9/9-10: Jet Ski Championship
Pulaski County is excited to announce that the American Jet Sport Association (AJSA) will be holding its 2023 Regional Championship at Claytor Lake State Park on September 9 and 10.
AJSA was originally formed as the Chattanooga Jet Ski Club in 2019. During its early stages, the club experimented with different jet ski courses and buoy riding at a local lake. By 2022, the club had grown to over 500 members and, that same year, hosted the largest race in the country with nearly 100 racers.
Shortly after, the American Jet Sport Association was born.
Today, AJSA is focused on hosting races exclusively in the southeast region of the country. With its headquarters located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the group works to limit its races to within a six hour circle of the city so that participating racers will not have to drive extreme distances to compete.
On Saturday, September 9, and Sunday, September 10, AJSA will be hosting its Regional Championship at Claytor Lake State Park in Pulaski County. The event is open to both spectators and jet ski riders of different classifications.
Saturday’s racing events will begin at 10:00 am and conclude around 5:00 pm. Sunday’s racing events will also begin at 9:00 am, but will end around 3:00 pm. Start and end times along with delays are dependent upon the weather and other varying circumstances.
“Pulaski County is thrilled to have landed an event of this caliber at Claytor Lake for our local and regional competitors to race, and spectators from around the southeast to come and enjoy,” stated Laura Walters, Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “It takes a tremendous amount of planning and coordination to host such a prestigious championship event and we couldn’t have done it without Claytor Lake State Park, the Pulaski County Administration and Tourism Team, the AJSA, Pulaski County ACCE, and many others. We are grateful for this opportunity and look forward to it being a successful day on the lake.”
On both Saturday and Sunday, gates will open to spectators at 9:00 am. It is suggested that spectators bring their own chairs and tents to the event. Food trucks will be present on both days. The cost of AJSA admission will be $8 for kids and $10 for adults with $3 of each ticket being donated toward the Pulaski County ACCE program through New River Community College. Claytor Lake State Park will charge its parking fee as normal.
Anyone wishing to participate in racing events may email Keith McAfee at keith@ajsaracing.com or call at (423) 341-6416.
Featured jet ski racers at this event are several national and world champions including two-time amateur ski division world champion and seven-time ski division national champion, Jimmy Wilson, and Pro Women Runabout World Champion, Sophie Francis, and many more.