Embarking on a 300-mile endurance race, Valley resident Mike Hackler knew going in that he was headed for a long day.
Right out of the gates of the Mark Hahn Memorial 300 personal watercraft race at Lake Havasu, Ariz., though, Hackler and his teammate Kris Ingram ran into technical difficulty.
That set them back more than five minutes, which in most races would have spelled the end.
They steadily made up time over the next four and a half hours before clinching the title in the stand up jet ski class, claiming the APBA national title with the win as well.
"It was pretty exciting," said Katie Hackler, Mike's wife, who worked on the team's pit crew. "They had to pull the jet ski back out right at the start, but they kept at it. They kept gaining ground on the team that was ahead of them, and they finally passed them toward the end of the race."
Endurace jet ski races go until someone finishes 300 miles or until 6 hours elapses. Because sit-down boats, which average 79 to 80 mph - up to 20 mph faster than standups - were involved in the race, none of the standups were able to complete 300 miles.
"This was Mike's first endurance race like this," Katie Hackler said. "He teamed up with Kris, who works for one of our sponsors, Kommander Industries, in Phoenix.
"They did 19 10-mile laps, which was one better than the team that finished second place."
Part of the intrigue of the race was that Hackler and Ingram were driving an exceptionally fast boat, but they had to pull out of the water after every lap in order to fill up on gas. It was a process that took several minutes.
"We had the bad start, but we'd gain time out on the water," Katie Hackler said. "And then we'd lose time in the pits, and then go make it back up in the water.
"It was taking about 1 to 3 minutes to pull the boat out, fill it up and switch rider."
The balance swung in favor of the time in the water as the boat was able to take the lead late in the race averaging lap times under 12 minutes.
"This was Mike's first endurance race," said Katie Hackler, who has raced jet skis with her husband for over six years.
Mike has been racing jet skis since 2003.
For more information on the race, visit www.pwcfun.com.
