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Publisher/ Michael Ratti Editorial Director michael@proridermag.com Graphic Design Ronny McHenry ronny@proridermag.com Michael Ratti Photography Ronny McHenry ronnymac.com Contributors Ryan Hardwick, Ross Champion, Matt Rose, Danielle Gavagni, Shawna Sims, Cade Poole, Johnny Leftly, Amy Green, Michelle Petro, Lucas Vasconcelos, Trey Frame, Robert Sand, Jordan Fielder Advertising www.proridermag.com 770.843.4046
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his issues money shot was captured in Belle River Canada during the IJSBA National Tour. Dustin Farthing had just taken another win, and was cruising back to his pit. I was waist deep in the water when Dustin rode around me giving me the staredown. I was pretty damn stoked at the time, and even more so when I saw the photo. You can even see the Wicked Princess still waving the checkered flag in the background. There were several reasons why we chose to have King D grace the first print issue of Pro Rider. Dustin wrapping up the National Tour Championship, being the defending World Champion for the issue we will debut in Havasu, and the support Dustin, Ryan Hardwick, and Mountain Motorsports have shown to Pro Rider from the very start. All these are excellent reasons for the cover, but the main reason is, it simply looks badass and in your face. We want to shake things up in this sport, and get away from the standard PWC magazine look and content. For us, this cover fits the bill perfectly. We really hope you all like it too.
michelle@proridermag.com 525 Huiet Dr. McDonough,Ga 30252
We welcome your company and industry news. Please include digital photos with your press release and send to michael@proridermag.com. We cannot be responsible for unsolicited product samples. Publisher does not assume liability for products or services advertised herin. Pro Rider Magazine is published bimonthly by Michael Ratti, LLC. All content is copyrighted by Pro Rider Magazine and reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Pro Rider Magazine reserves liabiity in the event of an error to a printed correction.
Portia Baldwin in Myrtle Beach
- RonnyMac
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By Michael Ratti Dear Pro Rider, I am a novice rider and love going to free rides and competitions. I want to start traveling to more and more events. Do you have any tips on making road trips? -Andrew M. Andrew, that is a great question. Let’s face it, if you’re going to dedicate your time and energy to attending some of the best jet ski events in the country; there will be some long hauls involved. Here are a few tips on how to make them go smoothly. Bring: -Fellow sick-minded characters that are willing to help one another, who will have a good time -Plenty of traveling supplies such as food on-the-go, water, energy drinks, and an emergency traveling kit for your vehicle and trailer -Spare parts and tools in case your skis break -Extra riding gear and a helmet, you never know when you might need it -Safety meeting supplies Do Not Bring: -Friends who will get on your nerves after an hour. If you can’t stand them for an hour, why would you subject yourself, and others, to 10?! -Carnivorous, flesh-eating animals -Perishable foods -Lady-friends who have not been forewarned of the possible chaotic scenarios that lay ahead -Anything you do not want tossed out of a hotel room window Dear PR, I freakin’ love your magazine and everything that you’re doing for the sport! I want to be sure that I can follow you everywhere you go, how can I do this? -Chad C. Well Chad, we certainly appreciate your compliments and are very happy to have friends like you supporting us, but uh, by “following us”, we hope you don’t mean “stalking us”, you wouldn’t want to do that…The PR team is guarded by an invisible security team of blackbelt ninjas at all times, who are not afraid to use their deadly skills. However, you can follow our latest travels and event updates online at www.proridermag.com and Facebook.com/ProRiderMag. Be sure to come see our booth and release party (thanks to Hydro Turf ) at the 2011 IJSBA World Finals. We will also be supporting and covering events nationwide in 2012!
Hey Pro Rider, When reading the article on page 45, (in the July/August Online Teaser issue) it talks about the crash from Montgomery Alabama. It mentioned that we were going 65mph. Actually, our boats are capable of a true 90mph in closed course race trim. At that time, we were doing every bit of 85mph when the crash occurred. This photo was taken the day after, it wrapped around my entire back. We were skipping like rocks! -Trey Frame Trey, the dismount was superb and would score well among the freestyle judges, but the landing was a little shaky. We are happy that your boo-boo is okay, which obviously didn’t seem to slow you down too much. Congrats on the Third Place podium overall finish for the 2011 National Tour! You know you’re at the World Finals when… (Top 10 from the Pro Rider Facebook page) 1. Some kid flips his ski in a rather small swimming pool with no problem at all. 2. You can see the intake grate of the boat beside you. 3. Jack Tacos are nearby. 4. An ATV full of racers wastes your rental car at a stoplight drag race. 5. Your rental car railroad track jump ends up in a video segment. 6. You drive five miles in any direction and are mistaken for being on Mars. 7. Five skis on the line turns into Twenty. 8. You’re broke before you arrive
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because you gambled too hard in Las Vegas. 9. You spend your life savings just getting to the event, only to break on the line during your first moto. 10. You wake up naked and alone, face down in the sand with a Kokomo mug in one hand, a bikini top in the other, wearing nothing but a cowboy hat and flip flops. Your head is pounding to the rhythm of a cowbell, you’re due in staging in 10 minutes, and you have to find your way to the pits by following the smell of race fuel and the sound of Flyin’ Brian’s bad jokes over the PA.
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Sponsors:
RH Mountain Motorsports, Monster
Energy, Kawasaki RC Blowsion, GoFast Sports, HydroTurf, Cold Fusion, Light Weight, Jet Pilot, Bomber Eyewear, Tuf Stands, Worx Racing Components, Light Studio Deluxe, Novi, Fullgaz
Current ski setup:
RH IJSBA Stock Class Kawasaki Ultra
300X: Farthing Racing Steering System, Farthing Racing Ride Plate, Farthing Racing Intake Grate, Farthing Racing Sponsons, Farthing Racing Air Intake System, Farthing Racing Modified Impeller RC “Blowzionized” hull from LightWeight.de, with a flat deck.
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Where do you train?
RH Home gym RC Oceanside, California…although I’ve been pretty dry lately.
Latest podium:
RH IJSBA National Tour in Charleston, WV
RH I don’t think a movie about me
would ever get made, so it could only be called “Working Title”. RC Um…well, there was one made during the 09 season that I’m pretty sure will never see the light of day.
RC The 2011 Jet Jump Xtreme, and the
What other sports are you good at?
Childhood hero:
“Good.” I think I am “good” at racing motorcycles, but Farthing may disagree! RC Tonsil hockey
first stop of the IFWA World Tour in Montalivet France.
RH He-Man RC Damon Bradshaw Favorite music:
RH Alternative Rock RC mmmh
Traction: RH Jettrim
Who do you enjoy riding with?
anything else is a mystery to me.
If someone made a movie about
RC Hydro-Turf, why anyone would use
you, what would the title be?
RH Farthing and Gee RC O-Side Crew
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RH Depends on your definition of
Last big maneuver that got you psyched:
RH My barrel roll into a tail stall on my
spec Wave Blaster in Panama City. RC I’m pretty stoked on Ally-oop 360 re-entries right now.
Last country that you visited:
RH Canada, for the Belle River tour stop and the Sea-Doo dealer show.
RC France
What event site/s do you look forward to the most?
RH The World Finals in Lake Havasu. Simple. RC The Blowsion Surf Slam!
Dream car:
RH Lambo Aventador RC 1978 Cadilliac Fleetwood Brougham Proudest all-time career achievements:
RH My racing achievement would be
winning a World Title in 2002. Professionally would be when our Mountain Motorsports dealerships sold over 2,000 units in one year. RC Winning the IFWA World Titles in 2008 and 2009 are a really close second to the first contest I won in Portugal at the first stop of the IFWA Tour in 2007. I had no real support (except for Hydro-
Turf ) at that time, and was on the worst clapped out SJ you could imagine, but the surf was really good!
Favorite rider other than you:
RH I would say Farthing, but that would
make his ego grow even larger, so I will go with Jacobs! RC Christian Young! By far! The kid is a great rider and he gets better all the time. But Mark Gomez and Zack Bright would be tied for a close second.
Last time you partied too hard:
RH Every time I am in Vegas. RC 30th birthday…no question. Sorry
Carla!
Plans for the upcoming future:
RH Finish our new dealership in Mari-
etta, Georgia, and continue the development of our new line of Farthing Racing performance parts. RC Right now I’m putting 100% of my PRORIDERMAG.COM
time and effort in to changing the way people think about boat decks and nonskid in the marine industry through my business Soft Deck. Once we get successfully launched I’m looking forward to being able to spend a little more time in the water again.
Last time you were scared:
RH When Farthing and I saw the blue
lights when we were “Tokyo Drifting” our rental car in Harbor Beach, MI.
RC I’m pretty scared right now!
Favorite conditions to compete in:
RH I love competing when the pressure
is on. So I would have to say the pressure of Havasu is my favorite “condition” to compete in. RC 4-6 foot, glassy and hollow!
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Where are you from?
A city called Nottingham, in the United Kingdom. What is unique about your home town? It’s where the story of Robin Hood comes from, and also has the oldest soccer team in the world.
What do you race?
When I was 9, I started racing jet skis. I raced for 9 years, winning British, European, and World Championships. In 2009, I decided to start racing the British Mini Bike Super Cross Nationals. I raced for two years. The first year, I finished 5th. I had a few podiums but lack of experience, and crashes, were the things that kept me from winning. In 2010, I took the title. I was pretty happy to have won Championships in two different extreme sport disciplines.
What made you decide to become one of the first racers to use the big-block race numbers?
Interview by: Michael Ratti Photos by: RonnyMac & CGP When was Central GA Powersports founded? Who was involved? Matt Reno (owner), started Central Georgia Powersports in 1997 in Macon, Georgia. Prior to that (since 1988), he bought and sold stand-ups in Lake Tahoe Nevada where he also rode and raced in regional events. What products and services do you offer customers? We have the largest selection of used watercraft anywhere! We have anywhere between 100-300 used units in stock. We also service, repair, and provide paint and body work. When are you available to customers? We are open Monday through Saturday from 9am to 6pm, but our phones rollover to our cell phones, and we answer calls at all times. We have even sold and delivered units after midnight on more than one occasion. What do you offer that makes Central GA Powersports unique from other dealerships? If it is a used watercraft, we have it! Most dealerships have 2 maybe 3 used units in stock, and they deal with motorcycles, ATV’s,UTV’s, and Scooters. All we deal with is watercraft and we do it well. People drive from all over the Southeast to buy from us. To see this selection you would have to drive to over 20 locations to see what we keep in stock daily. What are some of your top selling personal watercraft models? In today’s market, the Yamaha VX110 has dominated sales until we put the customers on a Sea Doo RXT or GTX; then, the performance gets them. What is your personal favorite personal watercraft model? I’m still old school and really like the 1996 Yellow Seadoo XP, but of the new stuff, I would have to say the RXPX 255. What do you enjoy most about personal watercraft? The freedom and alone time with no phones, computers, and just enjoying the time to yourself. What did you enjoy most regarding your support with the previous Pro Hydro-X Tour competition in Macon? The passion, and the enjoyment of a super group of people who love the sport. Do you plan on supporting any other PWC related events? We are open to anything that comes our way and that continues to drive the sport. Do you currently sponsor or plan to support any current PWC competitors or teams? I always help local riders, racers, and plan on being part of all local events. Have you ever attended the IJSBA World Finals? If so, what is your greatest memory? Yes a few of them. My greatest memory would be meeting and hanging out with Larry Rippenkroeger one night at the London Bridge Resort in Lake Havasu. PRORIDERMAG.COM PRORIDERMAG.COM
It was more about creating a brand about me and the number 37. What better of a way to do it than to paint a huge NASCAR-style 37! The original idea was Ronnie’s, from RSR. To be honest, I was a little unsure about how it was going to look but John from Blowsion did an awesome job. I think the idea has created history in the sport.
Ever competed at the Blowsion Surf Slam before? How did you do?
I competed in 2009 and finished 2nd behind Dustin Motzouris. I was riding with a broken wrist at the time from a super cross crash. It was a last minute decision to race the Surf Slam. I had been retired since 2005, so my Jet Ski skills were not 100 percent. Dustin is an awesome racer and very competent in the surf.
Besides jet skiing what else do you like to do?
Motorcycle road racing, wakeboarding, snowboarding, BMX, motocross What do you anticipate to encounter at the 2011 Blowsion Surf Slam? Well, the North West coast can throw anything at you. Usually this time of year it’s not too big, but anything can happen.
Any injuries from riding?
Two broken wrists, a broken collar bone, separated shoulder, broken hand, and I have broken my ribs three times. Word is that you’re moving to the USA? How has that experience been? In 2011, I moved to the US to start training to compete in the AMA Road Racing Super Sport Championship. In the US, RSRacecraft is my family and they take great care off me. Road Racing is a serious challenge, but it’s one that I am looking forward to.
Who has helped you with your watercraft career?
Ronnie & Katy at RSRacecraft, John Dady from Blowsion, Hydro Turf, N&C Jet Ski, Slippery, Hot-Products, Silkolene, Novi, and Line-1. My Mom and Dad are the reason that I started and have guided me, and supported me, in anything that I have ever done.
Last movie you watched?
Point Break, it’s old but still a classic.
What advice can you give on how you prepare for a race?
Physically, just train hard , make sure that you are at your physical peak. Eat healthy and drink plenty of fluids. About three days before, lightly exercise to keep your muscles working. Mentally, I just try to keep calm. I always wake up early on race day and do a light run so my body is awake. I am always calm and joking throughout the day. It’s important to keep your heart rate and stress down on race day until it’s time to actually start racing. Just treat it like any other day. When I am going to the start line is when I start to prepare myself for the race.
What are some of your past titles?
11 British Titles: 3-time Junior, 1-time Stock, 3-time Limited, 3-time Super Stock 3 European Tittles: 2-time Junior Ski Stock 3 World Titles: Expert Ski limited, Expert Ski Super Stock, Pro-Am Mod
What would you do if you had a time machine?
There are lots of things that I would change, but I am a great believer in not living in the past. You need to look at the choices or mistakes you made, think back to why you made them, and learn from them to help make you a better more successful person and racer.
First beverage you would drink to celebrate a win? A six-pack of Corona.
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