Ski Lites · First race

First race tech checklist

What you are checked on before your first Ski Lites race, and what ends a race day when it is missing. Print it, and tick it off in the pit.

Read from the rulebooks, not from an inspection. The technical inspector at the event has the last word.

You (4)

• Flotation device (PFD). Meeting local buoyancy requirements, "typically U.S. Coast Guard Type I or Type III", in sound condition, worn at all times on the water. Inflatable PFDs are not allowed. (IJSBA GEN.7.2)
• Helmet. Full coverage, with chin and mouth protection, meeting local requirements "often including internationally recognized DOT and Snell Foundation motorized vehicle standards". No bolt-on chin guards. A face shield must pivot with no locking mechanism, or have a quick release. No plastic, bicycle-type or BMX headgear. Not required for freestyle competitors during freestyle competition. (IJSBA GEN.7.3)
• Back protection. Required for all Ski competitors except freestyle. (IJSBA GEN.7.4)
• Engine stop lanyard. A lanyard-type engine stop switch. Freestyle is excluded. (IJSBA GEN.8.9)

The SuperJet (2-stroke): parts that are measured

• RIVA Racing ride plate, Yamaha SuperJet. IJSBA SKL.2.5, IHRA J.18.1: legal with conditions. The limit, quoted
• Solas impeller, Yamaha SuperJet 701. IJSBA SKL.6.1, IHRA J.18.2: legal with conditions. The limit, quoted
• Not fitted: Factory Pipe exhaust, Yamaha SuperJet 701. Not legal under IJSBA (SKL.3.6).

Every part checked legal for Ski Lites on this ski, in one message: the SuperJet Ski Lites Tech-Pass Kit.

In the pit box (3)

• Spark plugs, one full spare set. On the Yamaha SuperJet 701, the plug most people fit is the wrong one: B8ES and BR8ES are 19mm reach where the Yamaha head takes 12.7mm, which puts six millimetres of extra thread and the electrode inside the chamber. On the Kawasaki SX-R 800, BR8ES is the specified plug, so a pit that runs both machines needs two sets.
• Fuel line and clamps. A fuel tank that is not securely mounted, or a leaking hose or connection, fails technical inspection outright in this class. Cheap, small, and unavailable at most venues.
• Impeller wear ring or pump seal kit. Sand or gravel gouges the wear ring and pump efficiency drops at once, which is common on shallow and beach starts. The source documented this on a Sea-Doo HX, not a Ski Lites machine: the mechanism is general to axial pumps, the incident is not from this class.

The spec and the source for each are on the Ski Lites pit box list.

Print this checklist