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Matt Johnson Scores Big With Honda
Aug. 31, 2009
By Justin
GLW's Newest Champion, Matt Johnson, Scores Big With Honda
Matthew Johnson has been an avid Honda fan all of his life. His collection includes an ‘07 Honda Ridgeline RTL, an ‘06 Honda Pilot EXL (Wife's), a 99 Honda Prelude, an 06 Honda CRF 150F, a 04 Honda Rancher 400 4x4, and a 96 Honda CBR F3 600. However, his PWC life started before the arrival of the Honda Aquatrax. However, his passion for the red branded products kept him unsatisfied.
"I owned a couple of [brand name censored by IJSBA], and was always working on them," states Matthew. "It seemed like for every hour on the water, took at least an hour of fixing something. Wanted to make sure I spent time on the water, not the shop. I have been watching Honda for the last 15 years in the IRL/CART, so I knew the engines are almost bullet proof. It was just a matter of time before I found a great deal on the 04 with only 9 hours on it. The boat was in MINT condition, so I jumped on it."
So, Matt sold his CBR in order to acquire his Aquatrax R-12X. Then he read about watercross racing on an internet forum and decided to look into it. He found the costs relatively cheap compared to other types of racing. When he arrived at his introductory event with Great Lakes Watercross, he found the environment he was looking for. "When I showed up for my first race, I was pretty nervous, but everyone was very helpful," recalls Matthew. "I was able to win a couple moto's in the first two rounds, and then I was hooked! Joe Bohaczek, #563 of Kenosha, kinda of took me under his wing and gave me some solid advice on do's and don'ts. Having the support of my family was a big help as well."
It was a good first year for Matt. His rookie season finish includes the following accolades in the Great Lakes Watercross series:
-Beginner RA LTD 1st Place overall
-Novice RA Stock 1st Place overall
-Novice RA LTD 2nd Place overall
-Triple Crown, King of the Waves rounds 4 thru 6 2nd Place overall
When asked , specifically, what about the Honda benefited Matt in his quest for wins, he had this to say: "Reliablity!!! I didn't have to fix a thing on that boat all season. Always starts. Put new plugs in and some Amsoil at the beginning of season, and been going strong since. Other high dollar boats on the tour that I was up against were faster than my R12X. But, with some handling changes and practice with riding style, I was able to work my way around. I would like to see more companies offering aftermarket parts for the R12X, but they are slowing getting there. I would like to get myself a R15X, if Honda comes out with one, and let the wife try it out next year on the R12X."
Matt would like to thank his wife, family, parents, Joe Bohaczek and his crew, Scott Hyke for putting on a great season, and all my sponsors for the year. He Would love to have the support of Honda for the 2010 season!!!
The IJSBA is extraordinarily proud of Matt Johnson. For more information about the Great Lakes Watercross Series, please visit www.ijsba.com.
The International Jet Sports Boating Association is the worldwide sanctioning body for personal watercraft competitive racing. IJSBA is responsible for the rules which govern the sanction, organization and conduct of sanctioned events; the standards for eligibility and conduct of competition and officials; the regulations for eligibility and preparation of watercraft; and the rules for annual series of events around the world. The IJSBA has affiliated associations, organizations and members in more than 50 countries worldwide and its headquarters are located in Half Moon Bay, California, United States. For more information about the IJSBA, visit www.ijsba.com or call (714)-751-8695
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