IJSBA announces Pro Watercross as first premiere partner in the United States of America.  This partnership will be intsrumental in strong directions for 2026 as well as new faces and new perspectives helping to forge an evolving identity for racing.  2026 will see a muti faceted approach which centers around exposure and opportunities for all levels of Personal Watercraft Racing as well as further outreach to enthusiasts.  Please see their press release below.

Honoring the Legacy. Redefining the Future.

For nearly half a century, Lake Havasu and the International Jet Sports Boating Association have built
their legacies side by side, together shaping one of the most recognized venues in personal watercraft
racing. As we launch the 2026 Pro Watercross National Tour, dubbed “The Road To Havasu”, we aren’t
just racing for trophies, we are racing to preserve a 45-year tradition while ushering in a bold new era of
unity for the sport. This allows IJSBA to play to its strength in maintaining administrative roles and legal
aspects of the sport while giving Pro Watercross more opportunity to find new directions for the racing.

In 2026, Pro Watercross will return to the IJSBA as a sanctioned promoter, a thoughtfully considered
move that sets the stage for a transformative chapter in 2027. This marks the beginning of a fresh
outlook on how the National Champion is crowned and how the sport evolves, while unifying the sport
from within. We are retooling the tour to ensure the World Finals in Lake Havasu truly benefits the
Privateer Racer by optimizing the Havasu experience to reward the immense effort and travel costs
invested to compete in the Jet Ski Capital of the World.

The independent racer is at the core of what we are doing, they are the athletes who wrench on their
own skis and fund their own travel. These racers make up the vast majority of our base, and are the
lifeblood of this tour. We are committed to making racing more affordable without sacrificing the
professional stage we believe Pro Watercross racers deserve. This is a race program for everyone. The
budget racer will be given the same attention and opportunity as the big trailer teams.

By strategically aligning multiple National Tour stops with Regional Races, we are reducing the travel
burden. This unified format allows racers to “stretch their dollar” by competing for both regional
recognition and national points during a single, high-impact weekend. The cost to enter these National
Tour events will remain the same as a Regional event! We plan to give you an elevated experience in
racing whether you attend one round or the entire season.

Visibility and viewership should be for all, benefitting everyone in our sport; the sponsors, promoters,
venue locations and participants, including privateers. Our partnership with National television
networking provides a massive platform to help reach all audiences passionate about racing. We aren’t
just filming the leaders; we are telling the “Narrative of the Hunt,” highlighting the grit of racers
throughout the entire field. Every stop is designed to generate professional media. We provide the
high-quality photos, video clips, and TV airtime racers need to deliver real ROI to their local sponsors.

The 2026 season features a robust nine-stop schedule, culminating in the prestigious Championship
Finale in Lake Havasu City, AZ, home to the iconic London Bridge and Body Beach. To ensure a fair pursuit
of the title, the 2026 Tour Champion will be determined by a racer’s top four scores from the regular
season, combined with their performance at the Road to Havasu Finale. Top finishers will be invited to
pit out of the Pro Watercross VIP Pit area and will receive additional coverage at World Finals.

In the event that certain classes do not meet the minimum score requirements for this formula, the
champion will be determined by total overall points accumulated throughout the season. This
dual-layered structure rewards both season-long consistency and peak performance on the grandest
stage.

Class offerings will be prioritized based on national high-point statistics, ensuring deep fields and
high-octane racing in the most popular categories.

We believe in honoring the dedication of those who drive this sport forward. Recognition will be
extended to the top five finishers in each class.

To match the prestige of a National Title, Trophy Extreme will be the official award provider for the 2026
Tour Champions! These one-of-a-kind awards are being custom-engineered to a scale and quality that
reflects the magnitude of a national victory.

The 2026 season serves as the foundation to a transformative 2027, as we are building a future of
combined events that will further streamline the path to the World Finals. Solidifying the Havasu
experience as the gold standard of racing, we believe in continuing this experience for generations to
come. We honor the 45-year history of the sport while prioritizing a future where the independent racer
can thrive, get noticed, and win. IJSBA has invited Pro Watercross to be a unifying conduit for changes in
the racing program and developing different perspectives that come from a collective national effort.

As we look toward 2027, we are exploring a unified combo-event where the National Tour and the World
Finals converge. This approach aims to streamline the championship process, allowing independent
athletes to compete for both National and World honors in a single, high-impact residency, maximizing
both their resources and their media exposure on high profile national television coverage.

The Road to Havasu starts here.

Scoring Summary:
● Nine weekends = 9 National Championship rounds
● Four rounds (and only four rounds) will be counted towards National Points
● Each National round consists of 4 motos
● Scoring
o Two (2) motos on Saturday to determine finish position of Saturday’s race based on
IJSBA points. So for a combined Regional Race nothing changes with the standard
scoring system per round.
o Two (2) motos on Sunday to determine finish position of Sunday’s race based on IJSBA
points. So for a combined Regional Race nothing changes with the standard scoring
system per round.
o Overall finish will be determined off lowest points based on each day’s finish position:
o Example- Racer finishes 2/1 on Saturday, they got a 1st overall for Saturday, earning 60
points. Racer finished 1/2 on Sunday, they got a 1st overall for Sunday and the racer
earned 60 points, totalling 120 points total on the regional round. That racer on the
National Tour would have a 1/1 –they would have the lowest score when added
together equaling 2– Racer would leave with 60 points for the National Tour for the first
place finish over the course of 4 motos.

We are using this format for ease of scoring in our systems and are open to feedback on how to
incorporate both scoring systems into this Co-Op method.

● Championship Points
o Each racer’s best 4 national round results (out of 9) will count toward the Road To
Havasu National Championship.
o Racers are encouraged to race as many National Tour stops as possible but only your
best four finishes will count towards the National Championship points. The finale round
in Lake Havasu is not a mandatory round.
o The Lake Havasu finale (September 25–27) will serve as the season finale and
championship and will determine the best racer in the country!
o Racers that cannot travel the full distance of the tour could choose rounds that are
near their home base, east coast racers would likely hit eastern rounds, west coast
racers would likely hit west coast rounds and the final round will end up looking like a
East Vs West shootout, it will not be classified as a true east west shootout this year,
this could set the groundwork for what a true shootout looks like in 2027.

2026 Pro Watercross USA Tour Stops:
● Round 1: March 6-8. Orange, TX (Co-op with NAUTI WATER Outlaw Series)
● Round 2: April 24-26. Sebring, FL
● Round 3: May 8-10. Lake Havasu, AZ (Co-op with NAUTI WATER Lake Havasu Series)
● Round 4: May 22-24. Paris, TX (Co-op with NAUTI WATER Outlaw Series)
● Round 5: June 19-21. Lubbock, TX (Co-op with NAUTI WATER Outlaw Series)
● Round 6: July 24-26. Midwest TBD (Co-op with NAUTI WATER Outlaw Series)
● Round 7: August 14-16. TBD, Florida
● Round 8: August 21-23. Midwest- TBD (Co-op with NAUTI WATER Outlaw Series)
● Round 9: August 28-30. Sylvan Beach, NY (Co-op with East Coast Watercross Tour)
2026 Pro Watercross USA Tour / Season Finale Championship Round:
● September 25-27. Lake Havasu, AZ. (Co-op with NAUTI WATER Lake Havasu Series)