From Texas to Thailand: Local Teen Places 5th in Pro Jet Ski Tour Debut

Shortly after I came back from the opening round of the WGP#1 Jet ski
race series in Japan, Derek Correll, my 1 man crew, and I received a
phone call from my dad telling me we will be traveling to Chon Buri,
Thailand for round 2 of the Jetski Pro Tour.

With less than a week’s notice, Derek and I managed to squeeze in a
local race to prepare myself before flying overseas. Our journey
started in Dallas, Texas. Our flight included multiple stops. First,
we stopped in Los Angeles, California, then stopped in Taipei, Taiwan
before arriving in Bangkok, Thailand. With close to 30 hours of
traveling, we finally made it to our destination. After a short amount
of rest, we met up with our ski, tested some of my BNJ race parts, and
went testing. With the help of my parents, I was able to purchase my
own race ski over here in Thailand.
When race weekend finally arrived, I was filled with anxiety. This
would be my first pro tour race. Thailand builds some of the fiercest
Jet Ski racers in the world, and competing against them was no joke.
The water conditions were extremely rough and unpredictable. Nothing
back in America could have prepared me for this event. In my first
moto, I came off my ski a few times, and managed to secure 7th. It was
a huge mental and physical shock to my body.

While I was resting in between motos, I began strategizing on how I
can better my laps. The conditions only worsened, and my competition
was tough. I knew some of my competitors were full-time racers, with
fast skis, and more training. Although, one thing remained consistent.
Everyone was coming off their skis. My goal was to stay on my ski and
take it one buoy at a time. On the line, I kept one word in my mind:
outlast. As the race started,  I got a good jump on everyone else.
Unfortunately,  I fell shortly after, and I was furious. I took a deep
breath and started to race my heart out. In some pivotal moments, I
was able to overtake a few riders, and earned a respectable 4th place.
This was crucial to make up for my disappointing first moto.

At the end of the weekend, I managed to claw my way up to 5th place on
the podium. This was by far my most meaningful trophy I’ve earned on
the track. I gained so much experience from this race, and I’m looking
forward to coming back for round 3. To me, the best part of racing is
the opportunity of meeting new people. The friendships I make around
the world make anywhere feel like a home. The bonds I build are worth
more than any title or potential prize money I could be awarded.

 You wouldn’t believe how much work it takes to get a kid on the
water, and I really want to thank the Nattanan Family for all of their
support this weekend, both as a race team and as a family. They
adopted me as one of their own, and I am so grateful to be considered
as one of their sons. A special thank you to my sponsors for believing
in me, even though I’m just a kid.