Chris MacClugage makes it two wins from two on first day of Rip It Fort Lauderdale Grand Prix. Legendary personal watercraft racer Chris MacClugage took maximum points from the first two Pro Enduro races of the 2018 Rip It Fort Lauderdale Grand Prix. The Broward Motorsports rider was dominant throughout the day, dealing well with the choppy conditions, which caused problems for so many riders across the two races, along with blustery winds and, for the majority of the day, overcast skies on Fort Lauderdale Beach. MacClugage said: “My aim is to put the Monster Energy Broward Motorsports Yamaha, fuelled by Deans Team, on top of the podium this weekend. I haven’t had a race win all season and it’d be a good confidence booster to leave on a good note. “Winning four out of four races is the aim. Fingers crossed everything goes well with my boat, I’ve got a great team behind me.” MacClugage’s teammate, West Palm Beach native Eric Francis, had cause for celebration, as his title was all but confirmed, with two top three finishes leaving him all but confirmed as US National champion. A fine crowd of PWC enthusiasts, saw fellow championship contender, and current world champion, Brian Baldwin had a day to forget, with a DNF in the first race, followed up by a second placed however he was further penalised 2 positions due to changing skis, which saw him drop to third place in the overall series standings. Other professionals with strong finishes included Mike Klippenstein, the 2015 AquaX Champion, who took third overall, having made the long journey from Canada, for the season finale. AquaX UK Champion Phil Pope rounded out the top 4 despite taking a big spill and sustaining an injury in the first race. Leader for Rookie of the Year, Christian Daly, had a good finish in the top seven on a replacement PWC in race two, having had initial disappointment in the first moto with a DNF. The Amateur classes saw George Holmquist take his first ever AquaX race win in the Am300 class, while Justin Taylor took the victory in race 2, but leading the field going into tomorrow’s final two races is Yaniel Fiallo after he posted two solid second place finishes in some of the toughest conditions of the season. Scott Reeves took two straight wins in the Am200 class to reduce the points deficit on championship leader Jose Luis Gonzalez to 18 points. In the Sprint races, winners included Jason Lester in the Sport/Spark section, and the Ski class was dominated by Mike Klippenstein. Pictured Eric Francis and Chris MacClugage
