2021 IJSBA World Finals 550 Vintage Class

News

By Krisdy Riddle

And just like that, the jet ski racing season is over. The 2021 IJSBA World Finals concluded the championship on Sunday at Crazy Horse Campground in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The vintage motos were nothing short of suspenseful and exhilarating; with 18 racers in vintage 550, it was the second largest class of the weekend next to vintage X2.

IJSBA World Finals 550 Vintage Results

Place	Racer Name	Racer Number	Moto 1	Moto 2	Overall Points
1	Dan Fitzgerald	118	2	1	3
2	Coy Curtis	155	1	2	3
3	Wyland Reden	1	4	3	7
4	Andrew Cecere	476	3	4	7
5	Blake Cass	62	5	5	10
6	Peyton Hill	48	7	7	14
7	Bryson Olson	27	10	6	16
8	Michael Demauro	18	6	10	16
9	Dylan Ulrich	954	9	9	18
10	Jason Rivera	621	11	8	19
11	Rachel Cummings	95	11	11	22
12	Scott Hyke	147	12	12	24
13	Michael Prodanovich	SRB2	8	17	25
14	Brandt Teske	939	13	13	26
15	Tim Baum	10	14	14	28
16	Tim English	77	15	15	30
17	Ron Kerkes	220	18	16	34
18	Todd Bartel	325	16	18	34

IJSBA World Finals 550 Vintage Results

Place	Racer Name
1	Dan Fitzgerald #118
2	Coy Curtis #155
3	Wyland Reden #1
4	Andrew Cecere #476
5	Blake Cass #62
6	Peyton Hill #48
7	Bryson Olson #27
8	Michael Demauro #18
9	Dylan Ulrich #954
10	Jason Rivera #621
11	Rachel Cummings #95
12	Scott Hyke #147
13	Michael Prodanovich #SRB2
14	Brandt Teske #939
15	Tim Baum #10
16	Tim English #77
17	Ron Kerkes #220
18	Todd Bartel #325

Vintage 550 Moto 1

The start of moto 1 was an eye-catching sight with many recognizable faces fighting for the holeshot. Dan Fitzgerald (#118), Bryson Olson (#27), and Coy Curtis (#155) battled alongside rounding the first buoy with Olson attaining a lead clasping the inside line. Rounding the split on the first lap and a half, Curtis swept through the outside corner passing Olson. Curtis steadied his lead; followed by Olson, Fitzgerald, Andrew Cecere (#476), and Wyland Reden (#1). Coming up on the triple log jump Olson struggled over the first log jump where he steered off the track and missed the second log jump, opening up the path to Fitzgerald, Cecere, and Reden. The first moto ended with a 1st place clinch from Coy Curtis, followed by a 2nd place finish from Dan Fitzgerald, and 3rd place wrapped up by Andrew Cecere.

Vintage 550 Moto 2

Moto 2 kicked off with rough water conditions that lasted for the remainder of the race. An epic charge from Cecere propelled him towards the front of the pack, fighting close to Olson as they reached the first turn. Andrew nosed ahead by the second buoy where Bryson caught a wake and fell off his boat. Halfway through the split, Cecere lost some time whirling back to the green buoys he missed.

While former World Champion Wyland Reden and Peyton Hill (#48) flew alongside each other, Reden accelerated ahead catching Fitzgerald going into the front corner. With decades of racing experience up his sleeve, Fitzgerald managed to grab the inside line pushing Reden’s boat to a wide turn. Fitzgerald maintained a great lead for the entire race; Reden held on to 2nd until the final laps where Curtis made an incredible comeback, launching full throttle on the back straight, swooping past Reden on the outside.

World Finals Podium

Dan Fitzgerald sustained the lead, gripping a 1st place finish and 1st place overall on the 550 podium. Coy Curtis clasped a close 2nd place, landing 2nd overall; Wyland Reden completed the podium with a 3rd place finish and 3rd overall.

Photo credits: Kenny Wong