Zapata Racing, represented by Franky Zapata (2 x French, 5 x European, Offshore and Closed Course World Champion) is a team that focuses on racing and jet ski development.
Franky, who is known for his sucess in competition, is now helping to develop the sport.
He produces high quality composite hulls, hoods and seats for the RXP and is also starting a new project: The creation of a new breed of stand up jet ski, one of the best on the market.

FRANKY ZAPATA

2008 IJSBA WORLD CHAMPION RUNABOUT GP

.. AND 3rd PLACE ON THE PODIUM IN SKI GP WITH HIS FZ 950

Oct 2008, Lake Havasu City, USA:

Franky Zapata was only missing one International title in runabout racing, that of closed course World Champion. This space was filled when the official SEA DOO rider took the title in the Runabot GP catagory at the IJSBA World Championship held in Lake Havasu City Arizona USA, the second weekend of October.
For 10 years, since he has been at the top of the sport in runabout racing, the French rider Franky Zapata has been chasing this title. In overcoming the battles of every race against Dustin FARTHING, the American multiple World Champion, and with one of the most beautiful overtaking manoevres in the history of the sport, Franky ZAPATA realised his dream.
But the icing on the cake was to come at the handlebar of his FZ950 with it's ROTAX engine that he currently produces as a production machine, as the Marseillan took a superb third place in the Ski GP catagory.

Radiating happiness, Franky declared at the prize giving ceremony: "I was only missing this title. On several occasions, I lost it by so little and it was a real frustration for me and my team. I knew that my SEA DOO RXP was competitive and that my riding was at the right level. I just had to prove it and as of now I have been able to do just that. And even if the race appeared easy because it went perfectly to plan, I can tell you that the run up to it was not so great. In fact, at the final of the European Championship at Cavalaire, I broke a piston in my factory ROTAX engine. So we had to completely recondition it in a very short space of time since it was necessary to send the SEA DOO RXP by plane. With my mechanic, we worked very hard to win this race against the clock.

Then, the day before race, I sprained my ankle whilst training on the stand up. This made it hard to push but in the end I was more handicapped on the stand up than on the runabout. I would go so far to say that this injury certainly prevented me to win on the FZ950.
But I can still be happy. This title in runabout and the podium in stand up on two machines that have come from my workshop, fills me happiness. At present, my objective is to do the double in runabout and stand up in all of the competitions that I will participate in from now on. I am going to train hard this winter."