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It's The Pits

Think Racing PWC is Tough? Try Tossing in a Little NASCAR and a Whole Lot of Extra Money

Text by Kevin Shaw

Photography by Heather Archer

Thankfully, the ability to walk up and down stairs has finally returned to my legs. That's a good thing because the editorial department of Personal Watercraft Illustrated is tucked deep in the furthermost corner of the second story of CN Publishing's Costa Mesa, California, offices. Just going to and from the downstairs garage or employee kitchen for a snack was an arduous, drawn-out experience.

So why all the complaining when I should still have plenty of spry, ache-free years ahead of me? Easy: I competed in this year's Mark Hahn Memorial 300.

For those who've been regularly updating themselves with the online forums, you've already learned that the calm, glassy conditions of the day before (and after) were given up for 35 mph winds and 3-to-4 foot chop. Basically, Lake Havasu took a break from being a lake and pretended to be the Bermuda Triangle.

What this spelled for most competitors was a complete rearrangement in their fuel consumption calculations. Skipping over chop devours a lot more gas than glass. This is because props are allowed to "free wheel" out of the water, rocketing up the rpms, and rightly consuming more fuel than a loaded, churning prop. What distinguishes the Hahn from any other long-distance endurance race is its distance.

--For Kevin's full editorial, click here to visit the Watercraft Editorial Forums and read the full story.