The IJSBA Quakysense World Finals is regarded as the most prestigious personal watercraft race in existence. The World Finals attracts racings top riders from all over the world to compete for the title of being the world champion. Lake Havasu City home to the World Finals is also home to two of the top riders in the world who were favorites by many to take home this title, Chris and Rachel MacClugage. Both Chris and Rachel entered the world finals as US National Champions in their P.W.C. racing classes. Weeks before the event the two riders trained both physically and mentally for what was ahead of them.

2009 US National Champion in the runabout division, and also a 13 time World Champion Chris MacClugage entered the event backed by Monster Energy and Yamaha, aboard two Yamaha FZR’s. Chris was set to race in the very competitive Pro Runabout Open and Stock class. After weeks of preparation and testing, the Macc Racing team felt as if they had the fastest boat on the water, and they were right. In moto one of Pro Runabout open, Chris pulled an incredible hole shot as he led the field to the first turn. Once Chris had reached the back straight-away he had a massive lead over second place, leaving no doubt who had the absolute fastest boat on the water. Unfortunately Chris experienced an unexpected clutch failure on lap four while leading the race. The mechanical failure would take Chris out of contention for the win in moto 1, Chris managed to finish the race in 5th place and with many of his competitors also experiencing mechanical problems Chris was still in contention for the overall heading into moto 2. In moto 2 of pro runabout open, Chris got off to a 5th place start and managed to battle his way through the pack and finish in 2nd place, giving him a 3rd place spot on the podium.

In the Pro Runabout stock class, Chris fought his way through the field after a poor start, and managed a 2nd place finish in moto 1 in an incredible comeback that had the spectators at the edge of their seats, for the entire race. Unfortunately bad luck would plague the US National Pro Runabout Stock champion Chris again in moto 2, while entering a turn Chris got tangled up with an inexperienced racer. This collision would drop him back to 11th place and out of contention for the world title. Chris did not have the outcome he expected coming into the World Finals. He would walk away from the week with his head held high, as a 3rd place finish in Runabout was an amazing accomplishment given the circumstances.

To be the best in the world at your sport is merely a fantasy for most professional athletes, but for Pro Women’s Ski racer Rachel MacClugage in 2009 it was a reality and was also the motivation behind everything she did in preparation for the week. During the 2009 season Rachel trained very hard and left nothing behind, and weeks before the World Finals Rachel turned it up another notch training everyday in preparation for the race. Rachel and her husband Chris worked very hard as a team, using his experience as a professional athlete to show her how to train at the highest level. They also worked very hard in testing and preparation of her race boat, with hopes that she would walk away the world champion. Rachel would not disappoint her husband, as she rode two very smart and strong motos with a 2nd place finish in both, and a 1st place over all giving her the World Championship in Pro Women’s Ski. Rachel’s win was the highest honor possible in Jet Ski racing, an amazing accomplishment that she worked very hard for.

Rachel and Chris would like to personally thank the following people for their support, Monster Energy (Terri Sacks), MoTeC (Pete Sweeny), R&D (Bill Chapin, Glen Dickenson), Yamaha Motor Corp. (Scott Watkins), Yamalube, Alpina Watches, Quakysense, HT-Moto, Strawrubby Underwear, JE Pistons, Peter De Smet (JSU.BE), Holders Jeffery & Tiny, Simon Gill, Nao Maeda, Don Baynes, Lee Manvell, and Jason Billings.