Washington Park Beach buzzed with activity on Friday evening, as the AquaX Aquacross championship series descended on Michigan City. Featuring the world’s best Jet Ski riders in fast, action-packed competition across endurance and sprint races, the series is one of the fastest growing watercraft competitions in the world.
Michigan City first hosted the series in 2019, and it has become a favorite destination among the riders and organizers. Most of the race weekends are hosted at ocean beaches in Florida – the freshwater of Lake Michigan and Midwestern community presents an entirely different dynamic both on and off the course.
“This one of our favorite venues to race in, the locals and Visit Michigan City LaPorte really welcome us with open arms,” said Michelle Petro, director of operations at Powerboat P1, the organization that organizes AquaX. “They really make the racers feel like rock stars. It’s an amazing experience for these riders, especially the amateur guys that don’t usually get to experience that. We love Michigan City, and the people here are just amazing.”
Visit Michigan City LaPorte welcomed the riders, who hail from the US as well as countries such as Indonesia, the UK, and Morocco, with a welcome party at Washington Park Beach. The riders were treated to an open buffet catered by Sweet Lou That’s Who, and live music by Who Dat Dere Band.
“I’ve worked every one of these races since 2019, and what’s exciting about these riders is that they just don’t quit,” said Scott Miller, AquaX Race Director for Visit Michigan City LaPorte. “There have been races where we’ve had three to four foot waves on Saturday, and I’ll come out on Sunday and see them prepping to go out and race again with nose braces and black eyes from taking a beating on those waves. They love what they do and they’re going to do it whenever they have the chance.”
The riders will take to the water from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Among the competitors is Chris MacClugage of MACC Racing Monster Energy – sometimes considered the greatest of all time in the field, according to Petro.
MacClugage is a veteran of the Michigan City AquaX Grand Prix, having won the event three years ago.
“I come from Florida where there’s rough water, but its salt, and salt’s not fun,” MacClugage said. “Salt does damage to the skis and there’s a lot of cleanup work. Here, we can get those same types of waves on Lake Michigan but with freshwater.”
The city has also endeared itself to the decorated athlete, who is eager to put on a strong performance in front of the crowd.
“I do like the town, it’s a totally different atmosphere from Florida,” he said. “It’s cool to come up here and see how people from the area enjoy the lake life compared to people in Florida. It’s the same thing, just different water.”
The action at Washington Park Beach begins tomorrow at 10 a.m, with a food court and beer garden opening alongside the action and lasting through to 11 p.m. Point’n Fingers will also be performing live on the Boardwalk starting at 7 p.m. Additionally, the LaPorte LakeFest AquaX Grand Prix, a national championship race, will be held on July 27 and 28 at Stone Lake.
To learn more, visit michigancitylaporte.com
