MANILA, Philippines - Filipino jet ski champion Paul del Rosario joined the elite class of world jet ski riders as he emerged world No. 6 following his impressive debut in the Pro Runabout division of the 2011 Quakysense World Jet Ski Finals recently at Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
It was also one big feat for the Petron-Quakysense-Philippine Jet Ski team as Del Rosario, racing under the Rius Racing Team, now emerged the No. 1 Asian in the world’s top 10, despite competing for the first time in the highly competitive Pro division, which features the fastest watercrafts in the world.
After capturing the world amateur crown last year, he now joins the inner circle of the biggest names in jet ski racing. The Top 10 includes ace champion riders Nicolas Rius, Dustin Farthing, Craig Warner and Sam Harvey.
James Bushshell of England won this year’s plum with American champions Farthing and Warner in second and third. Jared Moore of South Africa made it fourth with 15-time world champion Rius of France winding up fifth just ahead of Del Rosario, who’s backed up by Petron Corporation, Manila Cordage, Quakysense, Stoked Inc., Networx Jetsports and Kaswa Industries.
Del Rosario also nearly ended up with the Expert Runabout title as he and Kuwait ace Abdullah Alfadhel finished tied in points. However, in the tiebreaker, the Kuwaiti bet emerged champion with his better finish in the final race. An unlucky collision with the national champ of Cayman Islands left Del Rosario with the runner-up trophy.
The only other Asian in the Pro top 10 list was Japanese national champion Hajime Isaiha.
Paul said he felt the pressure as he had a hard time adjusting to this tougher competition where he fell into several errors at the start. His cousin Jun de Jesus, his mechanic and fellow RP champ BJ Ang, were crucial in getting his focus back in the race, stressing that national pride is at stake.
“I’ve never raced at such a fast pace and it’s a surreal experience riding against the world’s best whose names I’ve been reading in magazines and I’ve been idolizing before. And it was extremely difficult racing in the division, which features topnotch riders and machines that push human endurance to the limit,” said Del Rosario.
“Thanks to the Rius Racing Team and the proper organization of the IJSBA, I quickly adjusted to the racing conditions the next day and raced more consistently in the final race,” he added.