In just under a months time, the World Water Ski Racing community will flock to Moreton Bay, Australia, for the the 17th World Water Ski Racing Championships. Included in those making the long trip will be Hunstanton Ski Club skier, Jack Lynch.
Lynch has been selected to represent team Great Britain, which will see him participating in the highest formula in the championships, Formula One. Participating in Formula One will see Lynch skiing alongside some of the very best skiers in the world, including Australian skiers Chris Stout, Peter Proctor, Jason Walmsley, and American skier Troy Hooker, to name just a few.
Lynch, who has been participating at Formula Two level for the past few years at National, European and International level, will be making the step up to Formula One for the first time competitively in the forthcoming championships. Lynch managed to finish a very respectable 10th place in the Formula Two class in the 16th World Water Ski Racing Championships held in Belgium in 2009, as well as picking up 2nd place in Formula Two at the 2011 Diamond Race, also held in Belgium.
For those who attended the recent round of the British National Water Ski Racing Championships held at Hunstanton Ski Club in July, may recall seeing Jack put in a great individual performance to gain a 3rd place in the Formula Two class, despite falling part way through the race.
Prior to Jack’s departure, we managed to catch up with him for a brief phone interview, which allowed us to ask him a couple of questions regarding the forthcoming championships and what is goals were for those and the future.
Interview conducted with Jack Lynch on 9th August 2011:
How are the preparations going for the coming World Championships?
“The preparations have not been going as well as we had hoped, which is mainly due to the poor weather than we have been experiencing in the past few months. This has limited the amount of on water training that we have been able to do, but we have been able to participate in competitive races at Stone, The River Trent, Hunstanton and Burnham. I am doing a lot of off-water training to compensate, which is helping me to prepare. Currently, I am working out every day, which includes attending the gym, running, cycling / spinning and attending circuits sessions.”
Have you been doing anything different in preparation for your second World Championships?
“Yes, I have been trying to eat a lot more of the right things to attempt to bulk up and to carry a little more weight. This combined with training 7 days a week has helped me prepare for the step up to Formula One and the additional physical challenges that is has over the Formula Two class.”
Have you received any advice from other skiers about making the step up to Formula One?
“I have received some great advice of a number of people, including skiers, team members, drivers and others. Darren Kirkland (former Formula 1 British & European Champion) has given me some valuable advice, Steven Moore (former British and World Water Ski Racing Champion), Kim Lumley (current Ladies Water Ski Racing World Champion), Robbie Wright (former World Championships Driver) and Harvey Robinson (Formula One Skier) have all provided me with some experienced knowledge on what to expect from the racing, the pull from the boat and how to prepare for the racing. All have given me the best advice of “Just go and enjoy it”, which is exactly what I plan to do!”
Are you skiing with your usual team, or a different team for these Championships?
“My normal team consists of Greg Bassam as my driver and Alan Fielding as my Observer. For these championships I will be skiing with a different team, which will consist of Roger Crook (Allhallows) and Rod Chapman (Brisbane, Australia). It will be my first time skiing with Rod, who usually pulls a junior skier in Australia.”
How will you be preparing for each race?
“I will keeping active throughout all of the racing, which will include taking bike rides between races, on my days out from racing and basically trying to keep relaxed as much as possible. I will be watching the other racing and trying to enjoy the experience as much as possible, which is my main aim.”
What kind of boat will you be skiing behind?
“I will be skiing behind a “Kaos” boat, which is a Formula One class boat with a 1300 hp inboard engine. It will be the first time I have skied behind an inboard boat, as my training has mainly been behind a twin rig set up.”
What equipment will you be using?
When are you leaving for Australia and are you taking any family and friends with you?
What are you main goals in the Championships?
Do you plan to carry on skiing Formula One in the future?
We would like to wish Jack and his team the best of luck in the World Championships.
We will endeavor to get Jacks response from the competition, with some photos of the racing / visit also.
To keep posted on how Jack and his team get on, please visit here.
