TEENAGE BOYS ALWAYS HAVE SPIRITED INTERESTS, BUT SAM BARTON MEETS A YOUNG EXPAT WITH AN UNUSUAL AND THRILLING HOBBY THAT HAS BECOME A CAREER.

A common sight at beach holiday destinations around Malaysia is that of tourists speeding across the clear blue waters on personal watercraft, colloquially known as Jet Skis. While most are seeking a quick, motorized thrill on their holiday in paradise, there is one teenager who is out there for a different reason. Most would mistake him as a tourist, but actually, 19-year-old Seth Wilkinson is one the youngest and most accomplished personal watercraft racers in the world, and the waters off the coast of Terengganu are his training grounds.

The British teenager is no newcomer to the sport. He rode his first personal watercraft at the ripe old age of 9, and quickly fell in love with the petrol powered sport. When Seth was just 13, his father, Julien, the nurturing force behind Seth’s career, decided to enter him in his first competition. Since then, the duo haven’t looked back. Seth has a list of racing achievements that would be the envy of any competitor, all of which he has attained before reaching his 20th birthday. Some of these include: being the youngest to ever to compete for the European Runabout F3 Title (age 15), representing Great Britain in the World Invitational Jet Race Series in Malaysia (age 16) and earning second place in the Euro-Belgian Runabout Formula 1 two years in a row.

So how did the water-loving teen from the UK come to live in Malaysia? In 2010, the first edition of the World Jet Race Series was held in Terengganu, Malaysia. When Seth arrived, he “immediately realized that this would be the best place to pursue [his] Jet Ski racing career.” This realization was no doubt helped by the fact the water isn’t near-freezing! In a funny turn of events, Seth’s father was offered a job in Malaysia, and since then, Seth has been carving white foam trails across the waters of Terengganu.

Seth’s incredible career hasn’t been without its complications, however. In April 2012, when he was defending his 2011 World Invitation Jet Race title in Terengganu, Seth was involved in an accident, hitting the water at 70mph (112kph) with his back and pelvis, leaving him floating unconscious in the water. The well-known fact that water is as hard as concrete when hit at speed has never been truer, as Seth could definitely attest. He sustained spinal injuries that left him hospitalized for two months and faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair if he does any further damage to his spine. Now recovered, however, Seth is back on the water with renewed vigor.

In most sports, large brands and teams normally snap up individuals who show such great sporting promise at an early age. Seth and his father took a different approach and started their own race team, ‘Seth Racing’ in 2007. “It was us against the world,” Seth laughs. “Or rather, against the factory-backed teams, the big boys!” Over the next three years, the pair developed their own skis, parts, and procedures, including a racing pump which is a “vital component and can cost you a race.” Now in Malaysia, Seth has joined the local Ku Adeq Racing team and will be piloting the ex-factory Kawasaki
Ultra, which was built and developed by a true legend of the sport, Dustin Farthing. This 440-horsepower craft can reach truly breathtaking speeds, and can hit 60mph (100kph) in less than three seconds – considerably faster than most high-end sport cars! Having already achieved podium finishes on his old watercraft, Seth says he’s “really hoping to achieve something quite special onboard this
factory Kawasaki/Farthing-built ski!”

Most would consider performing at the highest level in a sport a full-time job. This, however, is not the case for Seth. Earlier this year in March, Seth entered the 2012 Kuantan Century Ride, a 160-km racing bike ride around Kuantan. For most people, undertaking such an endeavor would involve a great deal of preparation. This wasn’t the case for Seth. A true testament to his competitive nature, Seth took part in the race having never even ridden a road-racing bike. While the aches and pains that followed left Seth hobbling, he has already begun preparing for next years race, intent on a podium position. When Seth participates in anything, “it’s not long before it becomes a competition.” His philosophy is “in it to win it, right?” Words you would have to expect from someone who has been competing since an early age.

Despite the fact that Seth has been in Malaysia for less than a year, his taste buds are already more localized than one might expect. He claims to be especially fond of durian, which for some locals is a tall order, so for an expat it’s quite remarkable. The few months Seth has had in Malaysia have been, to say the least, action-packed, and we are looking forward to hearing about his future achievements, both on and off the water!

This article was written by Sam Barton for The Expat magazine.
Source: The Expat August 2012
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