Local Junior Jet Ski Racer Wins National Titles!

This past weekend was the final round of the Jettribe Mid America Jet Ski race tour. Over the past five months, it was a long, nine-round series that spanned from South, East, and West Texas to Oklahoma, Kansas, and Kentucky. Lake Weatherford, Texas, hosted the August four-day Championship, which attracted racers from all over the Midwest, California, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Your local Sulphur Spring Junior professional Jet Ski racer, Andrew Vo, is 14 years old. His family traveled thousands of miles this summer without missing a single race.

It was a tough battle on and off the racecourse for Andrew, fighting physical exhaustion, the 108-degree heat, and running more than 125 laps around the race track. It is like running a quarter-mile hard sprint 20+ times. He raced 21 total motos over the four-day event. Stand-up Jet Ski racing is a very physically demanding sport.

Fans of the sport have always had concerns and admiration for these junior racers who skillfully turn a 475lbs stand-up Jet Ski on a dime. These boats, armed with a 1050cc motor and some tuned to run on ethanol fuel, can generate over 175hp. The riders/skis reach over 60 mph in less than 800 feet. It is impressive!

Andrew Vo raced against the best junior Jet Ski racers in the nation, and he experienced emotional ups and downs with some setbacks throughout the race week. Then it all boiled down to Sunday with the final motos. While both physically and mentally spent from the four days of intense racing, Andrew Vo was able to steal a First Place finish in both the “2 Stroke” and “4 Stroke Lites” classes. Andrew earned the National Titles of First Place in “2 stroke Lites” and Second Place in the “4 stroke Lites” class.

Andrew could not have accomplished this race season without the support of his friends. The Vo family would like to thank John Lindley for race pitting and driving the Jettribe race rig and the Dollison and Wells families for looking after the family home and dog while they were constantly on the road. Andrew and his family are thankful for generous PowerSport sponsors like Nauti Shine and Cometic Gasket. Most of all, they want to thank Andrew’s teammates for pushing him to the next level, racing safely alongside him, and, most importantly, thank you for your friendships.

Plans for this racer: Andrew will prepare to start his first high school year at Sulphur Springs ISD in two weeks. Then in October, he will race at the Jet Ski World Finals in Lake Havasu, Arizona, where over 30 countries will compete. At the end of the year, his team will plan to race in Thailand for the Jet Ski World Cup. Much excitement in Jet Ski Racing lies ahead for this Junior Racer!