THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 8, 1995 TAG: 9510080180
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB HUTCHINSON, OUTDOORS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
Three men from Virginia Beach have ventured into the desert of Arizona - with their jet skis.
On Saturday the group completed a three-day, 2,500-mile haul to Havasu Lake, Ariz., the site of this year's Skat Track World Finals, the World Cup of jet-ski racing.
The three are members of the Tidewater Personal Watercraft Club: Steve New, 32, an electronics technician with Virginia Power; Randy Judge, 35, who works at Thalia Exxon; and Richard Davis, 24, of Beach Amoco.
After a good rest, they will practice today and begin World Finals competition Monday. They will be joined by nearly 500 contestants from 22 countries and an estimated 50,000 spectators.
The Hampton Roads entourage also includes team manager David Mallard of Virginia Beach and Brad Carter of Chesapeake. Neither will compete but will help provide support for the Virginia Beach racers.
``It's a great experience and some great racing,'' Mallard said. ``I just wish I could be out there with them. But I just couldn't get a competitive machine together in time.''
Like the other three, Mallard earned a spot in the World Finals through strong finishes in a series of qualifying races along the East Coast earlier this year. He competed in the last two World Finals. The others made their Havasu Lake debut a year ago in the same event.
Mallard thinks that all three area racers have a good chance of finishing at the top of their classes and that New has a shot at winning.
``Steve has a different mindset than most racers,'' Mallard said before the group left for Arizona. ``Some people would probably call it courage or guts. But when he gets on the course, he goes wide-open from start to finish. He's incredibly focused. He loves to race.''
Mallard operates Virginia Beach Jet Sports on Laskin Road, specializing in performance work on the small, fast boats.
``He's the guy who makes us go,'' New said. ``To be a successful driver, you have to have some skills and you have to stay focused. You can't race scared. But you also have to have fast boats. David makes sure we do.''
Some of the craft can top 60 mph, Mallard said.
``We can get them going pretty good with a few modifications which are approved by the sanctioning body,'' he said. ``But you have boats coming out of production now that will run in the middle 50s right out of the crate.''
Like everything else, speed costs. The base price of the smallest ``boat'' is about $4,000. But it's possible to invest as much as $20,000 in a modified rig, Mallard said.
``Our rigs run right around $7,000,'' he said. ``And we're taking five with us, so you can see that it's a pretty easy way to spend money.
``We practice two or three times a week out on Broad Bay, where we set up a buoyed rectangular course, similar to what we'll have in Arizona.
``But you can't get too much practice. Besides, the big lake out there is beautiful and a great place to race. That's one reason we're going.'' ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO H20
Team manager David Mallard thinks Randy Judge, above, has a good
chance at finishing at the top of his class.
by CNB