WHAT: Racing of Sea-Doo, WaveRunner, Jetski and other personal watercraft, as Round 1 of the Monster Energy Midwest Watercross Tour heads to Cold Brook Park in Climax, Michigan (Kalamazoo County) for the 1st Annual Kalamazoo Watercross Shootout personal watercraft race on June 11 ands 12.
WHERE: The personal watercraft racing event will take place at Cold Brook Park in Climax, Michigan.
WHEN: Racing - Saturday, June 11 and Sunday June 12 -- Practice from 9:00-10:00am, races from 10:00am to 5:00pm.
CHESTERFIELD TWP., MI. - Start you engines and get ready to catch the excitement of personal watercraft racing action as the 2005 Monster Energy Midwest Watercross Tour, presented by Sea-Doo and Yamaha, heads to Cold Brook Park in Climax, Michigan, for the 1st Annual Kalamazoo Watercross Shootout personal watercraft race.
For the first time, Cold Brook Park, in Kalamazoo County, will host a tour stop on the Midwest Watercross Tour - the nation’s premier regional watercraft racing circuit. This year Cold Brook Park will host the first event of the season that will be a World Championship qualifying event. More than 100 of the Midwest and Canada’s best watercraft racers will descend on Kalamazoo County for the competition that takes place on Blue Lake within the boundaries of Cold Brook Park.
Personal watercraft racing is a tough, competitive and increasingly popular sport. Often described as “moto-cross racing on the water”, these exciting events pit up to 18 racers against each other on a racetrack of tight turns and straight-aways. In some classes, racers must also negotiate obstacles and log jumps on the racecourse. A rubberband starting system is used to control the start of each race.
The racers will be competing for a portion of $50,000 in cash and prizes that will be awarded during the season, points towards the overall Monster Energy Midwest Watercross Tour championships and awards, and the right to compete in the APBA Watercross Nationals and the IJSBA World Finals. The Monster Energy Midwest Watercross Tour will also be making stops in New Baltimore, Michigan; Hillsdale, Michigan; Celina, Ohio; and Rochester, New York.
The watercraft out there racing are not much different from the ones on lakes and waterways everywhere. The only difference is that these watercraft have many several high performance parts added to increase the speed and maneuverability in the water. Some watercraft in the Open classes have over 200 horsepower under the hood and can reach speeds in excess of 70 mph on flat water. But during the races, finding flat water is tough with racers wakes stirring up the course. Because of the wide differences in styles produced by watercraft manufacturers, the watercraft are divided into three divisions; Ski, Sport and Runabout. Within each division, there are classes for Beginner, Novice, Expert and Pro-Am riders as well as both men and women. The Ski division features a single rider standing in the tray of the watercraft steering the watercraft with a highly maneuverable handlepole. Riding in the Ski division requires excellent balance and skill. Runabouts are sit-down vehicles designed for two or three persons to ride.
The racing action begins with practice from 9:00am - 10:00am followed by more than 25 races from 10:00am. - 5:00pm each day. The racing is very fast and exciting and admission to watch the race is free (there is a $5.00 daily vehicle admission to the park). There will also be a Freestyle events at 1:00 pm each day. Freestyle competitors perform tricks and stunts in a 2-minute time frame for a panel of judges who rate performances on a scale from 1 to 10.
Area watercraft owners are encouraged to participate. All local racers need to have to participate is a boat (of course), a life vest and helmet. Wetsuit, gloves and goggles are highly recommended. Local riders who are interested in competing in the local race should call PM Sports Marketing at (586) 598-2856 or visit us on the Internet at www.pwcfun.com .
SPECTACULAR SPONSORS
The Midwest Watercross Tour is proud to have Monster Energy as the Title Sponsor of the series. This year Sea-Doo Watercraft and Yamaha Motor Corporation join us as Associate sponsors of the Tour. With additional support from Supporting Sponsors AFMS Carburetion, Cometic Gasket, MSD Powersports, Fly, K&N Engineering, Hydro-Turf, Jetcrafts Unlimited, Oury Grip, Outerwears, Riva Racing, Skat-Trak, Slippery Wetsuits, Wiseco Piston and Yuasa Battery, it is going to be a great year of racing in the Midwest. Special thanks to the Kalamazoo County Convention and Visitors Bureau that helped to bring the event to Kalamazoo County.
