Panama City Beach, Florida is the first of six stops of the Pro Watercross National Tour.
What is watercoss? Watercross can be simply put as motocross on PersonalWatercrafts (PWC or jetskis). The exception being, watercross visits some of the most beautiful beaches throughout the country. Each weekend brings unpredictable liquid track conditions that draw powersports fans from all over the United States to the water's edge to revel in the action at the beach. As the excitement builds as many as 20 riders and their machines race to the hole shot on a buoy-marked 1/2- to 3/4-mile track that is designed to keep the competition tight and fans close to the action. During each race of handle bar-to-handle bar competition, contenders reach top speeds of over 85 mph and utilize some of the most advanced equipment to engage in a fierce battle of skill, technology and innovation on and off the water.
At each event weekend there are three pro classes that are highlighted from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, we call this the "Pro Show". These classes filmed for television as well as live streamed. These classes are:
Pro Runabout Open: features the fastest watercrafts in the world, together in shoulder-to-shoulder competition. The intent of the Runabout (sit-down watercraft) Open class is to establish a venue in which all riders and machines can compete at their own level with the highest level of modification and performance reaching speeds up to 85mph.
Pro Ski GP: the best stand-up watercross racers and their watercrafts reach speeds of up to 75 mph on the water. These dedicated athletes test their skill, balance, and physical endurance with their lightweight watercrafts that are fine turned for maximum performance. It is up to the racer to decide whether a two-stroke (1300cc max) or four-stroke (900cc turbocharged or 1500cc naturally aspirated) engine displacement is what it takes to cross the finish line first.
Pro Freestyle: as the freestyle competitors take to the water, spectators crowd in to see the unbelievable tricks that these athletes pull off with amazing amplitude. Competitors use the stand-up watercraft to do ariel barrel rolls, no handed back-flips and sometimes 15 back flips in a row. Each competitor has a two-minute time limit to complete as many tricks and are judged on a scale of "1 to 10" with "10" being the best.