pepper,
TSOL
10 a.m.-3 p.m. 2004 IJSBA World Finals Poker Run, Rotary Beach,
presented by Personal Watercraft Illustrated
3:30 p.m. Wakeboard Demo, Supercourse exhibition race, Sea-Doo Challenge

Sunday, October 10
11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Performance Alley—Action Sport Demos (Half-pipe): Skateboard, BMX, FMX
Pro-Celebrity Mini-Moto Exhibition
3:30 p.m. Dash-4-Cash Australian Pursuit, Wakeboard Demo