Mark Gerner and Robert Carreon enjoy a victory lap after winning the Mark Hahn Memorial 300.
Some of the biggest names in the sport were in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., for the fifth annual Mark Hahn Memorial Havasu 300 at the end of February, and a pair of Southern California riders took home top honors at the APBA-sanctioned team endurance race presented by Yamaha Watercraft.
PWCOffshore.com riders Robert Carreon and Mark Gerner teamed up on Carreon’s Kawasaki Ultra 250X to prevail over a field of 54 teams for 300 miles on the wind-whipped chop of Lake Havasu.
“We brought two boats with us,” said Gerner, the founder of PWCOffshore.com. “Robert’s Ultra 250X and my Steve Friebe-enhanced Sea-Doo RXT. Literally we made the decision to go with the Ultra when we got up in the morning to find the wind blowing more than 30 mph. And it was right decision.
“I have to take my hat off to the Ultra 250X,” he continued. “The race was very rough—it really demonstrated that that boat is the one for rough water. Our entire pit crew, led by Aaron Cress, played a major role.”
Gerner said he took the lead on the final 10-mile lap, passing the team of Paul Pham and Pat Roque, who finished second aboard a Sea-Doo RXT. Pham and Roque are also part of the PWCOffshore.com group.
To prove how rough the conditions were compared to the 2008 endurance race, Carreon and Gerner finished in 6 hours and 5 minutes, while last year’s winners finished in less than 4 hours (although the race was cut short by two laps or 20 miles).
Finishing in third place was Shawn Alladio, the woman behind K38 Water Safety and one of the newest members of the PWCOffshore.com team.
PWCOffshore.com
Riding solo, K38's Shawn Alladio finished third overall on her Kawasaki Ultra 250X.
And get this, Alladio raced the entire 30 laps without a teammate, Ironwoman style. She finished in 6 hours, 19 minutes aboard her Kawasaki Ultra 250X.
“That’s the real deal as far as I’m concerned,” said Gerner, who competed by himself the previous two years. “Running in those conditions and doing as many laps as she did, that’s fantastic.”
Overall the fifth annual event, which is held in memory of endurance racer Mark Hahn who died at a race in 2004, was a success. Endurance racer Mike Follmer, one of the promoters of the event, hosted an awards dinner just hours after finishing eighth overall with teammate Tony Beck of Walt’s Motorsports. And once again, teams graciously pitched in to help each other on the Crazy Horse Campground beach.
“Honestly, we just feel real honored to have shared the course with so much talent and to race in Mark Hahn’s honor,” Gerner said. “It was a real rough, technical race. It was the most difficult Mark Hahn race I’ve done—the offshore training we do definitely helped. I’d also like to thank Mike Follmer, Ross Wallach and DSM Events for putting on a great event.”
Top 5 teams
Robert Carreon/Mark Gerner, 30 laps, 6:05:31, Kawasaki Ultra 250X
Paul Pham/Pat Roque, 30 laps, 6:06:57, Sea-Doo RXT
