The RIVA Racing HydroDrag Fall National took place in blustery conditions and saw Duke Zorn blow away his competition in the HydroUnlimited final. Zorn joined Stan Hightower, Troy Snyder, and Eric Lagopoulos as winners of the Fall National PWC drag race event while Jeremy Parr took the top spot in the first FishBowl Freestyle National. The weekend events drew competitors and fans from all over the eastern seaboard and saw intense action with multiple photo finishes in the HydroDrags and A+ showmanship in the FishBowl Freestyle contest. 

The C-54 canal located on Central Florida’s East Coast was host to the final HydroDrag event of the 2009 series, chosen for its unique layout normally providing ideal conditions for peak speeds but this weekend faced 15-25 mph winds producing small white caps at times in the 200-foot wide canal. Speed Alley top speed competition was conducted from East-to-West, with the wind but the chop negated any advantages the riders might have picked up with less wind resistance. Local Space Coast rider, Duke Zorn of nearby Titusville, FL posted the fastest top speed of the weekend on his conversion PWC with a peak speed of 88.1 mph.

Zorn also took the top spot in the premier HydroUnlimited drag races, battling through the double elimination heat races beating Stan Hightower down the 1/8th mile track and collecting the $500 first place prize money. Hightower pocketed $300 for the runner-up spot and Jonathan Nieves took the third spot and $200. Hightower on his Sea-Doo RXP-X would be the weekends most decorated racer winning the HydroLimited class title bettering Orlando’s Dustin Charrier and taking the runner up spot in the HydroStock class.

Veteran closed course racer Troy Snyder of Bradenton, FL on his Neptune racing built Sea-Doo RXP-X gave drag racing a try and came away the Fall National Champion in the HydroStock class. Snyder’s cross-town neighbor Eric Lagopoulos took the HydroVintage class win on his Sea-Doo SPX.             

The Fishbowl Freestyle National was a new event taking place under the lights Saturday night in conjunction with the Racers Party at Interchange Square in Palm Bay, FL.  Local Jeremy Parr taking time off from his day job at NASA put on a spectacular show wowing the crowd with big tricks and smooth transitions and claiming the first FishBowl freestyle win and $500 top prize. Recent IJSBA Hall-of-Fame inductee and Melbourne, FL resident Lloyd “Showtime” Burlew rode to a solid routine after a ten-year hiatus and took the third spot. Johnny Leftly of Orlando - via the UK – put in a solid three-minute ride and took the third place spot and $200.  

The RIVA Racing HydroDrag Fall National wraps up the 2009 PWC racing season and the three event series. Stan Hightower of Lindale, Georgia claimed both the HydroLimited and HydroStock HydroDrag National Championships with Dan O’Keffe of Osage Beach, MO taking the HydroUnlimited Championship and Eric Lagopoulos taking the HydroVintage Championship.

RIVA RACING HYDRODRAG FALL NATIONAL RESULTS

SPEED ALLEY
HydroVintage
1st       Brandon Ferro, Orange, TX        Yamaha           68.4 mph
2nd      Eric Lagopoulos, Sarasota, FL   Sea-Doo          68.1 mph

Hydro-Box Stock
1st       Kristian Ichozio, Margate, FL    Yamaha           68.3 mph.

HydroStock  
1st       Jeff Dyckowski, Rydel, GA       Sea-Doo          77.7 mph
2nd      Stan Hightower, Lindale, GA    Sea-Doo          77.5 mph
3rd       Troy Snyder, Bradenton, FL      Sea-Doo          75.9 mph

HydroLimited
1st       Dustin Charrier, Orlando, FL              Yamaha           85.5 mph
2nd      Doel Antonmarchi, Jacksonville, FL  Sea-Doo          79.2 mph
3rd       Stan Hightower, Lindale, GA              Sea-Doo          77.7 mph

HydroUnlimited – two-stroke
1st       Ross Niemoeller, St. Pete, FL      Yamaha           78.4 mph

HydroUnlimited
1st       Duke Zorn, Titusville, FL                 Yam/S-D         88.1 mph
2nd      Chris Caputo, Lanoka Harbor, NJ Sea-Doo          87.4 mph
3rd       Stan Hightower, Lindale, GA         Sea-Doo          81.5 mph

HYDRODRAGS
HydroVintage
1st       Eric Lagopoulos, Sarasota, FL      Sea-Doo        
2nd      Brandon Ferro, Orange, TX            Yamaha          

Hydro-Box Stock
1st       DK Ledgerwood, Cartersville, GA    Sea-Doo
2nd      Jeff Dyckowski, Rydel, GA               Sea-Doo
3rd       Kristian Ichozio, Margate, FL            Yamaha          

HydroStock  
1st       Troy Snyder, Bradenton, FL              Sea-Doo
2nd      Stan Hightower, Lindale, GA            Sea-Doo
3rd       Jeff Dyckowski, Rydel, GA               Sea-Doo

HydroLimited
1st       Stan Hightower, Lindale, GA             Sea-Doo
2nd      Dustin Charrier, Orlando, FL             Yamaha
3rd       Dean Charrier, Orlando, FL              Yamaha

HydroUnlimited
1st       Duke Zorn, Titusville, FL                   Yam/S-D       
2nd      Stan Hightower, Lindale, GA           Sea-Doo
3rd       Jonathon Nieves, Orlando, FL        Sea-Doo

FISHBOWL FREESTYLE NATIONAL

1st       Jeremy Parr, Titusville, FL             Yamaha
2nd      Lloyd Burlew, Melbourne, FL        Yamaha
3rd       Johnny Leftly, Orlando, FL            Yamaha

For full event information, contact WaterTop Unlimited directly at 321.409.0519 and info@watertopunlimited.com or visit www.watertopevents.com.