JAMES BUSHELL just got back from the IJSBA’s 29th World Championships in Arizona, where he secured his fourth world title by winning the Pro/Am Stock Runabout category, a title he’s won twice before, along with the Pro/Am Limited title that he won back in 2008. Surprisingly he was more chuffed with his third place fi nish in the Pro Open Runabout class, but that’s what makes James Bushell so endearing. He’s arguably the best runabout racer the UK has ever seen, but he doesn’t make a song and dance about it. He just wants to race, and race hard in a competitive class against the world’s best. He wants to win the big one, and in his heart he knows that’s the only one that really counts. He’s a racer’s racer. Words: Lisa Barsby Pictures: Michelle Colley

Winning world titles isn’t the only thing James does well, he also runs a very successful Sea-Doo dealership in Lincolnshire, 158 Performance. The business was spurred from his self-taught mechanical expertise, and after fi nding he had a knack with the spanners his dad helped him invest in a small business. Today he’s turned it into one of the top dealerships and one of the best tuning houses in the country. We caught up with him to fi nd out what he thought about his latest world championship win and what the future holds for Britain’s most successful runabout racer.

So you’ve got to be the most successful Runabout racer in the UK, but whom do you most fear on the world stage?

Nobody and everybody, all the riders are good and capable of winning at Pro level, it’s down to the one that gets it right on the day. It’s 50 percent machine and 50 percent rider. But everyone’s beatable.Farthing, Bin Hindi, Mac etc, they’re all capable of winning on the day. If I had to name one I’d say Craig Warner (Team Kawasaki rider) as he’s won it a couple of times over the last few years and has the backing. But it’s better to have tough competition; it’s more of a race!

So who’s your favourite racer of all time?

Jeff Jacobs.

What’s your favourite ski?

Kawasaki XIR.

Do you ever get scared heading into the first turn at 80mph with 20 fire breathing 300 plus horsepower monsters tuned to the max by the best tuners in the world?

No, not scared, I’m only scared when Ray Horton’s out on the track and he wasn’t out there. No, it’s exciting. It’s the best race of the year; it’s where all the best riders and skis are.

Do you ever back off at the fi rst turn?

No, but after smashing up Les Cooke’s ski (Aussi electronics guru) back in 2006 it has made me more aware. So what happened?Some guy on a Kawi STXR cut the line and I ran straight into him, the crash fl ipped me and the boat into the air and ripped off the hood and seat. But the worst thing about it was that Les had sold the ski for $25k. He wasn’t happy. We got it back to shore and worked on it overnight and got it fi xed and Les managed to get the asking price.

Is it expensive to race at your level?

Yes, at the top level it’s expensive, but then all the guys at the top level are like me. They’ve been in it for a while and have worked up from Stock to Limited, to Pro and have some backing and sponsorship. It’s not like you come in and have to start spending big money straightaway, you have to work up through the ranks.

How much is your annual race budget?

This year not as much as usual because we haven’t been racing in Europe. But we’ve probably spent between £30k to £40K.

And what’s your Superstock worth?

If someone wanted a replica of my race boat (Superstock) it would cost about £40k for me to build it. It doesn’t cost me that because I do a lot of my own work and get a lot of stuff sponsored. But my budget’s nothing compared to the teams from Dubai, like Nada Bin Hindi’s team Fazza. His budget is rumoured to be around $1,000,000. Last year’s world champion New Zealand’s Sam Harvey’s budget was $120,000 this year.

So what do you think is needed to get people racing?

It can be expensive at the top level, but the manufacturers are starting to build cheaper boats, and that is what needs to happen to cut the cost, so people can get started.

Best point?

It’s good to win a world title but my third place in Pro Runabout was more of an achievement. That’s the title I really want to win. Maybe next year hey?

Are the World Championships the best racing of the year?

It is now because there’s nowhere else to race. I really miss the Euro tour; it was the best racing and the best competition, but it got too expensive with all the rule changes. There’s only UIM now and in my opinion that’s no good either. So we only have the World Championships and there are too many classes - it’s confusing. It’s better if there’s less with tougher competition.

So when are you getting married?

(James recently got engaged to fellow racer Anya Colley). When I can afford to, I’m broke at the moment!