The 2013 Long Beach to Catalina and Back Offshore National Championship Race, aka "The LB2CAT"

The start and finish of the LB2CAT Race, The Queen Mary. Photo by PWCOFFSHORE.COM

The historic IJSBA Long Beach to Catalina and Back Offshore National Championship race aka “The LB2CAT” by Jettribe and RPM Racing Enterprises has challenged man and machine for almost two decades. The sea state for this race across the channel is unpredictable and can be ocean flat (which is never completely flat) or exceptionally rough. Rough seas can and many times has separated the men from the boys and the women

Craig Warner, 2013 LB2CAT Champion

from the girls at this race. The race starts and finishes at the helm of the historic Queen Mary in the Long Beach, Ca. harbor. The race takes racers from the start behind the protection of the break wall into the treacherous and unpredictable channel between Long Beach and Catalina Island, 28 miles each way. Racers must navigate to a small SeaTow turn boat off the coast of Avalon on Catalina Island and then return 28 miles back across the channel, through Queen’s Gate and into the Long Beach Harbor to cross the finish line behind the Queen Mary. Many are intimidated by this race; intestinal fortitude prevails for those who choose to enter.

This year the seas would not disappoint, mother-nature would be alive to greet racers with a rough course for the majority of the course and 4-6 foot seas for part of the track. Merely finishing this race was an accomplishment for the offshore racer.

The Kawasaki ULTRA 300X platform would continue to dominate this race with a sweep of the podium. The multiple World Champion, former Triple Crown Champion and Monster Energy Kawasaki sponsored,

Craig Warner, Champion

PWCOFFSHORE.COM CORE Team member Craig Warner would take the overall win and Offshore National Championship on his Monster Energy Kawasaki ULTRA 300X with a time of 1:02:41, beating offshore teammate and veteran overall second place finisher Mark Gerner by 2 minutes and 50 seconds. This would be Warner’s 4^th overall LB2CAT title, tying legendary offshore racer and PWCOFFSHORE.COM Hall of Famer Billy

Craig Warner

Womack’s four LB2CAT titles. Should there be one more LB2CAT overall win for Craig Warner, he will make additional history as the all-time LB2CAT title leader for the history of the LB2CAT Race. This would be the second consecutive 2^nd place finish for PWCOFFSHORE.COM founder and former Triple Crown Champion Mark Gerner behind Warner and third 2^nd place finish at the LB2CAT behind Craig Warner for Mark Gerner on his Steve Friebe built Kawasaki ULTRA 300X.

Mark Gerner, 2nd

Third place overall would be achieved by three Time Vet-Master IJSBA World Champion and Iron-Man Triathlete KC Heidler. All three of these racers comprise the CORE Team of PWCOFFSHORE.COM Racing piloting the Kawasaki ULTRA 300X resulting in a podium sweep for the PWCOFFSHORE.COM CORE Team and Kawasaki. Craig Warner would say “PWCOFFSHORE.COM CORE Team, 1,

KC Heidler, 3rd

2, 3, there you go.” Of special note was KC Heidler’s performance on the course with a healing broken leg and podium finish.

The Amateur Open Class winner would be Santiago Kuan racing his Kawasaki ULTRA 300X, The Manufacture’s Stock Class would go to Michael Perry racing his Kawasaki ULTRA

Santiago Kuan

300X and a very impressive 4^th overall placing. The Super Stock Limited Class would go to California racer Akira Tananka on his Kawasaki ULTRA 260X. Kawasaki won literally every class of this race and nine of the ten spots in the top ten. Former world and national

Michael Perry

champion standup racer Tera Laho would be the sole woman racer on the course and would put in a very impressive top 10 (7^th overall) performance on her Yamaha SHO, the only Yamaha to place in the top 10. Liquid Militia Clothing would be there in force to support Tera prior to and during the competition.

Akira Tananka

The ocean would be large and confused, primarily located from the shelf forward located approximately 12 miles off the coast of the Long Beach break wall. From that point forward the seas were confused, a result of converging swells and wind waves which would pick up and get bigger as racers would approach Catalina Island. This sea-state is technical and makes it difficult for racers to find their rhythm due to the unpredictability of what the water would do in front of his/her craft. This sea-state would challenge man/woman and machine

Tera Laho

and reflects in the overall finish times for the race. This LB2CAT race would not be given out this year, it would be earned and all racers are to be congratulated for taking on the challenge. Eric and Jared Hardin would both put in impressive performances on their Kawasaki ULTRA 300X race-craft, Jared Hardin finishing with a top ten finish placing 9^th overall. Of special note is that one of the brothers, Jared did the Long Beach to Catalina Ski race the day prior to the LB2CAT PWC race, then competing in the LB2CAT PWC Race; an impressive display of endurance and athleticism.

Mike Follmer

Retired endurance and offshore racers Mike Follmer and Doug Brown were inducted into the PWCOFFSHORE.COM Racing Hall of Fame for their success and contribution to endurance and offshore racing, joining the ranks of only three additional PWCOFFSHORE.COM Hall of Fame Members, Billy Womack, Steve Friebe and John “The Master” Belton. The

Doug Brown

PWCOFFSHORE.COM Hall of Fame now has only five members and will stay “small and elite.”

The PWCOFFSHORE.COM Warrior Award was awarded to KC Heidler of South Orange County, California, joining the prestigious ranks of previous winners Craig Warner, Steve Friebe, John Belton and Ms. Shawn Alladio.

PWCOFFSHORE.COM incurred the cost to put a helicopter, film crew and photographer in the air to film this epic race and keep it alive for

future generations to witness. Sponsors are being pursued and required to ensure production, assist in offsetting the cost of DVD production etc. Contact pwc@pwcoffshore.com for sponsorship of the DVD.

Congratulations to Monster Energy Kawasaki's Craig Warner!

LB2CAT Race Page, Click Here: http://pwcoffshore.com/LB2CAT_Race_Page.html
Hall of Fame Page: http://pwcoffshore.com/Hall_of_Fame.html
Warrior Award Winners Award Page: http://pwcoffshore.com/Warrior_Award_Winners.html

Click here to go back to www.pwcoffshore.com

Below, Craig Warner

Below, Picture of Mark Gerner at 2013 LB2CAT on the Kawasaki ULTRA 300X

Above KC Heidler at 2013 LB2CAT on Kawasaki ULTRA 300X

Derek, Newton, #57

Above, Podium - Craig Warner, Mark Gerner and KC Heidler

Below, KC Heidler at 2013 LB2CAT on Kawasaki ULTRA 300X

Overall Results:
Pos. Name Number Mfg. Time Class
1st- Craig Warner #7 Kaw 1:02:41 Pro/Am Open
2nd- Mark Gerner #58 Kaw 1:05:31 Pro/Am Open
3rd- K.C. Heidler #2 Kaw 1:05:54 Pro/Am Open
4th- Michael Perry #27 Kaw 1hr:07 Mins:035 Mfg. Stock
5th- Jeff Lane #83 Kaw 1hr:11 mins:30 Mfg. Stock
6th- Nick Vanis #13 Kaw 1hr:11 mins:34 Pro/Am Open
7th- Tera Laho #64 Yah 1:13:46 Mfg. Stock
8th- Akira Tananka #470 Kaw 1:16:55 Super Stock Ltd.
9th- Jared Hardin #21 Kaw1:16:55 Mfg. Stock
10th- Santiago Kuan Kaw #30 1:20:14 Amateur Open
11th- Tommy Kolleck #777 Kaw 1:20:34 Super Stock Ltd.
12th- Dave "Pirate" Tew Kaw #33 1:20:38 Mfg. Stock
13th- Tom Cruz #12 Kaw 1:21:42 Super Stock Ltd.
14th- Eric Hardin #5 Kaw 1hr:22 mins:36 Mfg. Stock
15th- Cheng Leu #411 Kaw 1hr:23 mins:13 Pro/Am Open
16th- John Feeney #755 Kaw Amateur Open
17th- Bill Scott #51 Kaw 1hr:27 mins:12 Mfg. Stock
18th- Scott McIntosh #007 Kaw 1:37:26 Amateur Open
19th- Chris Dobbins #52 Yam 1:38:49 Amateur Open
20th- Rich Piquette #5x Sea 1:40:01 Amateur Open
21st- Kevin Edwards #283 Yam 1:45:59 Mfg. Stock
22nd- Mike Mendez #909 Kaw 1:49:33 Pro/Am Open
23rd- Derek Newton #57 Kaw 1:50:41 Amateur Open
24th- Richard Ignacio #816 Sea 1:56:01 Amateur Open
25th- Frank Gavit #75 Kaw 2:01:58 Mfg. Stock
DNF- Anthony Chalue #88 Sea Amateur Open
DNF- Scott Burtness #600 Kaw Pro/Am Open
DNF- Pat Roque #77 Kaw Pro/Am Open

Results by Class:

Pro/Am Open
Pos. Name Number Mfg. Time Class
1st- Craig Warner #7 Kaw 1:02:41 Pro/Am Open
2nd- Mark Gerner #58 Kaw 1:05:31 Pro/Am Open
3rd- K.C. Heidler #2 Kaw 1:05:54 Pro/Am Open
4th- Nick Vanis #13 Kaw 1:11 mins:34 Pro/Am Open
5th- Cheng Leu #411 Kaw 1:23 mins:13 Pro/Am Open
6th- Mike Mendez #909 Kaw 1:49:33 Pro/Am Open
DNF- Scott Burtness #600 Kaw Pro/Am Open
DNF- Pat Roque #77 Kaw Pro/Am Open

Amateur Open
Pos. Name Number Mfg. Time Class
1st- Santiago Kuan Kaw #30 1:20:14 Amateur Open
2nd- John Feeney #755 Kaw Amateur Open
3rd- Scott McIntosh #007 Kaw 1:37:26 Amateur Open
4th- Chris Dobbins #52 Yam 1:38:49 Amateur Open
5th- Rich Piquette #5x Sea 1:40:01 Amateur Open
6th- Derek Newton #57 Kaw 1:50:41 Amateur Open
7th- Richard Ignacio #816 Sea 1:56:01 Amateur Open

Super Stock Ltd.
Pos. Name Number Mfg. Time Class
1st- Akira Tananka #470 Kaw 1:16:55 Super Stock Ltd.
2nd- Tommy Kolleck #777 Kaw 1:20:34 Super Stock Ltd.
3rd- Tom Cruz #12 Kaw 1:21:42 Super Stock Ltd.

Mfg. Stock
Pos. Name Number Mfg. Time Class
1st- Michael Perry #27 Kaw 1:07 mins:035 Mfg. Stock
2nd- Jeff Lane #83 Kaw 1:11 mins:30 Mfg. Stock
3rd- Tera Laho #64 Yah 1:13:46 Mfg. Stock
4th- Jared Hardin #21 Kaw1:16:55 Mfg. Stock
5th- Dave "Pirate" Tew Kaw #33 1:20:38 Mfg. Stock
6th- Eric Hardin #5 Kaw 1:22 mins:36 Mfg. Stock
7th- Bill Scott #51 Kaw 1:27 mins:12 Mfg. Stock
8th- Kevin Edwards #283 Yam 1:45:59 Mfg. Stock
9th- Frank Gavit #75 Kaw 2:01:58 Mfg. Stock