Team Pastrello rewrites history for Kawasaki
Team Pastorello from France wins Runabout Open for six times in the history of the memorial race event and also clinches the first ever win for the brand new Kawasaki SX-R by braking the record of laps in the stand up class.
Words:Vasilis Moraitis
Photos:www.jetskiworld.gr
The 13th annual Hot Products memorial Mark Hahn 300 presented by Yamaha was held for another year at Crazy Horse Camp Ground of Lake Havasu City, Arizona. There were 36 entries with riders from all over the world that were spread in six different classes and came to compete in the rough water conditions of this unique endurance race. Although, on Saturday the water was calm and the sky cloudy, on the very next day, the race day, the sky started getting clear but the water was rough since the wind started building up and roaring up to 20-25mph a fact that made the riders to worry about since it made their life tougher in the race. Mark Hahn is the longest, continuous pwc race in the world and it being held in Lake Havasu City for 13 years.
Race started at 09:00 a.m. with the Runabouts doing a Le Mans start and a minute later the stand-up riders went through the same procedure. The first rider who showed up on the beach after completing one lap was Nicolas Rius in front of Russian Ryabko and Craig Warner. Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Botti and South African Dustin Motzouris were the first two riders on the new Kawasaki four-stroke SX-R. Meanwhile the weather got rougher and many people experienced all sort of issues. Rius DNF quickly due to a worn clutch on his Yamaha leaving his team mate from France Cyrille Lemoine dry on the beach with no chance to ride in Havasu. The Portuguese team had some issues with the battery on their Kawasaki so they could not finish the race. Ford and Smith experienced more issues due to the selection of wrong fuel. Craig Warner was in top three riding his Kawasaki turbocharged Ultra until he experienced issues with his cracked aftermarket hull a fact that send him back to the beach as a spectator. KC Heidler was having a hard time when he got ejected from his Ultra over the handlebars at the last section of the race course and he found later on that he had fractured his Fibula. Mike Klippenstein experience a loose O2 sensor on his turbocharged ski and he lost some time but still he managed to finish an impressive third overall with his team mate Cristian D’Agostin. Ryabko did not manage to finish the race as his turbocharged Yamaha was in trouble on lap 23.
Pastorello and Botti were the first riders who completed thirty laps on their Kawasaki and took the overall win at the Mark Hahn 300. This is the sixth win of Team Pastorello in the Runabout class however their second team Botti and Raphael Maurin won the four-stroke stand up class which is a huge accomplishment of the team. The team shown is unique dedication and professionalism on the beach by performing the fastest and most controlled pit stops. They actually gave the first win of Kawasaki SX-R in a race held in the USA. Raphael Maurin and Botti decided to hand their No1 trophy to Bill Chapin of R&D for his commitment to the preparation of their ski. However, a final decision was taken at the awards and the trophy was given as a present to Kawasaki Motors Corporation. Team Pastorello also won the trophy for having the best pit crew on the beach since their professionalism was in another level. Pastorello’s team mates David Chassier and Jeremy Pastorello brought the second Runabout of the team in second place and the made a 1-2 finish in this race which is another outstanding result for the French team.
Dustin Motzouris and Emi Kanamori were riding very close to the French duo of Botti and Maurin and they challenged the first place a few times up 8th lap. Their lap times were fast close 12 minutes/lap. However, later Dustin got blisters on his hands and made it difficult to ride in a 100% mode but they managed to keep it safe in second place. The medium rated lap times of the SX-R teams were round 16-17minutes and the rest were close to 20 minutes or more.
Klipper Racing had five skis running in this race that all of them finish the Race. Mike Klippenstein won the Manufacturers Stock class along with Mike Baldwin and also the team took the third place in the Runabout Open class with Cristian Sienna D’Agostin. Gerry Wong and Charles Anderson pounded their bodies and the waves on there R&D Turbo Yamaha FX 1800 SVHO to place 2nd in Masters Veteran Runabout Open class and to 15th overall. Klippenstein with Chad Zemen and Smith managed to finish 4rth overall in Four-Stroke stand-up class and his team mate Gerry Wong (with Vasilis Moraitis and Kyle Araiza) took the sixth place in the same class. Mike Klippenstein as a true sportsman that he is, spent most of his time riding by jumping from one ski to the other.
Antony Radetic managed to finish third in Manufacturers Stock class however he was awarded with the Iron Man trophy due to his remarkable achievement. “A real true sportsman and Iron Man” as the announcer Mike Follmer stated that he loves to ride. Japanese rider Yuichi Hashimoto was also awarded with the Iron Man trophy in the four-stroke stand-up class. Follmer additionally gave special thanks to Hot Products USA and specifically to President Scott Saito and manager Tom Perry for their valuable support in the particular race. He also appreciate it the huge support of Yamaha USA and their representatives Scott Watkins and Andrew Cullen. Klipper Racing and Pastorello Team congratulated Bill Chapin and R&D for their absolute commitment on developing the parts for the new SX-R as well as for his input on setting up their race crafts and Kawasaki for developing a strong ski for surviving in such endurance conditions as well as Hot Products USA for supporting such a huge event. In fact Bill Chapin and R&D has been involved in the various projects in the past with the new Kawasaki and Yamaha watercrafts (SX750, SXi/ZXi, SX-R800, STX-15F, etc) and they proved that they can bring them in the top of the podium. Therefore, as it was revealed the American based company, R&D, will be fully involved in to the new SX-R era.
Kawasaki SX-R made its debut in the racing scene and the riders who rode it were very happy with its overall performance. This shows that a new era begins in stand-up racing and Kawasaki is already in the lead. The rest will have to follow in order to be on the game. Sooner or later the two-stroke stand-ups will be the minority in this class.
Mike Follmer the “Heart and Soul” of this race has already set a day for next years 14th Annual Mark Hahn 300 Memorial race which will take place on the 24th of February. Some of the top riders already confirmed that they will be back in the USA to compete in Lake Havasu City.
Classification
Four-Stroke Modified Stand-up
1.Raphael Maurin-Jean-Baptiste Botti
2.Emi Kanamori-Dustin Motzouris
3.Haig Luinstra-Luinstra
4.Mike Klippestein-Chad Zemen-Johnny Smith
5.Trevizo Kantola-Kantola
6.Gerry Wong-Vasilis Moraitis-Kyle Araiza
7.Yuichi Hashimoto
8.Kody Copenhaver-Aaron Gewecke
9.Jon Phan-Cole Cramer-Ortendahl
Sportsman Two-Stroke Stand-up
1.Levings Leberski-Gasperon
2.Rod Bascom
3.Aarts-Vinatieri-Fitting
4.Steenbock-Schiede-Brooks
Pro/AM Runabout Open
1. Jean-Bruno Pastorello-Jean Baptiste Botti
2.David Chassier-Jeremy Poret
3.Mike Klippenstein-Cristian Sienna D΄Agostin
4.Ryabko-Prayas
5.Conner-San Martin
6.KC Heidler-Mike Gerner
7.Craig Warner
8.Nicolas Rius- Cyrille Lemoine
Four-Stroke Runabout Stock
1.Tony Beck-Chris Fischetti
2.Conroy-Conroy
3.Balsaux Vangansbeck
4.Leu-Leu
5.Smith Samuels
6.Frame-Frame
7.Abraham Amaya
8.Kubatzki Schredl
Masters Veterans Runabout Open
1.Pham Diep
2.Charles Anderson – Gerry Wong
3.Roger Amaya
4.Carlos Truta-Filipe Filipe
Manufacturers Runabout Stock
1.Mike Klippenstein-Brian Alan Baldwin
2.Perry Stuart
3.Anthony Radetic
