Rough conditions take down big names

The Pacific proved a brutal force for competitors in the 2010 Long Beach to Catalina and Back APBA Offshore National Championships on July 18. Countless big-name pros would suffer breakdowns in the rough waters between Long Beach and Catalina Island, leaving those on stock machines to fare best. After a brutal crossing and heavy fog, Kim Bushong would hold on for the win, with Paul Pham taking second and Brian Steeves rounding out the top three.

The race hadn’t even begun when one of the early favorites, Chris MacClugage, would be forced to bow out due to mechanical problems. That would leave another seasoned veteran, Craig Warner, to lead the race out of the Queen’s Gate, followed closely by Sean Conner, Pat Roque, Lee Phan, Chris Lawrence, Mark Gerner, Robert Carreon, Andy Wise, and Taylor White. Those positions, however, would not last long. Carreon was first to break as the racers ventured into the big water outside Long Beach, followed by White only a mile offshore. About two miles out, race-leader Warner would also fall victim to mechanical problems, allowing Gerner to surge into the lead as racers began to enter heavy ocean fog. Roque would soon have hull problems, while Wise and then Lawrence would all suffer breakdowns battling to stay in the race.

Mark Gerner held the lead before blowing a supercharger belt. (Photo courtesy PWCOffshore.com)

With the fog forcing race helicopters to turn back to the mainland, Gerner continued to press his advantage, opening up about a two-mile lead on the pack as he reached the turn boat. But Gerner’s luck would shortly run out as well, as the Californian would blow a supercharger belt about a mile into the return leg and be forced to abandon.

Robert Carreon’s race ended shortly after hitting the big water. (Photo courtesy PWCOffshore.com)

Gerner’s breakdown would then turn the lead over to Roque, who was followed by Conner, and Bushong. But at about the halfway point of the return leg to Long Beach, Roque too would break. Bushong would go on to pass Conner and then build a sizable lead, holding on all the way back to Long Beach. Pham would ultimately pass Conner, as would Steeves. Not so surprisingly, the sole survivors of the race were all on basically stock skis. No highly modified hardware survived the brutal conditions. In fact, popular veteran Shawn Alladio simply abandoned her own race, quickly providing assistance to the massive number of riders suffering breakdowns.

Plenty of riders needed help getting back to dry land. (Photo courtesy PWCOffshore.com)

“It was carnage in the Pro Class,” said Gerner. “The pros were holding heavily modified rockets wide open in big water…and it took a toll.”