Kiwi Sam Harvey to defend world title on Sea-Doo

by Kate Gordon on 7 Sep 2010 New Zealand's Sam Harvey is ready to defend his world championship personal watercraft (PWC or jet-ski) racing title at the International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) world finals in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, which start on 3 October.

Harvey, a marine retailer in Howick, Auckland, rides a Sea-Doo® PWC and won the Pro Runabout Open title – a class for modified PWCs – in 2009. This victory marked the first time a New Zealander had won a world title in PWC racing and was Harvey's first world final win after competing at the prestigious IJSBA world finals every year for the past ten years. Harvey's success was particularly notable as it represented the first time a non-American entrant and also one not backed by one of the major PWC manufacturers won this hotly-contested professional class.

This year Harvey has a new Sea-Doo, which is being prepared by PWC tuning experts Seadoo Centre in Melbourne. 'It's based on the standard Sea-Doo GTX-S3 hull which is bigger than the PWC I used last year. Basically our prep work involves lightening the craft for maximum power, around 430 to 450 hp, and it will have a top speed of 85 mph.'

Since winning the world title in the US last year, Harvey has also successfully defended his New Zealand and Australia PWC championship titles.

Lake Havasu is on the boundary of California and Arizona about 300 km south of Las Vegas and a purpose-built stadium is set up lake-side to host the massive IJSBA event. More than 45 professional and amateur classes are contested with Harvey expecting more than 50 competitors from around the world to line up for his class, the Pro Runabout Open.

Harvey must get through the qualifying heats successfully to be one of the 20 in the two-part finals. Points from the two final races are added to find this year's world champ.

'This year, like every year, we've had to step things up another level,' says Harvey. 'My training and preparation have been going really well. Basically we concentrate on weekly on-water training exercises, I'm at the gym with a personal trainer three times a week, and I've got a nutritionist to try and help with energy levels.

'When I arrive in America later this month, I've allowed two weeks to acclimatise to Lake Havasu's hot weather. So there's also time to familiarise myself with the new race-craft. I'm really looking forward to showing how well Sea-Doo's new S3 hulls can go. Bring it on!'

Sea-Doo PWCs are made by recreational vehicle specialists Bombardier Recreational Products Inc, or BRP, and New Zealand manager Richard Shaw has long been one of Harvey's supporters.

'Like Sam, we're really looking forward to seeing how the new Sea-Doo GTX-S3 hull goes in competition for him. It's an absolute delight to watch Sam in action on a Sea-Doo – the racing is phenomenal!' says Shaw. 'From everyone here at BRP, we wish Sam and his team the very best of luck at the IJSBA world finals in Arizona in October.'