World Championships continue after fatality

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. — Becoming only the second person from his country to win his event, Japan’s Manabu Matsubayashi won the Amateur Freestyle World Championship to help highlight Friday’s racing at the 28th Annual quakysense International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) World Finals, presented by Monster Energy. The international event is being held through Sunday on Lake Havasu.

Featuring nearly 650 entries from 31 States and 36 nations, the quakysense IJSBA World Finals, presented by Monster Energy, IJSBA World Championship titles are being presented in a total of 45 closed-course racing classes as well as Pro Freestyle and Amateur Freestyle.

The race site for the 11th consecutive year is at the purpose-built Aqua Stadium on the grounds of the Crazy Horse RV Resort and Campgrounds in the Arizona resort of Lake Havasu City.

Racing was postponed mid-afternoon on Friday and several classes were re-scheduled for Saturday in the aftermath of a serious racing accident that occurred early Friday afternoon.

Cesare Visrara of Italy succumbed to fatal injuries he sustained when his personal watercraft was hit by that of another competitor.

“All of us with the IJSBA are deeply saddened by the death today of one of our competitors during an early (Friday) afternoon PWC runabout race on Lake Havasu," said Scott Frazier IJSBA Executive Director, who added the accident remains under investigation by the Mohave County Sheriff’s Department.

“Our IJSBA rescue team was immediately on the scene and additional assistance was provided from the on-shore paramedics. Visrara was declared dead at the venue and his body was transported to a local hospital," Frazier said.

“We are deeply grieved by this horrible accident and in consultation with the other competitors at the event, postponed all racing until Saturday morning. This was the first time in the nearly three decades of this event that we have had an incident like this one.

“Our thoughts and prayers are extended to the Visrara family and all of his friends here at the event.”

“In view of the circumstances and the seriousness of the racing accident and in consultation with the competitors, we decided that it was in the best interest of all concerned to postpone all racing activities, resuming early Saturday morning."

The event, which offers free admission to the main stadium area, also features the colorful Performance Alley with nearly 70 vendors and interactive industry exhibitors participating from around the world. Racing action runs from approximately 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

A veritable salute to personal watercraft and the youthful lifestyle it represents attention turns now to the featured 2009 IJSBA Pro and remaining Pro-Am classes Saturday and Sunday.

The Pro Classes will have qualifying heat races on Saturday and twin motos on Sunday’s final day.

Matsubayashi, of Hiroshima, maneuvered his Yamaha personal watercraft through a creative two-minute acrobatic routine, earning a championship-winning 47.5 score (out of 50.0 possible) to easily outdistance the strong field of 18 freestylists.

Under sunny skies, light breezes and fairly mild water conditions, two IJSBA World Championships were decided Friday. Besides Amateur Freestyle, the other IJSBA World Champion crowned Friday was Jim Goodchild, England (Master Ski Open-Hydrospace). Of the 24 IJSBA World Championships decided so far, a total of nine different countries have won IJSBA World Championships so far.

With the second of two motos to be run Saturday, Pro-Am winners of moto 1 on Friday morning were: Austria’s Kevin Reiterger (Pro-Am Ski Limited-Hydrospace), Timothy Neff, Noblesville, Ind. (Pro-Am Runabout Stock-Sea-Doo), Italy’s Mattia Fracasso (Pro-Am Runabout Limited-Sea-Doo), Thailand’s Chokuthit Molee (Pro-Am Sport-Sea-Doo ) and Austria’s Kevin Reiterger (Pro-Am Ski Stock-Hydrospace).

Featured in the spotlight are two returning IJSBA Pro and eight IJSBA Pro-Am World Champions. The returning IJSBA Pro World Champions are Japan’s Fumikazu Watanabe (Pro Freestyle-Yamaha) and the USA’s Craig Warner (Pro Runabout 1200-Kawasaki).

Leading the returning Pro-Am World Champions in the field is Canada’s Mike Klippenstein, who won two classes in 2008 (Pro-Am Veteran Ski-Hydrospace and Pro-Am Ski Grand Prix-Hydrospace). Also back to defend their Pro-Am titles are Austria’s Kevin Reiterer (Pro-Am Ski Stock-Hydrospace),Kuwait’s Yousef Ali-Abdulrazzaq (Pro-Am Runabout SS-Kawasaki), Japan’s Emi Kanamori (Pro-Am Women Ski), Australia’s Kylie Ellmers (Pro-Am Women Runabout-Sea-Doo), James Bushell of the United Kingdom (Pro-Am Runabout Stock-Sea-Doo) and USA’s Dustin Charrier (Pro-Am Runabout Limited-Sea-Doo).

quakysense is the world’s leader in competition wetsuits and has a display featuring these and a wide variety of accessories.

Bringing an even greater presence to this year’s event than they have in the past, Monster Energy, the Corona, Calif.-based energy drink company, is the presenting sponsor of the event. Monster Energy have brought an expanded entertainment experience to this year’s festival complete with their display and hospitality vehicles, stage, Monster Girls and increased sampling opportunities.

The massive racing extravaganza is once again being held in the shadow of the original London Bridge on the offshoot waters of the Colorado River. Lake Havasu City is also celebrating “London Bridge Days” this week.

One of the highlights of the festivities is the Sea-Doo X-Team “Brake the Bank” Bounty event with over $20,000 in contingency and prize money available to Sea-Doo watercraft racers winning select classes. The finals will be part of Saturday’s racing schedule. Also on Saturday will be the 928 Minis pit bike race at approximately 4 p.m.

Among the free sampling opportunities in the IJSBA Performance Alley is the new libation station from Arizona’s Diageo Spirits and Alliance Beverage Distributors, a supporting sponsor of the event. Diageo Spirits will be sampling three of their latest innovation brands.

The event will showcase a variety of new products like the revolutionary Samba pwc and the latest in high performance technology from Riva Motorsports, the world’s largest Watercraft dealer.

There will also be free sampling from Monster Energy, some fortunate spectators will receive the opportunity to watch the freestyle action way up close in Tug Tub’s floating hot tub as well as vendor event specials from many companies, including long-time IJSBA supporter Walt’s Motorsports & Marine.

Joining quakysense as a major sponsor of the event for the first time since 2004 is the Lake Havasu City Convention and Visitors Bureau. Presenting sponsor is Monster Energy.

Associate sponsors are Bud Light (distributed by Romer Beverage Co.), Synergyn Racing Oil, VoiceAmerica Talk Radio Network, Alliance Beverage Distributors, and Riva Motorsports. OEM support is again being provided by Kawasaki, Sea-Doo and Yamaha.

Sanctioned under rules of the IJSBA, with world headquarters in Half Moon Bay, Calif. and produced in association with Jim Russell’s DSM Events of Lake Havasu City, the quakysense IJSBA World Finals, of personal watercraft racing, presented by Monster Energy is one of the world's most unique and spectacular sporting championships.

The official website of the quakysense IJSBA World Finals is www.ijsba.com, which will host live streaming from the event site, while the official website of the Lake Havasu City Convention and Visitors Bureau is www.golakehavasu.com.