2009 Long Beach to Catalina & Back APBA Offshore Natl. Championship PWC Race

Press Release from R.P.M. Racing Enterprises

CONTACT: Ross Wallach - (310) 318-4012
rossdbos26@yahoo.com

REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA – May 18, 2009 - RPM Racing Enterprises released today the final details, plans and schedule for the 2009 APBA Offshore National Championship Long Beach 2 Catalina & Back PWC Race presented by Sea-Doo. Four separate racing events will comprise the Long Beach Power Fest which will take place over the weekend of July 11th & 12th, and are an integral part of the City of Long Beach’s summer long Sea Festival. In addition to the very fast Personal Water Crafts on Sunday morning the Long Beach Power Fest will feature the 61st Annual Long Beach to Catalina Water Ski Race on Saturday morning, and the 98th Annual Offshore Power Boat Challenge on Sunday. Just added for this year’s event is tunnel boat racing action as Round # 2 of the Western Formula Light Series (WFLS) makes its debut stop during Power Fest. These highly maneuverable 14’ long tunnel boats (cousins to the larger Formula One Tunnel boats) can literally “turn on the dime” and pull 4-6 g’s around the tight 7/8 mile course. The WFLS tunnel boats will race just outside of Rainbow Harbor (adjacent to Parker’s Lighthouse).

Ross Wallach, president of RPM Racing Enterprises said, “We’re very excited to bring these events; the world famous Long Beach to Catalina Ski Race, the famed Long Beach to Catalina & back PWC Offshore National Championship presented by Sea-Doo, the Western Formula Lights Series and the Pacific Offshore Racing Association’s Power Boat “Rum Run” Challenge, and being able to work with everyone involved to make this unbelievable event become a reality. The combining of forces offers a plethora of new opportunities to make this entire weekend an overwhelming success”.

Five classes of personal water craft including the “sportsman” first time racer class and the “manufacturer’s stock” classes to entice the average PWC enthusiast to participate are expected to swell the field to over 75 boats as the news of the weekend of racing stirs interest in the entire personal water craft community to enter and be a part of this momentous weekend. Offshore PWC racers from across the country are clamoring to get their entries in and compete with the elite West Coast group of offshore endurance experts try to break the new records in every class set last year for the challenging channel crossing.

The 2008 overall winner, Craig Warner, Corona, CA will be back again to defend his title on a Kawasaki Ultra 250X. Among the early entries are Mike Follmer, Newport Beach, CA on a Yamaha FZR, Mark Gerner, Aliso Viejo, CA on a Kawasaki ULTRA250X and Nick Vanis, Los Alamitos, CA on his factory Honda.

This race for the APBA Offshore National Championship will start off with a “rolling start” in Los Alamitos Bay near the Queen Mary in Long Beach at 8:00 AM by a flagman on an official vessel anchored in the harbor. The PWC’s will proceed from the start out through the Queens Gate entrance to the Los Angeles Harbor into the Pacific Ocean on a straight line across the channel to Catalina Island. Navigation always plays a large part in any offshore race but particularly here where racers lose sight of land and all fixed reference points at some time going in both directions. PWC racers are required to have a GPS system, compass, radio, cell phone and numerous other safety items in order to make the potentially dangerous crossing as safe as possible. When the PWC’s arrive at Catalina, they will have to negotiate around a three masted schooner with a large marker flying overhead that will be anchored one mile offshore and have race officials on board documenting their passage. With helicopters overhead guiding and filming the event, the fleet of PWC’s will proceed back to Long Beach along the same route they just traversed the channel on to reach the finish line just off the stern of the start/finish vessel. The entire event, as well as the other two events this Long Beach Offshore Power Fest weekend will be filmed for later editing and broadcast on the new, national Water Channel. The race is also expected to garner the largest and most diversified media coverage ever for boat racing because of the popularity of the three completely different types of races being run and the importance the City of Long Beach is placing on this weekend of events.

The renewed national interest in PWC racing and the emergence of the American Power Boat Association (APBA) as the sanctioning body and driving force in PWC racing have contributed to the promoter’s expectation that over 75 riders will be vying for titles in this race. In addition to the safety equipment required by the APBA rule book, several additional safety items will be required of the racers to insure a safe trip across the channel to Catalina and back, and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and Long Beach Lifeguards will be providing support for the events. An announcement will be made soon regarding which emergency water service has been contracted with to provide racers with towing and on the water emergency service, as well as the announcement of a host hotel that will serve as race headquarters.



Promoter Ross Wallach said, “I can guarantee everyone involved that I intend to raise the bar even higher with this event after what we learned from last year to ensure that every racer, fan and sponsor carries away enough memories to last them until next year along with some fantastic trophies for overall and class winners”. Race specifics and entry forms are forthcoming so be ready to enter soon because there will be no race day entries accepted.

All the components are converging to make this weekend of events the most talked about and must participate in extravaganzas of all time. Come to the Long Beach Sea Festival, Long Beach Power Fest, and race in the 2009 APBA Offshore National Championship Long Beach 2 Catalina & Back PWC Race presented by Sea-Doo and create your own memories.

For more information on the race and the weekend, please visit www.pwcoffshore.com or www.apbaracing.com. Ross Wallach can be reached at (310) 318-4012


2009 LB2CAT, jet ski racing, pwc racing, offshore racing