NEW TO THE SPORT? HERE'S SOME HELPFUL INFORMATION!

PRE-EVENT PLANNING: Knowledge is power! Know where to be and when… this checklist will help you with being prepared for the event weekend.

• Register for your race classes online. If you registered online, check-in is required and can be done at the same times listed above.
• Typically, onsite register is available: Friday 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM and Saturday 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM.
• YOU MUST BE ON SITE, CHECK-IN AND READY TO RACE BY 9:00 AM.
• Check Event specific webpage for the Host Hotel and cut-off dates for hotel discounts. Many time the Host Hotel will sell out, so make your reservations EARLY!
• Event specific webpages will also have the daily event schedule, which includes times for; riders meeting, practice, tentative start times and any evening activities.

Your best source of information will be to surf all the pages of this website - and by reading the Rule Book.

Please read below for more helpful tips for a great event weekend!

GET PLENTY OF REST THE NIGHT BEFORE

You will have a long busy day at your first event until you get used to the routine.  Get plenty of rest and leave the “partying” to those you want to beat!

DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT…

All the right GEAR for race day! Safety first: PFD (required), Leash, and Helmet (recommended). Stand Up Paddleboard, Paddle, Repair Kits and Extra Gear for back-up. Make a checklist of all items and equipment you will need for the race and then use it!  A few other suggested items to have are a cooler, EZ-Up tent or something for shade, and SUP stand (to elevate in case of rough terrain). Please Note: Event locations will each have unique ways to access the water such as beach, dock, etc. One more thing…bring a #SupSqaud of Friends & Family for SUPport!

SHOW UP EARLY

This will get you a better “pit area”, (as they call it in Pro Watercross) and will allow you to relax during your preparation.  Plan on arriving on site early (7:00 a.m.) for each day you are racing and even earlier if you don’t already know where the site is. For those with boards racked on roof of vehicle, please be aware of overhead clearance upon entering the venue & throughout! 

As soon as you arrive on site, establish your ‘pit area’, park your vehicle and immediately go over to the event registration area.  If you are pre-registered, you will check-in, sign the waiver and release form, and get your wrist band.  If you are not pre-registered, you will need a little more time to fill in the registration form as well.  

GET TO KNOW THE PEOPLE AROUND YOUR PIT AREA

Do not be afraid to ask for assistance from other racers.  You will find that most racers on the tour are great people and are always willing to help out a first-time racer as they were in your place once themselves.  Do not forget to offer your help too!  Later, your good intentions will be rewarded many times over. A.K.A. “Good VIBES for all TRIBES”

ATTEND THE MANDATORY RIDER MEETING

It is mandatory that all participants attend the published rider's meeting each day that you will be racing. Not only is it mandatory by the Pro Watercross Tour, there will be valuable information given at each riders meeting.  

Roll call for the riders meeting will begin at 8:15 AM each morning - Roll is taken to ensure that everyone's smiling faces will be seen bright and early each morning. A $50 fine will be charged to all riders that do not attend the rider's meeting. The rider's meeting typically begins at 8:30 am each morning.

After the race director presents the riders meeting information to all racers, he will meet with all the first-time riders to go over in more detail concerns and questions that new riders may have.  Pay attention and do not be afraid to ask questions.

PRACTICE/COURSE ORIENTATION

Course orientation/practice should be used strictly for what it is, allowing yourself to learn the course. The course marshal will lead you around the course for the first lap and then let you run several laps on your own.  Once again, practice is to learn the race course and NOT A RACE.  There are no points or awards for riders who finish first in practice.

• BEFORE YOU EVEN GET TO RACE PRACTICE, PRACTICE YOUR STARTS & PIVOT TURNS… A start to the race is probably the most intense point of the race, especially if you are a rookie! Closed course races will normally utilize a flag or rubber band method of starting.  The Race director will give a description of these starting procedures at the riders meeting.

PIT BOARD

The pit board will tell you what races you are in and how you finished in your races.  Make sure you check the pit board when it is announced in the morning that it is posted (typically posted during practice) and make sure you are in the correct classes.  

After you race, it usually takes at least thirty minutes for the results to be computed, confirmed, entered, and posted.  Check the pit board to see how you finished and if you qualified for the main event or need to go to the Last Chance Qualifier.  If there were not heats for your class (heats are required if there are more than the maximum number of riders allowed on the line at one time in your class), you can assume you will be automatically in the final or the second moto if the moto scoring system is being used.  

DO NOT assume that you made it to the main event without checking the pit board.  You may have missed a buoy and did not even know it. Competitors have thirty (30) minutes after the official results have been posted to contest any result.

STARTING PROCEDURE:

The “Starter” displays a card to communicate what phase of the start sequence they are in.  The “2″ card means all racers are STANDING in position on the Starting Line.  The “1″ card means that all racers are READY and the sideways “1″ card means the start band will be released in 1-3 seconds. The race starts when the band snaps. A false start by one or more racers can result in a restart.  The racer(s) that jumps the band is penalized by having to restart in the outside lane.

SCORING

• Special Note: You MUST attempt to make EVERY buoy, however If a racer misses one, they must take the black penalty buoy. If you miss multiple buoys, you must paddle around the penalty buoy once for every buoy missed. (Could cause dizziness and loss of balance!) Any racers perceived to be skipping buoys on purpose could be subject to disqualification. You will receive instruction about penalty buoys from the race director at the rider's meeting.
  • *Competitors have thirty (30) minutes after the official results have been posted to contest any result.

DURING THE RACE

Paddle your PACE and race your RACE!  Know what you can do.  If you are new to racing, do not get caught up in the start of the race. Stay persistent, consistent, and allow others to make mistakes and then take advantage of their mistakes as your opportunities.  While you may be running only a 7-13 minute race heat, it will feel like you are out there much longer – Trust Me!

BE A LEADER

Don’t follow others on the race course.  They may be going the wrong way!  If you know or think that you have missed a buoy, use a BLACK BUOY for making up missed buoys. The black buoy is outlined in the rule book but ask any question you may have at the riders meeting.

• Make sure you do not miss any buoys and that you know the race course.
• Merge buoys and checkered buoys cannot be made up.