Grant, Florida - 2000-12-11
Bombardier Recreational Products, makers of Sea-Doo® watercraft, would like to congratulate the Oz Trek 2000 Team for setting a new world distance record on a watercraft by circumnavigating the Australian continent on Sea-Doo GTX+ RFI watercraft. A team of four men left Sydney Harbour on Aug. 20, 2000 in an attempt to ride their Sea-Doo watercraft the entire distance around Australia and help raise money for Cancer Care. The four Oz Trek 2000 team members are remarkable Australians, Paul Fua, Lyndon Paramenter, Randall Jones and Brad Fraser (a cancer sufferer in remission) all Sea-Doo watercraft enthusiats with a passion for helping others.
On Sunday, Dec. 3, at 11 a.m. the OZ Trek 2000 team successfully completed its world record attempt to circumnavigate Australia on Sea-Doo Watercraft. OZ Trek 2000 riders were welcomed into Sydney Harbor by the Sydney Volunteer Coast Guard and escorted to the Cockle Bay Water Ski Pontoon by a flotilla of watercraft. Most of the crew left behind wives and small children so the reunion was an emotional one.
They have survived close encounters with crocodiles, sharks and thousands of mosquitoes and gained memories that will last a lifetime. The group was involved with the running of the Olympic Torch, saved a beached whale, combed the Great Barrier reef, rode with cracked ribs, shook hands with mayors, talk show hosts, and children all in their three and a half month journey. The generosity and hospitality of remote Aboriginal communities and towns around the Australian coastline have inspired the group to continue on their quest to raise money for cancer.
The team smashed the world record for the longest watercraft journey ever undertaken when they reached Broome, Western Australia after traveling over 7,000 miles and finishing the trip in Sydney with over 10,000 miles riden on a Sea-Doo atercraft. The four Oz Trek 2000 riders were supported by a 10-man support crew, five vehicles, two back-up Sea-Doo watercraft, and Bombardier all-terrain vehicles. The team has endured injuries, isolation, constant harsh sun and monster waves since its departure from Sydney Harbour on August 20 but has met each challenge head on and rewrote the record books on Sunday, December 3, 2000.
"The Australian coastline has constantly surprised us by its beauty," said Paul Fua, one of the four riders. "This is really an incredible country especially when you are looking at it from a Sea-Doo watercraft. It has been a tough three months but worth every moment if we can help make life easier for people with Cancer. Our ground crews have been fantastic and the support that we have received from the people we met each day provided us with constant inspiration."
The two main goals of Oz Trek 2000 were to help make life better for people with cancer by raising $2.5 million Australian dollars ($1.35 million US) for Sydney Adventist Hospital's Cancer and Extended Care Campaign and to educate people about how to prevent cancer. The group had many sponsors making the adventure possible including Bombardier Recreational Products distributor in Australia, Heytrack Propriety Ltd. located in Melbourne, Australia.
For a full account of the Oz Trek 2000 adventure including the daily journal entries and photos, visit the official website at www.oztrek2000.com.au. People can also send congratulatory e-mails to the team and make donations to the cause or purchase the Cancer Prevention Pack at the site. For more information on the Sea-Doo Watercraft used in this record setting adventure visit www.sea-doo.com or visit an authorized Sea-Doo dealer.
Bombardier Recreational Products designs, develops, builds, distributes and markets
Ski-Doo® and Lynx® snowmobiles, snowgrooming equipment and multi-purpose tracked vehicles, Sea-Doo® watercraft and sport boats and Bombardier® all-terrain vehicles. Snowmobiles, ATV, watercraft and some sport boats are powered by Rotax® engines that are designed and built by Bombardier-Rotax GmbH, which also builds motors for motorcycles, scooters, karts and aircraft.
Bombardier Inc., a diversified manufacturing and service company, is a world leading manufacturer of business jets, regional aircraft, rail transportation equipment and motorized recreational products. It is also a provider of financial services and asset management. The Corporation employs 56,000 people in 12 countries in North America, Europe and Asia, and more than 90% of its revenues are generated outside Canada. Bombardier's revenues for its fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2000 totalled $13.6 billion.
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+ Trademark of Castrol Limited, used under license.