The offshore competition will take place two kilometers off Bang Tao Beach with competitors required to complete one “lap” of the island, a distance of 120kms, or 74.56 miles.
The lap is broken down into two legs, starting at Bang Tao Beach and racing to Prompthep Cape, a distance of 60km, with the return leg between the two locations completing the overall distance of 120km. The quickest competitor to complete the course will be declared the winner.
The competition is divided into separate categories including: Runabout Open A class for male and female competitors; a male specific class; a female specific class; a +300HP stock C class and a novice class.
Although, at time of press, specific numbers were not confirmed, competitors representing Thailand, Australia, USA, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Germany and Russia are all scheduled to take part. The reigning world champion, Jean Bruno Pastolelo of France, has also confirmed he will be competing, making him the automatic favourite to win.
The action will take place between 8am and 5pm each day during the competition and will also be shown live on Eurosport Channel 1, which has a viewing base of over 155 million households in Europe alone, organisers confirmed.
As part of a pledge to reduce the sport’s carbon footprint, organisers have confirmed that they are introducing an eco-friendly electric jet ski for participants at the event. The ‘Orca Electric PWC’ model is a product they hope has a bright future and that will eventually be widely adopted within the martime industry.
At a press conference on Feb 23, Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn commented that the competition is a fantastic way to promote Phuket to the world as an idyllic water sports and tourism destination and that he was delighted the renowned competition has chosen Phuket as its venue for the race.
Additionally, Thammawat Wongcharoenyot, President of the Phuket Sports Association, oversaw a meeting on Thursday (Mar 2) at Phuket Provincial Hall to share details on the event, where he was joined by Damrong Chaisena, Director of the Sports Authority of Thailand Phuket Office, Phuket Vice Governor Danai Sunantarod, in addition to represntatives from local government and private sector entities.
Mr Thammawat added that the fact the competition will be using eco-friendly equipment aligns nicely with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ “Save the World” project, which aims to reduce carbon emissions caused by vehicles involved in water sports.
The event is expected to draw a high number of participants and spectators from Thailand and overseas which will also help to boost the local economy and showcase Phuket as an attractive destination for sports competition and vacation purposes.
The organisers confirmed that Laguna Phuket are currently offering special discounted rates on rooms at both their Cassia and Angsana resorts for the duration of the competition.
For more information please contact info@jetski-worldcup.com
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