2009 Dana Point To Avalon Offshore Sprint PWC/JetSki Race

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2009

DANA POINT to AVALON OFF SHORE PWC SPRINT RACE
Promoter: R.P.M. Racing Enterprises

Event Date: April 5, 2009
Location: Dana Point Harbor
Time: 7:00am to 12:00pm

The World's best dedicated Professional and Amateur Personal Watercraft (Jetski) offshore racers are scheduled to gather at Dana Point, Ca USA for the inaugural Dana Point to Avalon Offshore Sprint! The race is a 37 mile sprint to a point just South of the entrance to Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island. Racing commences at 8 am just outside The Dana Point Marina.

Experienced Offshore Racer and 2007 Mark Hahn 300 Winner' John Belton said "This a true Offshore Endurance Event; all of the elements are there. Waves, wind, and navigation skills. All of us in the PWCOFFSHORE Group are very good at this type of riding. I would expect the Group to do well on Sunday".

Iron Man Tri-athlete Kim Bushong said "Many times the swells come straight at you, most riders enjoy this, kind of like wave jumping, one, two, three, ten times, it's lot's of fun! 1000 times, 2000 times, not so fun, also not my cup of tea. My game plan is to let the aggressive riders go, if the conditions persist, strength and endurance will prevail, if the seas are rough, being a great rider will not be enough".

K.C. Heidler, “Racing a SeaDoo (personal watercraft) across the open ocean at 80 miles per hour plus is like riding a mechanical bull for one hour straight. I guess you could call this group of endurance racers that take part in the Dana Point to Catalina Island race ‘sea cowboys’. Just like a bull rider, you need to hang on with all of your might with your arms and legs, hoping that every time you jump off of a swell you land safely. If you hit a swell the wrong way, you can get bucked off just like a bull rider. Hopefully, you aren’t hurt and can get back on the PWC and nurse yourself to the finish line.” Heidler jokes that “if you get knocked off of your PWC, there are no clowns there to scare away the sharks”. K.C. Heidler is a three time world champion and PWC racer out of Irvine, Ca.

Ms. Shawn Alladio of K38 Water Safety Fame and 2009 Mark Hahn 300 Iron Woman Winner said "The best racing of my career has been from the California Coast heading across the Channel to Catalina Island. The Dana Point to Catalina Sprint opens up the offshore race season. I'm looking forward to this new race to our race circuit. The Ocean rules! It could be calm waters or rolling swells, but if it's hectic chop, my Kawasaki Ultra 250 is going to love it! That's the magic of offshore racing, you don't know what the 'track' is going to deliver, rider and machine have to match the conditions This race offers a personal best, and that's what it's all about! Pushing an unknown limit. Racing isn't a solitary pursuit, it takes teamwork. Our PWCoffshore Race Team is pushing the 'Hard Core Offshore' motto through action, not words. I know every race boat and rider on the starting line April 5th is going the distance, together. But there will be only one champion standing on the podium taking the coveted overall win! That racer and their race boat are going to tell the whole story!"

Robert Carreon, the recent overall winner of the Mark Hahn 300 with his race partner Mark Gerner said "This race is going to be about who can get a good start, and sustain speeds in excess of 64 MPH. It's should be a technical race as we will be riding into the swells, which is much different than the Long Beach to Catalina race in which the swells are usually parallel with the boat! Technique, speed, and navigation will be the key to success."

Mark Gerner, founder of PWCOFFSHORE, 2008 Mark Hahn Iron Man Winner and 2009 Mark Hahn 300 overall winner with partner Robert Carreon stated that he is excited to see yet another offshore race in Southern California, "I can't wait for this race, I am so happy to see our sport growing so rapidly and attracting so many talented racers."

Nick Vanis will be riding his Honda F15X Turbo provided by Honda Rockstar Machine. Unfortunately, Nick fractured a bone in his wrist the week prior to the race. Regardless, Vanis has decided not to back down from the challenge. " I will get out there and see what I can do, if my wrist will stay together, I will attempt to compete and do what I can and try to work through the injury" said Vanis. Nick Vanis is a 2007 and 2008 APBA Champion and the 2007 Offshore National Champion.

Other very talented racers such Lee Phan, Ralph Perez, Sean Conner and many other great offshore racers will be set to participate in this epic offshore sprint race!

For more information about the Dana Point to Avalon Offshore Sprint please visit: http://www.pwcoffshore.com/Dana_Point_2_Avalon_Race.html