Lake Havasu City, AZ – October 3-10, 2010
Chris Macclugage of Macc Racing recently competed in the 29th Annual IJSBA World Finals held in Lake Havasu City, AZ. Some may wonder what a pro racer like Chris does to prepare for such a big event each year… Chris started preparing for the 2010 Finals at the 2009 World Finals. You ask how? Well, he analyzes the competition and sets the bar higher each year for himself and his competition.
Chris came into the 2010 IJSBA World Finals in the best shape of his life. As a favorite in the Pro Ski Open class, he did not disappoint as he battled his way through tough situations as well as some harsh conditions. Here is a little insight of how the world finals went for Macc Racing and Chris Macclugage.
It was the eve of the 2010 IJSBA World Finals and Chris and the Macc Racing team were hard at work preparing the race skis for another epic showdown with some of the best in the world. Chris was out to win his 14th World Championship. This year Chris would be competing in Pro R/A Stock on his 2011 HOMOLOGATED Yamaha FZR and Pro Ski Open on his Macc Racing Gen2 Bullet ski prepared by his mechanic Rusty Gewecke. In the weeks leading up to the finals, Chris and Rusty were hard at work each morning by 6 am at the water testing and tuning to reach the ultimate goal. Chris and Rusty had a couple things in mind and one of them was perfection which Rusty would be able to supply with the build of the Bullett open ski that he had been preparing.
The first class Chris would be racing was the Pro R/A Stock class. This class is always a fun one to watch as Chris was once again a favorite to do well in this class. On Wednesday, Chris qualified for the mains and knew that the field would be an interesting one with some very fast skis on the line this year. In Moto 1 the racers were rather disappointed with running a 6 lap Moto as most were just getting warmed up and voiced their concerns with the IJSBA staff about the low number of laps. Chris took a third place finish and looked forward to Moto 2 where he knew he would have some time to work with moving through the field if needed.
It was time for Moto 2 and Chris was determined to show that he was the one to beat as he quickly took over the lead and took a first place win in Moto 2 to finish out with a third and first for a second place overall Pro R/A Stock World Championship.
The next race for Chris was the Pro Ski Open class. Chris had been mentally & physically preparing for this race for a long time and he felt he was ready for anything and any obstacles he may come across. Saturday was qualifying and Chris qualified in the top spot with the fastest qualifying time overall in Pro Ski Open. Rusty made a few changes after the qualifier to improve the handling of the Gen 2 ski and got it ready for battle for Moto 1 on Sunday Morning.
Sunday was a new day and Chris looked like a very focused warrior as he showed up at Crazy Horse Campgrounds rested and ready to go. Rusty checked and double checked everything on the ski from top to bottom, front to back and side to side. As Rusty stated “I think I tightened and torqued every nut, screw and bolt on that ski four times last night as I woke up at 3 am not being able to sleep!” Perfection, as stated earlier, was key to Rusty and Chris and is sometimes a big part of what wins championships.
It was time for Moto 1 of Pro Ski Open and Chris must have prayed for the craziest ugliest conditions one has seen in sometime at the World Finals in Lake Havasu. With some of the waves in excess of three feet or more, it was a PERFECT STORM for Chris and Macc Racing. The conditions were shaping up to be in his favor. Chris was second coming out of the hole shot. Then, after several laps and waiting patiently, he struck like a Rinjin Dragon and never looked back. He took a commanding lead by over 12 seconds by midway thru the race.
Just after the halfway mark, Chris was on the back stretch and a lapper’s wash unexpectedly popped Chris off the side of the ski. He tried to hang on but couldn’t. As he looked back while in the water, he saw the rest of the field still on the opposite side of the track so he knew he needed to reach his ski fast in order to try and lose only one or two positions. When Chris was finally able to remount his rocket he had dropped back to ninth place but knew he had some time to make up a few spots and hopefully regain the lead. He battled his way thru the top ten and ended up with a fifth place overall finish.
As his time ran out in Moto 1, knowing that a world title was still not completely out of his reach just yet as he still had Moto 2 left. Chris returned to his pit area, sat to gather his thoughts to understand what he had done wrong and calmed himself knowing there was nothing he could do to change what just had happened. He also knew what he needed to do and that was to come back like the Pro Champion he is and show what DOMINATION is about.
Moto 2 started out with a hole shot by “The Kid” and gave the crowd a spectacular show of skill, strength, power and finesse. With a bit of an air show put on by Chris, he won Moto 2 in dominating fashion and walked away with a third place overall World Title with a five and one moto finish. Chris did an excellent job showing that even the best in the world is in no way perfect, but he shows that he strives for perfection every time he hits the track.
In vendor alley Macc Racing had a top quality vendor booth that showcased the new Gen2 Bullett hulls and Macc Racing’s new display unit with a lot of the parts that Macc Racing sells from Macc Racing Sponsons to Macc Racing Gas Caps, T-Shirts, Hoodies, etc. The booth floor was built by Boober’s Blings and the carpeting was provided by Race Deck Floors which REALLY put the finishing touches on the booth with its very easy snap together assembly. The customers really enjoyed the look and feel of the booth this year.
Chris would like to thank the following people and sponsors:
Monster Energy, Macc Racing, Bullett Hulls, Quakysense, Yamaha, Race Deck Floors, MoTeC Ignitions, Hot Products, HT Moto, Tuf Stands, Alpina Watches, JE Pistons, Liquid Militia, Ronnymac.com and Oakley.
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