DJSA Endurance Racing in Northern California
Text by Rick Ignacio
Photography by Young Huynh
The alarm wakes me at 6 am, Saturday, June 18, 2009. Today’s Diablo Jet Ski Action’s (DJSA) second of five enduro racing events of the season. As I drive into the park around 8:30 am, I see the DJSA RV parked near the entrance, with founder Jim Lambert busy setting up the informational material and registration paperwork in front of the RV.
Near him are John Bonkowski and John Dewar, helping out as part of the safety crew. I register and park and greet the trio. As I look around, I see some of the racers were already there bright and early. The rest of the racers start driving in; Stan Schrock, Hope Lile, Russell Libby, Lee Phan, Sean Conner, Tony Lee, Marilyn Johnson, Tommy Kolleck, David “Pirate” Tew, Carlos Thomas, Gordon Lasiter, and Dean Brown.
Around 10:30 am, Lambert calls for a riders’ meeting for a rundown of safety procedures and some things to watch out for. There are 13 racers in all; some offshore endurance champs, a couple doing their first enduro, and the others left somewhere in between – like me.
(Above: Russel Libby’s trusty Honda F-12X gobbled up the super-flat conditions like a salt flat racer)
The air temp was hovering over 90 with water temperatures around 70 with calm winds and glassy conditions. The course from Sandy Beach (Rio Vista) to the turnaround point near Sacramento would take us nearly 30 miles, with a total course length of 59.2 miles.
As the pace boats line us up, I can see Lambert bending down to pick something up, a few racers thought the flag was about to be drawn and jumped the gun. We regrouped a few minutes later and went back to the starting lineup. Almost immediately after, Jim Lambert pulled up and waved the green flag.
As I leave the line, I can see Pirate, Kolleck, and Brown heading toward the first turn at the deep water channel of the Sacramento River. Stuck in the middle of the pack, I watched the faster skis accelerate off into the distance. The water was glassy, so it was basically a 60-mile drag race.
(Above: Glassy-smooth conditions made this Saturday’s enduro more of an all-out drag race)
My training kicks in. With the throttle pinned, I get my body as low to the seat as possible to keep the wind resistance down. The strategy was working; Pirate and I were neck-and-neck for most of the beginning. As I burned more fuel and my ski got lighter, I slowly started pulling ahead.
As I raced down the channel, the GPS was showing an average of 65 mph. Tommy Kolleck on his Ultra 250X slowly started coming into view. I said to myself, “Wow, I’m catching up to an Ultra 250X with my GP1300R!”
(Above: Low to the seat and letting the ski do its thing, Tommy Kolleck’s Ultra 250X came in fifth in the SCXP class)
As we’re side-to-side heading towards the turnaround boat, I nod to him and he nods to me. We are both pinning our throttles and speed near 70 mph. I slowly pull ahead giving a final nod as I reach the turnaround boat. As I make the turn, Kolleck comes barreling on the inside and almost overtakes me. I looked ahead and did not look back until I reached the final turn point near the finish line.
(Above: We don’t know if he’s loosing it or just showing off some leg, but we kinda don’t recommend this position for high speeds…)
As I’m throttling down the channel, I see the other racers going up the channel and passing the turn boat. I continue to pin the throttle and look back to notice I was far ahead of Kolleck’s Ultra 250X. I’m going 65 mph down the channel when my low fuel warning starts beeping. Although I have two extra gallons in my storage compartment, I know if I stop to refuel it would eat up my lead so I continue on and risk running out of fuel before the finish.
In the distance, I can see the Rio Vista Bridge and Young Huynh flying around in the helicopter. I keep the throttle pinned and see Carlos Thomas with his FZR limping along (I found out later that Carlos Thomas and Gordon Lasiter had run out of gas just a few miles from the finish). The water is still glassy as I pass the score boat with Lambert and Doreen Knollenberg clapping and giving thumbs up.
(Above: Lee Phan abandoned his turbo-powered Ultra 260X for his quicker black-and-red RXT and earned first in the SCXP class)
Jim Lambert has gone out of his way to produce a top notch race. It may not have had the salty spray many of the enduro racers are accustomed to, but I believe the fresh water was an invigorating change of pace. The first-time racer Tony Lee put it well when he was asked if he liked his first race, he enthusiastically said, “I’m hooked like a tuna!”
(Above: Phan receives his first place award from promoter Jim Lambert, arguably, the most affable and friendly “outlaw” PWC racing promoter in the United States)
Results:
Sport Sit 1399 and under
1) Dean Brown 55.13
2) Rick Ignacio 55.41
3) Stan Schrock 59.24
4) Russel Libby 1.01.21
5) Hope Lile 1.05.06
SCXP Fast Sit Pro/Am
1) Lee Phan 47.37
2) Sean Conner 51.03
3) Thuy “Tony” Trong Le 54.35
4) Mari-Lynn Johnson 55.02
5) Tommy Kolleck 56.22
6) Dave Tew 56.23
7) Gordon Lasiter 1.11.04
Carlos Thomas 1.17.26
(Above: Like all of Lambert’s events, a classy and friendly after party is always held at the close of his races)
