Lake Tobesofkee Jet Ski races to cap off regional competitive season

Jet Ski races, high-flying flips and spins will be on full display at Lake Tobesoffkee this Saturday for the first annual U.S. Open of Watercross.

Watercross, the aquatic twin of the motorcycle racing sport known as motocross, made its way to Sandy Beach Park back in 2023, when the American Jet Sport Association held its first race in Macon.

Brad Adams, CFO of the American Jet Sport Association, said the first U.S. Open will be the “season finale” for the association’s series of summer competitions. The AJSA typically hosts and promotes races across the southeast.

This competition is expected to draw in about 100 racers from all over America, Adams said.

“With the championship we said, ‘hey, we have the best racers in the country here,’” he said. “We figured that would be the best time to come together and bring racers from other regions to see how they stack up.” 

The competition will consist of races and freestyle events, akin to figure skating routines, for each different type of Jet Ski — seated and stand up, modded and unmodded engines — age and skill level. 

With the races, riders try to make as many laps on a course as possible within the given time. The pro races last 12-15 minutes while the amateurs and juniors race for 10 and 7 minutes.

Matthew Richuk, a North Carolina native and pro jetskier, is in first place for the AJSA’s summer series. Richuk is focused on the Pro Ski 1050 class, which includes the stock class, meaning engines can only be marginally modified and not “tricked out,” as allowed for the “all-out” GP class Jet Skis, he said.

Where GP class Jet Skis can clock 72-75 miles per hour, stock class Jet Skis are limited to 50-53 miles per hour.

While racing the course, Richuk said he makes sure that he is doing a good job of handling the Jet Ski, accounting for other racers, the waves and obstacles like the log jump.

“Jetskiing is one of the hardest sports,” Richuk said. “Similar to motocross, there’s a lot of cardio. I’ve been doing a lot of training, and the way you get better is by jetskiing, so the more you Jet Ski the better it is.”

Richuk will be racing in Macon for the first time this Labor Day weekend, with him and other racers already having zipped through courses in Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina earlier in the series.

Adams said Macon makes for a great spot because of its central location. He added that the sandy beach makes for a nice spot to hang out as opposed to a rocky or muddy beach.

The opening ceremony will be held on Saturday at 10 a.m., and the first races will begin shortly after. Races and freestyle contests will take place all Saturday and Sunday at Sandy Beach Park, and general admission is $3.