Race Report - Ulrik Bernsten (Norway) 2019 Season Recap
Posted by Ulrik Bernsten - Jettribe Team Rider on 20th Jan 2020
UIM World Championship Series
Portimao, Portugal 10-12 May, 2019
Portimao, Portugal 10-12 May, 2019
In
Portimao I was new on my Kommander GP1 ski. I had only been on the ski
for about 1 or 2 hours, but I felt really good on it and was excited to
get on the race course. At pole position I managed to get in Q2 (top
10 from Q1). At the beginning of Q2, I lose my intake grate and take an
extreme nose dive. The ski was fine but I did not have another intake
grate. So for the rest of the race I had to race on my backup ski. My
backup ski is a Kawasaki 1500cc stock.
Moto 1
I had to start all the way back of the line because I had changed out
my ski. I came about 15 out of the start, and was really stuck at that
position for a long time. I managed to pass one and got 14th place this
moto. In Moto 2 they changed the start and made it way longer,
which was bad for me because my ski was stock. So there was not much I
could do in the starts. I came out around 15 in each start. My position in Moto 2 was 14th place. Moto 3 was the same, but managed to pass a few more people than before and got 12th place.
Overall this race was a big disappointment to me. But I learned from the experience and I took that with me.
World Championship Round 1 = 14th place
Olbia, Italy, 31 May - 2 June, 2019
In Olbia I had gotten an intake grate for the Kommander, so it was good to go. In pole position I had some minor problems with the ski. The star/stop cable had a bad connection so the ski stopped all the time while I was racing. With it stopping all the time the best place I could get was an 18th place in the pole position.
World Championship Round 1 = 14th place
Olbia, Italy, 31 May - 2 June, 2019
In Olbia I had gotten an intake grate for the Kommander, so it was good to go. In pole position I had some minor problems with the ski. The star/stop cable had a bad connection so the ski stopped all the time while I was racing. With it stopping all the time the best place I could get was an 18th place in the pole position.
Before the first moto we thought we
had fixed the problem but we only helped it a bit, meaning the problem
was not as big as before. In Moto 1 I started in the red line. When
the start had gone, I went 3 meters before it stopped on me again. I was
fast to start and go again, but had lost a lot of time still. I was dead
last. I drove good and there was a lot of chaos in front of me. I made
the best out of a bad situation and managed to come out at 12th place.
Moto
2 I started in the yellow line. We had fixed the problem and the ski
just took off in the start. I took the start in the yellow line by far!
And I came out and finished as 6th place. Moto 3 the same happened in
the start. I took the start in the yellow line. I was on 6th place for a
long time, till I managed to miss a buoy and fell back to 7th place.
Overall I was happy about the race. I was hoping for a better result but I learned so much that race, that I could not be mad. I was thinking after the race that I am only going one way and that is upwards.
Qingdao, China 10-13 Oct, 2019
Overall I was happy about the race. I was hoping for a better result but I learned so much that race, that I could not be mad. I was thinking after the race that I am only going one way and that is upwards.
World Championship Round 2 = 7th place
Qingdao, China 10-13 Oct, 2019
At
Qingdao I felt I was ready! I had been training good, and was feeling
like I was in a good shape. I did not get to ride the Kommander before
the round 3, because we had to send the ski late in July.
But beyond that I was feeling great going in to this race.
In pole position I managed to get a 3rd place. I was chasing my team mate Stian Schjetlein who got 2nd. In Moto 1 I started off the line really good but after about 100 meters out, the ski just died completely. There was no starting it up again. We took it up and found out that the battery had just died. There was no warning beforehand that it was going bad, at the start line the ski started right up. That was extremely upsetting and heartbreaking for me.
In pole position I managed to get a 3rd place. I was chasing my team mate Stian Schjetlein who got 2nd. In Moto 1 I started off the line really good but after about 100 meters out, the ski just died completely. There was no starting it up again. We took it up and found out that the battery had just died. There was no warning beforehand that it was going bad, at the start line the ski started right up. That was extremely upsetting and heartbreaking for me.
Moto
2 I had put in a new battery and was ready to go. I had a great start,
the ski was feeling perfect and I was driving good. I got 3rd place in
Moto 2. In Moto 3 I had a lot of confidence in myself and was just
excited to race. Moto 3 went down pretty much exactly the same as in
Moto 2. I got 3rd place in Moto 3 too.
Overall I was really happy about my riding, but it was really disappointing that the battery died in Moto 1. But I knew I was right up there with the best.
World Championship Round 3 = 7th place
Sharjah, U.A.E 17-20 Dec, 2019
In Sharjah I was ready! I had the ski all looked over, I was hungry to get on the podium after Qingdao and I had been training hard. At pole position I did not drive my best. I am not very good at pole position with the times, but I am working on becoming better at it. So I barely made it in the top 10 qualifier in Q1. But I made it! In Q2 I was driving better and got in a better lap time. I ended up in 4th place in pole position.
In Moto 1 I had a good start and came out on the 3rd position. This track was something special, it was very tight, but really hard to pass someone. There was almost no passing out there. In Moto 1 I got 3rd place.
In Moto 2 I had a bad start at first. I was very slow off the line, and was on 5th place. But when the turn came I went really fast on the inside, and managed to pass my way up to 2nd place! I finished on 2nd place in Moto 2. After Moto 1 and Moto 2 I was really happy but extremely nervous that something wrong would happen. It's hard not to think about it, but it is hard not too.
We had a day off before we started again with Moto 3. Me and a bunch of friends went for a desert trip on some ATVs. It was amazing and a great way to cool down the nerves.
In Moto 3 we triple checked the ski to make sure nothing was wrong. I got out on the water and was ready to go! In the start I kept my head cool and did not mistake. I came out as 2nd place and cruised it in. I finished in 2nd place. I finally got a podium place in a World Championships round.
Overall in this race I am over the moon! I did my best race so far in my career, and just enjoyed every bit of it.
World Championship Round 4 Final = 2nd place
Jettribe I would like to thank you so much for the support and the great Jettribe riding gear! I love the gear and can't thank you enough for letting me be apart of you team!
Overall I was really happy about my riding, but it was really disappointing that the battery died in Moto 1. But I knew I was right up there with the best.
World Championship Round 3 = 7th place
Sharjah, U.A.E 17-20 Dec, 2019
In Sharjah I was ready! I had the ski all looked over, I was hungry to get on the podium after Qingdao and I had been training hard. At pole position I did not drive my best. I am not very good at pole position with the times, but I am working on becoming better at it. So I barely made it in the top 10 qualifier in Q1. But I made it! In Q2 I was driving better and got in a better lap time. I ended up in 4th place in pole position.
In Moto 1 I had a good start and came out on the 3rd position. This track was something special, it was very tight, but really hard to pass someone. There was almost no passing out there. In Moto 1 I got 3rd place.
In Moto 2 I had a bad start at first. I was very slow off the line, and was on 5th place. But when the turn came I went really fast on the inside, and managed to pass my way up to 2nd place! I finished on 2nd place in Moto 2. After Moto 1 and Moto 2 I was really happy but extremely nervous that something wrong would happen. It's hard not to think about it, but it is hard not too.
We had a day off before we started again with Moto 3. Me and a bunch of friends went for a desert trip on some ATVs. It was amazing and a great way to cool down the nerves.
In Moto 3 we triple checked the ski to make sure nothing was wrong. I got out on the water and was ready to go! In the start I kept my head cool and did not mistake. I came out as 2nd place and cruised it in. I finished in 2nd place. I finally got a podium place in a World Championships round.
Overall in this race I am over the moon! I did my best race so far in my career, and just enjoyed every bit of it.
World Championship Round 4 Final = 2nd place
Jettribe I would like to thank you so much for the support and the great Jettribe riding gear! I love the gear and can't thank you enough for letting me be apart of you team!