Meet Amanda LeCheminant...lawyer during the week, singer at night and jet ski racer on the weekend! Meet our first jet ski racing brand ambassador from Boca Raton, FL.

In our journey to find and promote women excelling in their sport, we quickly took notice of Amanda. She doesn't race on two or four wheels like most of our ambassadors, but this girl races on a surface with ever changing conditions (plus, hello...sharks?) and does it like a pro in the P1 AquaX Series. 

Amanda’s love for jet skiing turned into competitive racing one day as she was cleaning and was watching Fox Sports when P1 AquaX racing came on.

“I got distracted enough from cleaning that I sat down to watch it, and being the social media butterfly that I am, obviously found P1 AquaX on Instagram immediately and started following them. A few weeks later, I saw a post that they were having the first Pro Series race of the season in Daytona Beach the following weekend, and suggested to (my now boyfriend) George that we go check it out. He got his Dad on board, we made the drive, watched the racing, met a few racers and the rest is history. This was in late April of 2016, and by May 21, 2016 we had geared up, trained up and were at the starting line of our very first race ever on Lake Tohopekaliga in St. Cloud, Florida.

What was your first event like and how did you do?

“My first event was early in 2016 at Lake Tohopekaliga in St. Cloud, Florida. It was the third round of the P1 AquaX Amateur Enduro Florida Championships, and the 200 hp class lineup was full of awesome riders. Going to the starting line that day was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done, but as soon as the flag dropped I fell instantly in love with racing jetskis! I ended up finishing 6th overall that weekend after completing both motos.”

 

Since that event, she has earned herself an impressive list of finishes including a first place finish at Am Enduro 200hp class at the 2017 P1 AquaX season opener in Daytona Beach. Amanda also took third place overall in the Pro/Am Enduro 200hp class for the 2017 Northeast Championship and second place overall in the Pro/Am Enduro 200hp class for the 2016 Great Lakes Championship. 

What have your experiences been like as a woman in this sport?

“Being a girl in this sport is amazing! Ever since my first event where one of the safety marshals walked up and said to me “Girls don’t race jetskis!,” I have taken my minority status as a challenge. Particularly exciting for me is that there is no women’s class in the P1 AquaX series, so if I want to race I have to get on the track with the boys.

 

 

 

I’m very proud to say that despite some extremely rough conditions and resulting injuries this season, I have never failed to complete a race. Having seen many guys pull off the course due to conditions, injury or just utter exhaustion, this makes me very proud. There are only 2 other girls currently racing in the P1 AquaX series, and we all love putting up a fight against the boys.

 

 

 

As I expand my race experience with other series in seasons to come, I look forward to taking advantage of my small size in some other classes aboard my newly acquired Waveblaster. Stay tuned!”

Anything special you would like to say to women that read this and either currently compete or are thinking about it?

"Don’t ever let anyone tell you that women don’t race! Not only do we race, we’re pretty good at it and we look good while we’re doing it, too! It doesn’t make you any less lady-like and no one ever said you can’t wear riding boots during the day and some heels at night. Be inspired by the boys and challenge them all the way to the finish line!”

 

Are there any sponsors or others you would like to acknowledge for their assistance in getting your driving to what it is today?

“Yes, I am lucky to have some of the best sponsors in the industry!

 

Riva Racing

IPD Grahpics

Hydro-Turf

JetPilot USA

Works H2O Designs

Stroker Industries

Soflo Rolling Collective

 

I’d also like to thank my boyfriend, coach, and teammate, George, for his undying dedication to making me a better racer and always having my back; his father George “the Viper”, our pit crew Chief and biggest fan, without whom we never would have gotten into this sport; Colton Wegener, KC Holmquist and Justin Finely for making up the best pit crew we could ask for and always going above and beyond; my parents Lorraine and Geoffrey for the unconditional love and for always pushing me to succeed at whatever crazy sport or activity I fall in love with; George's mom Teresa for being the best pit-mom and helping us stay organized when the stress is high; and to everyone involved in helping to build our Waveblaster for next season! 

 

 

 

Also would like to thank all of our fellow racers for the warm welcome as we became a part of the sport, and the P1 AquaX organization for making a killer race series. This is truly a team sport and I couldn’t do it alone.

 

I encourage everyone to learn more about the P1 AquaX series on the P1 website: www.p1aquaxusa.com! The events are open to the public, FREE, and family friendly so please stop by and say hello if ever in town.”

 As you can see, we are in awe of this girl who above all else, just wants to go fast. We are happy to welcome her to #teamracechick and are looking forward to watching her excel in the ranks!

You can follow Amanda on:

Instagram - @lechemie

Website - www.phuckitracing.com

 Bonus fun fact about Amanda:

Before I started racing, I spent almost all of my free time performing as a semi-professional singer. Having grown up studying piano and voice, and receiving a Master of Music Degree along with my Law Degree from the University of Miami in 2013, music has always been a very important part of my life. As a member of the Master Chorale of South Florida, I had the opportunity to perform with world renowned artists including Foreigner and Andrea Bocelli. While I have had to take a break from singing to focus on my racing career, I look forward to squeezing it back into my schedule sometime soon, and hopefully blending my hobbies with some national anthem performances at races in the near future.

 Photo Credit to Ashes to Ashes Photography - @ashes_to_ashes_photo