Team Faith’s Gage Schoenherr Grabs Series Lead in Pro Watercross

Gage Schoenherr racing in Pro Watercross in Panama City Beach, Florida

Gage Schoenherr will take his immense water-related talents to the Coast Guard

Gage Schoenherr raced the Pro Watercross World Championships for Team Faith last November, so the K&N-backed Watercross race team knew what they had when they signed him as a fill-in rider. Schoenherr did not disappoint in his fill-in role in the Pro Sport GP class in round 2 in Panama City Beach, Florida.

Jason Newby of Team Faith Racing Ministry said that the team decided to put Schoenherr on a familiar racing platform for round two of the Pro Watercross schedule.

“We basically decided to give him the same package he raced at the Championships since that was the last Sport boat he had ridden,” Newby said.

In the Pro show, Schoenherr got a fantastic start in a stacked field of 17 Pro Sport GP riders. Moto 1 proved to be a race of attrition in the rough conditions. Many of the favorites like Johnny Smith, Bill Dearman, and Andrew Bezan either had boat issues or crashed out of the moto. Schoenherr finished the challenging moto with an impressive 2nd place.

Sunday saw much different conditions. The seas had calmed and the wind subsided. There were relatively flat conditions with the exception of a few breaking wave sets on the front straight before the finish line. In Pro Sport GP Moto 2, Schoenherr finished just off the podium with a hard-charging 4th place finish.

Team Faith racing in Pro Watercross in Panama City Beach, Florida

Sunday's racing in Panama City Beach brought calmer waters

Pro Sport GP Moto 3 spelled a return to the podium for Schoenherr. Sam Nehme raced to the win in Moto 3, but not by much.

“Gage kept him honest coming in 2nd for a 2-4-2 score for the weekend, which easily gave him the overall win and the championship points lead,” said Newby.

Schoenherr's success in round 2 of the Pro Watercross World Championships is bitter sweet for Team Faith as it will be the last race of the season for the talented rider.

“Our fill-in rider and points leader Gage Schoenherr will not be with us for the rest of the season as he is going into the Coast Guard Academy,” said Newby. “We are very proud of Gage for being one of only 300 people in the US to be accepted to this prestigious institution and we support him fully in his decision to pursue further education and (a) career serving our country in the US Coast Guard. Congratulations Gage on the tremendous honor and opportunity and for going out on top of the Pro Watercross Pro Sport points! God Bless you!”

Team Faith racing in Pro Watercross in Panama City Beach, Florida

Team Faith is having huge success on a relatively stock boat

As always, Team Faith races for a higher purpose. The racing-based ministry definitely keeps their success in perspective.

“We have the top scoring watercraft in the class, yet we're still running a stock hull!” says Newby. “That's definitely something we are pretty proud of!"

"Most of the guys winning are on $20k+ machines with lightweight aftermarket hulls," Newby continued. "That's unfortunately something we just can't afford. Our goal, as always, is to be competitive - to show the people we minister to that we are just like them! Yet, we want to be good stewards of the finances that our sponsors and contributors provide us with.”

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