What’s up MotoSurf Nation!
I had the pleasure of interviewing Canadian MotoSurf racer Reanna Deveau a couple of weekends ago in Keystone Heights, Florida. Reanna’s talent and skill were on full display, as she would end up finishing 1st that weekend in the Women’s Category. I want to congratulate Reanna on her victory, and wish her luck for the rest of the season!
Reanna Deveau’s Instagram: @reannabrooke
Cynthia Gauthier of All Engines meets Reanna Deveau, Canada’s top JetSurf racer and co-owner of JetSurf Canada. Reanna gives a master class in MotoSurfing. Cynthia learns to get on the board and ride on the water.
How did you first get into MotoSurfing? What got it all started for you?
“Oh my gosh, it all started with a video of Laird Hamilton. It’s a JetSurf promo video from way back. My man [Mark Andrews] saw the video, and he essentially wanted to convince me to leave our corporate jobs and make JetSurf our life. Mark saw that video and thought ‘This is everything we love combined into one product’. We’re both snowboarders, wakeboarders, skateboarders, and so this is like being able to snowboard in the summer, but on water. We pretty much saw that video and chased the dream to not only become a part of JetSurf, but also to become the JetSurf distributors for Canada. Mark and I are JetSurf Canada. He is the main guy, our main service tech and our main sales guy, while I’m a bit more behind the scenes.”
Is JetSurf Canada your everyday, full time job?
“JetSurf Canada is our full time job right now. It’s expensive, it’s tedious and there’s a lot of travel. We wanted to make sure that we focused on just JetSurf and put all of our money and energy into this one part of our business. Now, this will be our 8th season we’re going into, so now that things are a little bit more organized and we have our flow, we’ll start expanding into a couple more complimentary products. But yes, JetSurf is our life!”
How long have you been professionally MotoSurf racing for?
“My first race was in 2017. Since then, I’ve been competing in around 1 or 2 races every season, but I haven’t done the whole circuit yet. We’re [JetSurf] dealers, and most of the races are in the summer, so during the summer we’re primarily selling. Canada is frozen for a big chunk of the year, so the small portion that it’s actually thawed we’re working, selling and training. We’ve been racing since 2017, and wish we raced more!”
What is your favorite part about being a MotoSurf racer?
“The family. I love the JetSurf family. I really do. I have a huge smile just seeing everybody and when people come back, you gain awesome relationships. It’s a niche market, and a certain kind of person that gets into motorized surfboards. They all kind of have like activities in mind, so it’s easy for us to mesh together. I like how it’s kids, young adults, adults, older adults, so it’s a nice mix of people. It’s the family for sure, that’s my favorite part of it. I love training people and teaching JetSurf. Racing is probably near my lesser favorite part of it honestly, which sounds crazy. I’m more of someone that wants to teach people instead of grind for the race. But the races are awesome, because it makes you a way better rider!”
How do you feel the 2024 MotoSurf Games season is going so far?
“It’s going good! I feel like I’m a little bit lucky right now because I have a bit more experience than the other girls, so I kind of have a leg up right now. It’s a good and a bad thing because you always want some good competition to fight for, to make you better. If you’re crushing the competition, you may not fight as hard because you have nothing to fight against. I always tell myself to race like there’s somebody behind you at all times, because you gotta fight through the whole race to the end.”
Where do you see the sport growing within the next 5 or 10 years?
“I hope it [MotoSurfing] goes up, up, up! Getting into the World Games in China is massive. The only thing I don’t want people to take away from JetSurf and the World Games is that people might think JetSurf is just a racing board, when it’s also a cruising and recreational board. It’s just happens to be fast enough to race, so that’s why we race it. China is going to be insane. I think it’ll be amazing to have level playing grounds. In MotoSurf Games, most of the field is relatively new to racing, but in World Championship Europe, everybody is pretty intense and really good. Because JetSurf is made in the Czech Republic, everybody trains hard over there and only trains buoys every weekend for hours on end. When the World Games come around, it’s not going to be 80% Czech racers. It’s going to be a couple people from every nation in the racing field. It’ll be interesting to see who comes out on top next year. Being the first motorized vessel in the World Games is crazy!”
Do you plan on being in the field representing Canada at the World Games in China next year?
“I do! I’m already getting scatterbrained about it, because I’m just a little bit nervous. Right now, I’m the shoo-in. There’s only one female racer in Canada, and that’s me. There’s only one female slot for Canada, but I have to travel to China to properly qualify for the race. As long as I get to China next year, I’ll hopefully be there!”
What does training for a race look like for you?
“We have so much water in Canada, but not many places to actually put buoys in because everybody lives on the lake, peoples cottages and such. They don’t want tracks in front of their houses, so to find a location that’s legal and safe, it’s hard to do. For that reason, I don’t do a lot of buoy riding at all. My training with buoys is pretty much at races only, which is crazy! A couple of times a year, I’ll go to JetSurf Orlando and practice on their racetrack that’s at their Academy. Other than that, I don’t really ride buoys ever, which is why I think my racing is a little bit lower scale than the European side. All they do is train buoys, whereas all I do is train people to ride JetSurf boards. I do a lot cruising. I love long cruises, 3 hour cruises where we make pit stops and refuel our boards along the way. That kind of riding allows you to build some endurance and leg strength, but the best way to train is on buoys for sure. My only other training is getting in the gym, strengthening your core and your legs, and getting your body tight.”
What is your favorite board to race with?
“I started out with a [JetSurf] Factory GP, one of the original models. Then I raced a normal Race model. I’ve raced carbureted Race and Race DFI’s. This year, I finally got my own sweet baby: A new Super Light Race DFI, which is awesome! The shape is a little tighter and the fins can be adjusted, so when I hit my heel side, my fin really digs in and I can actually change the placement of my sidefin. This board feels fast and feels like it’s fit for me.”
Do you have a crazy or interesting race story you’d like to share with our MotoSurf Nation family?
“My scariest racing moment…I’ve definitely been ran over by a JetSurf. I was in Colombia one year, and there were only 3 women racing, so they grouped us in with hobby. They podiumed us separately, but we raced together. It was in the ocean, and there were these big, big waves, I’m talking tanker waves rolling by, and it was nuts. So, a lot of the racers were a bit squirrelly, especially some of the newer hobby racers, and some of the racers weren’t capable of turning buoys in those conditions. I was in the water, and a guy didn’t pull his key or stop, and couldn’t turn around me. I put my hands over my mask, and his board skated over me and right over my helmet! On that helmet, you can see the grind mark from where the fin caught my helmet. But that’s why we wear helmets with masks and neck guards, to protect in those cases. When you ride with new people, it’s definitely a bit intimidating because they aren’t that experienced. If you do fall, you wonder if they’re good enough to go around and avoid me fast enough. That’s always something really important.”
I want to thank Reanna for her time, and make sure to follow her on Instagram. While you’re at it, make sure to follow @motosurfnation for the latest news and events in MotoSurfing!
Responses
She’s a beauty AND she can ride! @MotoMike !