Dustin Farthing wins World Finals premier title

Kawasaki pilot earns 1-1 moto sweep

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Dustin Farthing earned his 16th career championship as he put in a flawless weekend aboard his Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra 260X at the IJSBA World Finals in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

Farthing captured his first win of the weekend during his qualifying heat and then finished with a 1-1 moto finish during Sunday’s Pro Runabout main event. Kawasaki also saw Emi Kanamori win the Pro-Am Women Ski Limited class and Minoru Kanamori win the Pro-Am Ski 2-Stroke Lites class.

After leaving the 2009 World Finals on a low note, Farthing was determined to make his 2010 showing an impressive one. Immediately he showed speed and won his qualifying heat on Saturday. The windy and choppy conditions for the main event made it a battle of rider and ski, but Farthing didn’t have a problem standing up to his competition, winning both motos on Sunday.

“When the conditions are choppy, it makes for good racing,” says Farthing. “Sometimes when it is really flat, the ski plays a big part, but when it’s choppy it changes things. It makes it about 50 percent the strength of the ski and 50 percent the racer’s ability. My Ultra 260X ran great this weekend. I had a lot of fun and I’m really happy to earn another title.”

With the World Finals bringing together the best of the best in the sport, Farthing used the summer months to make sure he was prepared to win. He competed in the APBA National Tour during the summer, along with testing at Lake Havasu prior to the race.

“We were really trying to make up for last year when we had some bad luck with our ski,” says Farthing. “We raced in six of the APBA National stops, which went really well. I think that the time on the ski both at the races and at Lake Havasu really helped us prepare for the race this year.”

Fellow Monster Energy Kawasaki racer Craig Warner experienced bad luck over the weekend and was unable to transfer to Sunday’s main event. The multi-time champion tried to make the best of his luck, but in the end he was on the sidelines for Sunday’s race.

Husband and wife racers Minoru and Emi Kanamori have been winning championships for years at the World Finals event. This year was no different as the two each took home a title in their respective Pro-Am Women Ski Limited and Pro-Am Ski 2-Stroke Lites classes.