Words:Roxanne Lebas
Photos:Team Pastorello Competition
The team has just returned from the Lac de l'Eau d'Heure in Belgium where the "Jettribe European Jet Ski Championship" was held last weekend. This round was very essential as it is the first of the Jet Ski World Series "Triple Crown", the IJSBA World Championship. The goal is to become the best jet ski pilot in the world in each of the different categories represented (Ski GP, Runabout GP, Endurance, Freestyle and Open Sport). Two other mythical races are also part of this championship: The World Finals in Lake Havasu, Arizona in October (7th -13th ), and the Jet Ski World Cup, "the King's Cup" which serves as the final in Thailand in December (3rd -7th ).
For this first round, the team's results are positive:
Team Pastorello Competition riders had very good and impressive results in the first round which was held in Belgium.
Jean Bruno Pastorello's victory in Endurance Class. The proposed race format marks a return to more rhythmic endurance races, with a duration of 35 minutes and where riders race in a simplified circuit compared to a speed race. This type of race is appreciated by the public who can see the action, which is not often happening in offshore/endurance racing.
Laurent Lagarde and Thomas Montagnon , the team's mechanics, have been working hard on Jean-Bruno's new Kawasaki Ultra 310R engine since the 300 miles of Havasu last February. The goal was to achieve more power without sacrificing the reliability of the engine, and with the results obtained this weekend, it seems that they succeeded.
Jean-Bruno made an excellent start in all three races, with the power of his Ultra 310R allowing him to directly widen the gap with his competitors. Even if they gradually regained ground, he managed to stay in the lead. All race boats were put under brutal testing and many of them finally broke down throughout the weekend. Seven out of twelve competitors managed to finish the Endurance class on Sunday. Concerning Jean-Bruno, his Kawasaki worked very well during the three motos so he managed to win the class and the he climbed at the top of the podium in the first round of the Jet Ski World Series. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of work to do to reproduce this performance, and many people will be present at the next rounds in Havasu and Thailand, which makes this challenge all the more difficult.
A promising second place for Raphael Maurin. For Raphael Maurin, this race is also an important challenge: he is challenging his World Champion title won last year in Thailand. During winter he trained hard in order to improve his physical condition and stamina. His team designed and fabricated a new ski (hull and engine set-up) in order to participate in the P1 Jet Cross Tour therefore his is putting his Kawasaki M1 in a new challenge. He took part in the first race with the M1, however he experience minor mechanical issues that prevented him from riding the ski at 110% so the first place went to Quentin Bossche. According to Raphael he could go near him but he could not pass him. In moto 2 he was back in to his 1500 SX-R but once again he experience some mechanical issues, He was third after the start and he managed to pass Jeremy Poret but he could not pass Bossche. Raphael’s ski was not having enough power once again. The two Sunday rounds also ended in a second place, placing him second overall for the weekend. This is a good result, but it is not enough: he will still have to work on adjusting his jet ski in order to find the right balance between manoeuvrability and power to stay in the lead and climb the first step of the podium.
Hugo Pastorello's first steps at European level. Youngster Hugo Pastorello was competing for the first time in Stock Class, "Expert ski limited" (machine not modified) at European level. Despite his good starts, his Jet Ski was lucking in top speed therefore, Hugo was also struggling to find pace through the field. Moto 2 was more complicated however, he managed to be on a better pace in Moto 3 on Sunday.
He finished 7th overall this weekend with fairly consistent results (8th in the first two races, then 6th in the last).
Overall, this first stage of the Jet Ski World Series is positive for the team: points have been scored, and they will be crucial to face the international riders (certainly even more numerous) on the starting grid in the United States and Thailand. Before this next stage, Raphael will be present at the P1 Jet Cross Tour in Vichy on July 20 and 21 and the whole team will participate in the French Speed Championship in Moissac (82) on August 30 and 31. Then will follow the second and last stage of the Jet Raid in Murcia (Spain) from 23-27 October and the Final of the IJSBA World Endurance Championship in Agadir 14-17 November 2019.
