Pro Watercross National Championships coming to Lake Charles
Published 6:00 pm Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Lake Charles will host the Pro Watercross National Championships at North Beach Aug. 10-11.
The event will be held in Lake Charles each of the next two years as well. Lake Charles hosted the event in 2013.
The championships are the culmination of the Pro Watercross Tour season, which includes eight events held throughout the country. The tour uses a point system based on results, similar to NASCAR. Points are doubled at the championships, adding more weight to the season finale.
Racers can reach as high as 80 miles per hour.
Tour CEO AJ Handler said endurance is a key factor for the participants. The tour is not the main profession for the races but requires much preparation.
“These guys still have to work during the week, it is about winning a championship. If you like NASCAR, motorcycle racing or boat racing, you are going to love this. It is exciting to watch and a unique sport. You have to be physically fit to race, like any other athlete. Sam Nehme out of Florida works out four days out of the week. You have to have lots of endurance.
“The second part is having the watercraft and the tuner. It takes a skilled tuner. It takes a different set-up when you are on the surf than what we are going to have here. Here it is not about the chop, but how fast you can get from Point A to Point B. The tuner’s job is to get their rider around the first turn as quickly as possible. Most racers have a pit crew, with a top dog as a tuner. When a rider wins, the tuner also wins, because more guys are going to come to him to build their engines. There’s a huge difference in these vehicles than those for recreation. They are much better tuned.”
The calm water of Lake Charles makes it an ideal host.
“At the start of the season, there is surf and they are out there racing on 3-12 foot swells,” Handler said.
“As we get more into the season these guys are moving pretty quick and its time for flat water at that point. We started in Florida then went up to Lake Michigan and will have an event in Georgia. At each one the course is different, the track is different and the conditions are different. When the water is flat like this, we can add more buoys and we’ll add tighter turns and a straightaway so the racers have a chance to pass. The changes are done for speed and safety.”
Handler said he expects the races to have high stakes.
“Every spot matters, the higher you finish the more attractive you are to sponsors,” he said. “Every position matters. In the past, most of the series have ended cliffhanger-style. Most of the time the top three still have a chance to win it all going into the finals.”
Handler said he is impressed with the lake area.
“It has changed since last time, grown quite a bit,” he said. “Lake Charles offers all the amenities you would want — the hotels, the restaurants that are nearby. There is a lot of history here too.”
Saturday, competitors practice at 9:15 a.m. followed by racing. The Pro Show runs from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. with amateur racing rounding out the day for the Post Pro Show. Sunday, amateur racing kicks off at 9:15 a.m. with the Pro Show from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and the award ceremony closing out the tournament. Registration details and other information can be found at Prowatercross.com/lc.
A competitor at the 2013 Contraband Days competition completes a flip during his run. The Pro Watercross National Championships will be held here in Lake Charles August 10-11.
A competitor at the 2013 Contraband Days competition completes a flip during his run. The Pro Watercross National Championships will be held here in Lake Charles August 10-11.
A competitor at the 2013 Contraband Days competition completes a flip during his run. The Pro Watercross National Championships will be held here in Lake Charles August 10-11.
