Kiwi sets new 24-hour record on Sea-Doo PWC

by Kate Gordon on 15 Feb 2011
Riding a stock-standard Sea-Doo GTX Ltd iS personal watercraft (PWC or jet-ski) New Zealander Jeremy Burfoot has established a new world record for the distance covered in a 24-hour period.

Burfoot, from Torbay in Auckland, covered a distance of 2,287 km (1,421 miles) during his record-breaking achievement on Lake Karapiro, a man-made lake on the Waikato River southeast of the town of Cambridge.

This compares to the 2009 record of 1,641 km (1,019 miles) set by Croatian Ivan Otulic – also on a Sea-Doo GTX iS PWC.

Burfoot says his record is still to be ratified by Guinness World Records, but he was elated to have covered a significantly greater distance in the 24-hour period than the 2009 record-holder.

'At the end I was tired and elated,' said Burfoot, age 51. 'There’s not too much physical damage as I have been training for this for years and wore all the right gear courtesy of Makz Gear, the Sea-Doo dealer which provided outstanding support to our team, The Ultimate Ride Charitable Trust. The mental concentration was the hardest – I am still doing laps in my dreams, so I hope that stops shortly!'

In 2006, Burfoot and team-mate Brad Burton successfully circumnavigated New Zealand via Sea-Doo PWC, a three week-long trip of over 5,000 km to raise funds for the Cancer Society.

Last year Burfoot and three others – including Otulic, the 2009 24-hour distance record-holder – started the world’s longest PWC ride from London to Auckland. Dubbed ‘The Ultimate Ride’, the trip’s intention was to promote a message of healthy living and cancer prevention while they raised funds for cancer research. However, severe weather conditions in the Aegean Sea ended this adventure early so Burfoot has looked for other means to help promote his ‘live smart, live long’ ideals.

Burfoot’s Karapiro venture saw him ride the Sea-Doo on a satellite-fixed course on the freshwater lake. He came in every 55 minutes for refuelling and reached a top speed of 110 km/h on the 260 HP watercraft.

Attempt co-ordinator Mark Cole said Burfoot was aiming for 2,200 km in the 24 hour record attempt and this target was passed reasonably easily by the passionate jet-skier who said he trains hard with weights, core strength exercises, cycling and lots of hours on the ‘skis’.

Burfoot thanked his team for their support. 'The team members were all magnificent – totally professional and committed. It is their record too. I would particularly like to thank Mark Cole for his overall leadership of the team.

'I was especially pleased to have an opportunity to continue promoting the message of The Ultimate Ride which is ‘early detection of cancer saves lives’. It’s also a good chance to further thank our sponsors from 2010 – Jayco Australia, Sea-Doo and Vero Marine – for their support on the London-Auckland event.'

Burfoot dedicated the 24-hour distance ride to good friend Maree Brierly who has just been diagnosed with cancer. 'I found out about Maree only the day before the ride. It just makes me more determined to continue fighting this disease.'

Sea-Doo personal watercraft are made by Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP), based in Canada, and represented locally by BRP New Zealand, a division of BRP Australia Pty Ltd.

BRP New Zealand manager Richard Shaw congratulates Burfoot on another successful adventure with Sea-Doo.

'Jeremy is passionate about personal watercraft and using his various adventures to convey important messages about taking care of our health,' says Shaw. 'We’re delighted for him and his team to achieve another of their goals on a Sea-Doo, and we look forward to hearing what they have planned next!'

The 2010 model year Sea-Doo GTX Ltd iS personal watercraft used by Burfoot features a 1500cc Rotax 4-TEC engine designed specifically for marine use. The trademarked S3 hull – stepped, stable and strong – is noted for its stable ride while being 20% lighter and therefore more fuel efficient than competitors’ products. Ultra-low engine emissions and BRP’s patented D-Sea-Bel sound reduction system combine ensure the Sea-Doo has the lowest possible environmental impact.

BRP is a privately-held company and a world leader in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of motorised recreational vehicles. Its portfolio of brands and products includes: Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft and sport boats, Evinrude and Johnson outboard engines, direct injection technologies such as E-TEC, Can-Am all-terrain and side-by-side vehicles and roadsters, as well as Rotax engines and karts. BRP products are distributed in more than 90 countries.