Andrew Vo Competes at the WGP#1 World Grand Prix in Poland
August 13, 2024 – Andrew Vo, your local 15-year-old Sophomore at Sulphur Springs High School, and his family traveled to Poland for 2 weeks to compete at the WGP#1 World Grand Prix / Jettribe European Championship Jetski Race. The WGP#1 Grand Prix is the highest level of Jetski racing in the world, consisting of 3 rounds: Round 1, Olszowka, Poland; Round 2, Lake Havasu City, Arizona, USA; and Round 3, the finals located at Thailand’s beautiful beaches of Pattaya. This was tremendous pressure for a young racer to compete in an arena where over 35 countries send their best of the best riders. To add to the pressure, Andrew’s sponsors, BNJ, Peter De Smet, Kylie Elmers, and Team Flamingo of Thailand, were watching from the shore. The official Kawasaki Team and Yamaha of Europe were also on site. To top it off, this event was televised on Eurosport, Star Channels, Asia Sports, and others; it has a reach of nearly 800 million households.
The Vo family view racing as just a tiny part of their journey to Poland; since racing trophies and titles fade away over time, but memories can last a lifetime! They arrived about 6 days before the event and took time to acclimate, explore, absorb, and experience Warsaw’s culture. Racing jet skis is a privilege, and very few can participate, let alone compete internationally. But the Vos, view is that the best part is the journey, not the destination. Their days consisted of visiting museums, hanging out at non-tourist spots, engaging with local people, and listening about their life, work, schools, etc. The Vo family even visited Kozminski International University in Warsaw – now a strong possibility that Andrew will attend for a semester or two. The Vos instill in Andrew that the world is small and that it’s good to have friends from all over the world, and it should not be a big deal to live, go to school, work, or own companies overseas.
Finally, race week arrived and the race family mode kicked in! Upon arrival to Olszowka, Poland, the race site located about two hours south of Warsaw, the Vo family was highly intimidated, arriving at a race site halfway across the world with pretty much a helmet, wetsuit, race vest, and some protein bars! They did not have all the team equipment, teammates, and gear they were accustomed to back in the States.
When starting to see familiar faces, they knew they were in the right place. Their international race “family” was right there in Poland. Peter DeSmet, a long-time close friend and the race organizer of IJSBA Europe, had sponsored Andrew with a Yamaha 4-stroke Super Jet watercraft, to race with, and the BNJ race team took care of the handling parts, ECU computer tuning and the total support of their race team. It was pretty unbelievable that young Andrew could have an entire pit crew taking care of him, from fuel, launching, and retrieving the skis to keeping track of which and what motos Andrew needed to race. The only thing that Andrew needed to do was to put this helmet on and do his thing – race! Plus, the Flamingo Thai Team, who sponsored Andrew last year in Thailand, provided holders and the always positive encouragement from team managers Kylie and Chao from the shore! As parents, it was such a heart-touching and grateful moment we will never forget.
The strategy walking into this race was simple, just race the best he could, and hopefully not to place last! We knew that the junior 4 strokes lites class was stacked with fast and talented kids and their skis were top notch. The Estonia rider was strong, experienced, and fast. He came from a pro racing family of two generations. The UAE rider was on a very fast ski which was probably the best money could buy. Ali Alali is a small, light, quick racer, weighing probably 65 lbs soaking wet!
Our ski was built to be reliable, so it’s basic and stock, decreasing the chance of any mechanical issues. With all these factors, the Vo family knew that Andrew couldn’t catch these other kids on the racecourse. The ultimate goal was to get on the podium. While the other riders from Latvia, UAE, Qatar, etc., were fast, but Andrew managed to stay ahead and make himself as wide as possible when cornering the turns.
The first moto out of 3 started Friday morning, the second race of the day, with Junior class (13-15 yrs old), 4-stroke lites on Yamaha Super Jets. With amazement, Andrew saw that the track and water conditions were just like home in Texas. This is what Andrew raced in similar situations, water was not too rough and a right-hand turn track with double splits! The Vo family told Andrew to race the way he had been racing at home; these kids were no different than the Mid-America/Texas racing kids; the only difference being these kids are bilingual.
All junior racers gathered at the starting line for their first moto; Andrew drew a number 3 card to line up on the inside number 3 position, which was not too bad. With the cameras panning on each rider and Dawn Dawson, the announcer, highlighting the riders’ names and sponsors, there was dead silence until all of the 1050 cc motors revved up at the starting line. Before he knew it, the light hit green, and all riders darted towards the first right-turn red buoy. From a distance, it was tough to tell who was leading; as the pack of riders rounded out their first turn on their first lap. Andrew was in 3rd place, trailing the one and two-position riders, with the rest of the pack hot on Andrew’s tail! As all the junior racers passed the grandstands and the race director waved the green flag indicating a clean start and racing continued. The shore and the crowds from the grandstand sparked alive as these junior racers flew by on their fine-tuned race skis, hitting close to 60 MPH, riding close, elbow to elbow, hugging the buoys. Andrew’s family, watching from shore, experienced fear, anxiety, and relief as all riders safely made their corners and settled into their positions.
Saturday was Andrew’s final 2 motos; this was make-it-or-break-it race day. The weather was good, with little wind; his moto was the first of the day and the first after the lunch break. So, the water was relatively calm. All riders were ready to battle; this day pretty much determined who would stand on the podium at the awards ceremony on Sunday night. Andrew’s race family prepared him as much as they could, with the best Jettribe race gear and equipment and got him to the race line. The rest was all up to Andrew. It was extremely hard to watch from shore as Andrew stood on the race line with just himself, hands tremoring with fear and anxiety, relying on his race skis, and his trusted holder from Team Flamingo, Thailand.
Heard from Andrew’s dad – “You got this; ride as you can ride; you can do this; don’t ride over your head; be smart, you are a good strong rider, and lastly have fun!”. Andrew rode a nearly perfect, smooth, and confident race for the next two motos, with only one wobble on the last moto, where the Latvia rider was just a few feet behind and almost passed Andrew. Andrew came in 3rd place in the previous two motos, earning him an overall 3rd place on the podium at the WGP#1 World Grand Prix / Jettribe European Championship. This, by far, is Andrew’s most significant
accomplishment on a race track.
One of the best moments for the race dads on shore was when the two kids, Andrew Vo from the USA and Ali Alalii from UAE, crossed the finish line, finishing 2nd and 3rd. The proud race dads shook hands and patted each other on the back! Both kids podiumed in one of the most prestigious jetski events in the world! No words could describe the pride as Andrew circled back, and looking at his family from the water, giving a head nod, then riding towards the technical inspection area for the top 3 finishers.
The takeaway from this experience was the valuable family time the Vo family shared and the international friendships forged, both old and new. The memories will last a lifetime – being immersed in another country’s culture all while gratefully experiencing overseas travel
participating in a sport they love.
The Vos cherished the journey and the people they met the most. Racing Jet skis is just a platform for the journey; titles and races will fade away, but the opportunities and relationships are what we are truly grateful for.
