Interview with Lukas Zahorsky

With Lukáš Záhorský On The 2015 MotosurfGP Season

Several young talents are racing in the World Championship of motorized surfboards and despite their young age, they are attacking the highest positions. One of these talents is Lukáš Záhorský from Brno.

Lukáš had predominantly dedicated himself to competitive skiing. Of course, during the summer he spends a lot of time near water with his family. It didn’t take long for him, along with his father, to discover the magic and subsequent addiction to Jetsurf, a motorized surfboard. Riding a Jetsurf, he has completed his second MotosurfGP World Championship and placed second overall during this past season.

Lukáš, where did you first hear about Jetsurf?
I first heard about Jetsurf from my dad. It was actually a big coincidence. Martin Šula, who invented Jetsurf, is from Brno and one of Dad’s friends has known him from his youth. Dad had an opportunity to try the Jetsurf during an event and he immediately liked it. He immediately told me about it, but I was 10 years old and we thought I was too little for it. Everything was different half a year later when Dad had another opportunity to ride, and so he brought me with him to the Dalešice dam, where I first tried it. And it was decided, it was clear to me and Dad that it wouldn’t be the last time.

How long did it take for you to decide to race?
The very first year I took part in the races in Brno and as an 11 year old I made it to the men’s semifinals, which was a big challenge. So deciding about Jetsurf racing? About 30 seconds.

Given your results, you surely must dedicate yourself a lot to training. How often and how intensely do you practice on the Jetsurf? Alternatively, does your preparation consist of other sports activities?

For sure, training is important for preparation in any sport. Jetsurf is a little bit different in the sense that its very difficult to find a water surface nearby that you can ride on. Luckily we have a friend in Valtice, where I train both free riding and among buoys.

Given that I ski competitively, skiing training can definitely be considered as the best winter preparation for summer Jetsurf racing and vice versa.

Can Jetsurf racing be compared with competitive skiing? Does one sport impact your performance in the other?

As I said, one supports the other, even though from my perspective the two are pretty different. When skiing I am alone and I am battling with myself and the time, in contrast to the contact in Jetsurf racing, where I also have to contend with the situations of the riders ahead and behind me. Of course I think that my existing racing experience from skiing has been a big benefit during my start in Jetsurf. And naturally success in one motivates me in the other. After last year’s fairly successful skiing season, which I rounded off with a fourth place finish during the Championship of the Czech Republic, I was in a great mindset for the summer Jetsurf racing season. I try to do both at the fullest and so I work hard all year long.

How do you rate your 2015 MotosurfGP season?

It was, as far as Jetsurf is concerned, a season of dreams, what more could I wish for at 14 years old. I’m grateful for the support I had not only from the side of my dad and the whole family, but also mainly from the side of the factory and Martin Šula, so I could participate in all GP races. I always had the board perfectly prepared, which enabled me to battle for the highest positions, where it was then up to me.

What are your ambitions for the upcoming 2016 season?

Of course I’d like to have similar results to last season. The competition is always improving and so the bar will be set high. The key will be my physical condition preparation and if my board will go well during the race. My main goal is primarily to stay amongst the best and in a factory team.

Thank you for the interview and we wish you lots of luck in this year’s season.