List of fatal accidents in motorboat racing

As motorboat racing is a dangerous sport, many individuals (including drivers, crew members, officials and spectators) have been killed in crashes related to the sport, either in a race, in qualifying, in practice or a private testing session. For example, in offshore powerboat racing, one racer dies each year from accidents.[1]

This transport-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Accidents during Water speed record
Name Date Place Boat Spec. Comment
Henry Segrave[2] 13 June 1930 Windermere Miss England II Driver
Vic Halliwell Riding engineer
John Cobb[3] 29 September 1952 Loch Ness Crusader
Mario Verga[4] 9 October 1954 Lago d'Iseo Laura 3
Donald Campbell[5] 4 January 1967 Coniston Water Bluebird K7
Lee Taylor[6] 13 November 1980 Lake Tahoe Discovery II Test run
Craig Arfons[7] 9 July 1989 Lake Jackson Rain X Challenger

Accidents during an Unlimited Hydroplane race
Name Date Race Place Boat Spec. Comment
Bill Freitag[8] 1931/09/19 President's Cup Potomac River Miss Philadelphia
Joe Schaeffer[9] 1939/08/28 Test run Detroit River Delphine IX
Orth Mathiot[10][11] 1951/08/04 Gold Cup Lake Washington Quicksilver Driver
Thompson "Thom" Whitaker[10] Co-pilot/mechanic
Lloyd Maddock [12][13] 1955/06/25 Detroit Memorial Regatta Detroit River Holiday
Ezio Selva [14][15][16][17][18] 1957/12/29 Orange Bowl Regatta Grand Prix Biscayne Bay Moschettiere
Bob Hayward [19][20][21] 1961/09/10 Silver Cup Detroit River Miss Supertest
Ron Musson [22][23] 1966/06/19 President's Cup Potomac River Miss Bardahl Explosion during race
Rex Manchester [22][23] Notre Dame Collision during final heat
Don Wilson [22][23] Miss Budweiser
Chuck Thompson [24][25] 1966/07/03 Gold Cup Detroit River Smirnoff
Bill Brow [26][27] 1967/11/06 Tampa Suncoast Cup Tampa Bay Miss Budweiser
Warner Gardner [28][29][30] 1968/09/08 Gold Cup Detroit River Miss Eagle Electric
Tommy Fults [31][32][33] 1970/09/16 Gold Cup Mission Bay Pay 'n Pak's 'lil Buzzard Qualifying run
Skipp Walther [34][35][36] 1974/06/02 Champion Spark Plug Trophy Miami Marine Stadium Red Man Test run prior to race
Jerry Bangs [37][38][39] 1977/08/07 Seafair Trophy Lake Washington The Squire
Bill Muncey [40][41] 1981/10/18 UIM World Championship race Acapulco Atlas Van Lines
Dean Chenoweth [42][43] 1982/07/31 Columbia Cup Columbia River Miss Budweiser
George Stratton [44][45] 2000/09/17 Bayfair testing Mission Bay Appian Jeronimo

Accidents during offshore powerboat racing
Name Role Date Series Race Place Boat Spec Comment
Val Carr 1972/03/26 Schwepps 80 Port Jackson, Sydney, Australia [46][47][48]
Paul Carr
Alf Bontoft Driver 1976/08/29 Cowes-Torquay Enfield Marine "Blitz" [49]
Joel Halpern Driver 1981/03/29 APBA Halter 200 Lake Pontchartrain, New Orleans Michelob Light [50][51]
Robert Weir Driver 1984/01/29 Australian Power Boat Association Port Phillip 100 Sandringham, Victoria, Australia "Weirwolf" a 23 ft Whitehorse powered by 2 x 175 hp Mercury outboards. Boat nose dived into a wave and broke in half. Co-driver Michael Meeng escaped uninjured.[51]
Dick Fullam driver 1985 APBA Key West Still Crazy Fullam had a previous career as a CFL player[52]
Mike Poppa Throttleman
Mark Lavin Throttleman 1986 APBA Marathon Fl., Seven Mile Bridge Jesse James [51]
Didier Pironi Driver 1987/08/23 Offshore World Championship Needles Trophy Isle of Wight, United Kingdom ACX "Colibri" - Lamborghini [53] Pironi was previously a Formula One racing driver for Ferrari. He retired from racing cars due to injuries sustained in an accident at the 1982 German Grand Prix.
Jean-Claude Guénard Throttleman
Bernard Giroux Navigator
Thomas Brandt pilot 1988 APBA Sheffield Oil Unocal 76 Offshore Classic Panama City, Florida Spirit of Miss Liberty [54][55]
Don Wright throttleman
Kevin Brown Owner/Driver 1989/10/23 APBA/UIM Worlds Championship Atlantic City, New Jersey 32 ft Skater Team Skater UIM II (Modified Class)Jim Dyke throttle-Man Kevin Brown Owner/Driver
Stefano Casiraghi Throttleman 1990/10/03 Class 1 WOC Monaco French Riviera Pinot di Pinot
Shannon Pearce Driver 1990 Cock of the Mersey - Devonport Apex Regatta Mersey River, Latrobe, Tasmania, Australia [56]
Brass Wilcockson Navigator 1991 Class 3D National Championship Allhallows, River Thames, United Kingdom Puma Catamaran
Hamed Buhaleeba Throttleman 1995/08/25 Class Two World Offshore Championship Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom Victory M-1-Sterling Chevrolet V6 [57][58][59]
Khalid Al-Sabah 1997/03/30 Class Two Middle-East Offshore Championship Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates [60]
Jack Carmody Driver 2001 APBA Offshore Pro Series Corpus Christi, Texas Xtreme Carlos N'Charlie's [1][61]
Sergio Carpentieri Throttleman June 30, 2007 Powerboat P1 World Championship Travemünde, Germany Carpenter [62]
Kevin Graff Driver August 24, 2008 OPA Battle on the Bay Patchogue, New York "Aero Express" MTI [63]
Phil DeJana Throttleman
Joey Gratton Throttleman 2011/11/11 Superboat International 31st Annual World Championships Key West, Florida Page Motor Sports [64]
Mohammad Al Mehairi Driver 2009/12/11 Class One World Offshore Championship Dubai Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC), Mina Seyahi Victory 1 [65][66]
Jean-Marc Sanchez Throttleman
William Nocker Driver 2012/07/13 UIM Class-1 Gabon Grand Prix Libreville, Gabon Welmax [67]

Accidents during outboard powerboat racing
Name Date Series Race Place Machine
Cesare Scotti[68] 1974/10/06 ON (2000 cc) Six Hours of Paris Seine River Scotti - Evinrude
Peter Inward[69] 1983/07/03 British F2 Powerboat Championship Fairford Hodges / Mercury
Ken Stevenson[70] 1983/12/11 Formula 2 Powerboat World Championship Nassau-Paradise Island Strait Bahamas
Luigi Valdano[71] 1984/05/27 Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship Grote Prijs van Nederland Ertveld Plas, 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Gérard Barthelemy[72] 1984/06/02 Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship Paris Grand Prix Seine River, Paris, France Hodges - Evinrude
Roberto Saviero[73] 1984/08/03 Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship Private test Po River, near Piacenza, Italy "Esercito Italiano" Molinari - Evinrude
Tom Percival[74] 1984/08/19 Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship Grand Prix de Belgique Benson & Hedges Meuse River, Liège, Belgium Hodges - Evinrude
Philippe Rebulet[75] 1988/11/06 Six Hours of Paris Seine River ?
François Salabert[76] June 10, 1990 Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship Embassy Grand Prix Bristol, United Kingdom Jeanneau / Mercury
Bolesław Niklewski 1991/07/03 Malta Circuit, Poznań Poland
John Hill[77][78] 1993/04/16 Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Burgess / Mercury
Roger Demares[79] 1995/05/02 24 heures Motonautiques de Rouen Seine River Deboos / Mercury
Andy Chesman[80] 1998/07/19 European Formula 500 Championship Hamburg, Germany Fort Boat / König
Francis Maré[81] 1999/05/01 24 heures Motonautiques de Rouen Seine River Heart attack
Mirosław Kędziora[82] 2001/09/23 S-550 World Championship Trzcianka Poland
Victor Kunitch[83] 2001/10/28 Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
Vincenzo Polli[84] 2002/12/21 Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
 Mike Lovell (GBR) [85][86] 2012/09/16 P1 Superstock Series Weymouth United Kingdom Peters & May - P1 Panther 250 UK[87]

Accidents during hydroplane and displacement racing
Name Date Competition Race Place Boat Spec. Comment
Jack Cooper[88][89] 1948/08/23 Canadian Gold Cup Picton, Ontario Ventnor "Tops III"
Dennis Hall 1989/01/15 Unlimited Unrestricted race Deepwater Motor Boat Club, Milperra 6 Litre Displacement "CAINAM" As 2 boats were approaching a turn buoy, Mr Hall's boat went into the path of the other boat causing the other boat to run over the top of Mr Hall's boat & Mr Hall was fatally injured.
Doug Jancura 2004/04/17 American Power Boat Association Testing American Lake, Lakewood, Washington, USA Strutin PS 1 - Pro Stock Flatbottom Sprint Boat
Larry Martin[90][91] 2004/11/06 Australian Power Boat Association Wide Bay Bundy Thunder Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia Trojan - 6 litre Displacement
Geoff Tomkins 2007/03/04 Devonport Apex Regatta Cock of the Mersey Mersey River, Latrobe, Tasmania, Australia "Iron Nuts" - Unlimited Displacement
János Feil[92] 2008/05/11 UIM European Championship F350 Po River, Boretto, Italy
Brian McCosker 2010/04/03 Taree Aquatic Power Boat Club Easter Classic Stuart Doyle Cup - NSW Unlimited Displacement Championship Taree, New South Wales, Australia Liberty - Unlimited Displacement
David Bryant 2010/04/04 Taree Aquatic Power Boat Club Easter Classic Eastway Shield - NSW Unlimited Open Inboard Championship Taree, New South Wales, Australia She's the Culprit - Unlimited Displacement
John Cross 2010/09/28 Australian Power Boat Association Lake Mulwala Power, Victorian Council APBA Yarrawonga, Victoria, Australia Rival - Unlimited Displacement Mr Cross had just passed the finish line in a final race when a propeller ear broke causing the boat to flip
Ryan Butler 2011/07/09 American Power Boat Association UIM World Flatbottom Championships Black Lake, Olympia, Washington, USA Scooty-Puff. Sr. PS 44 - Super Stock Flatbottom Sprint Boat
Greg Duff 2018/08/15 SCSC Long Beach Sprint Nationals Long Beach Marine Stadium, Dark Horse Racing Ps640

Accidents during drag boat racing
Name Date Competition Race Place Boat Spec. Comment
Mike Fry 08/09/2015 Marble Falls Lakefest Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series Lake Marble Falls (Texas) Top Alcohol Hydro "Meanstreak II" First round of eliminations in TA/H
Hugh Jones 1986/06/21 ADBA Molson Drag Boat Challenge London, Ontario BFH Stage fright Comment
Mac Bale[93][94] 1970/02/01 Lake Ming, Bakersfield, California, United States
Jan Barrett[94][95] 1973/10/07 Lake Ming, Bakersfield, California, United States Water speed record attempt
David Skalicky[93] 2005/07/10 Southern Drag Boat Association Ozarka Bricktown Nationals Bricktown Drag Boat Circuit, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States "Bad Boy's Dixie Toy"
Dale Anderson[96] 2002/09/08 National Jet Boat Association Bakersfield, California, United States Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States "Bad Boy's Dixie Toy"

References
  1. "Through troubled waters". Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  2. "Sir Henry (H.O.D.) Segrave Tributes". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  3. John Cobb Tributes Archived 2009-01-11 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Mario Verga Tributes". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  5. Donald Campbell Tributes Archived 2009-01-11 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Lee Taylor - The Growl of Thunder". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  7. "Jon Craig Arfons - The Fastest Boat". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  8. "Bill Freitag Tributes". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  9. "Joe Schaeffer Tributes". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  10. "1952 APBA Gold Cup - Gold Cup 1904-1952". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  11. "Sport: Death at Seattle". TIME.com. 13 August 1951. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  12. "Driver killed in speedboat collision". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. June 26, 1955. p. 1B.
  13. "1955 Detroit Memorial". Lesliefield.com. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  14. "Ezio Selva killed when boat flips". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. December 30, 1957. p. 8, part 2.
  15. Crouse, John (January 5, 1958). "Was Selva boxed in by American drivers?". Miami News. p. 5C.
  16. "Ezio Selva Tributes". Lesliefield.com. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  17. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  18. "Sport: Death of a Sportsman". TIME.com. 13 January 1958. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  19. "Canadian driver killed in hydro flip". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. September 11, 1961. p. 2B.
  20. "Bob Hayward Tributes". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  21. "1961 Silver Cup - Silver cup Race Dies in Boat Flip". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  22. "Musson, Manchester, Wilson killed in hydro wrecks". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. June 20, 1966. p. 10.
  23. "Don Wilson Tributes". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  24. "Chuck Thompson killed". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. July 4, 1966. p. 49.
  25. "Chuck Thompson". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  26. "Bill Brow is killed in hydroplane crash". The Day. New London, Connecticut. Associated Press. June 12, 1967. p. 24.
  27. "Bill Brow Memorial". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  28. "Pilot feared low spots". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. September 9, 1968. p. 3B.
  29. "Hydro pilot succumbs". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. September 10, 1968. p. 3B.
  30. "Warner Gardner Tributes". Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  31. "Hydro ace Fults killed". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. September 17, 1970. p. 2C.
  32. "Pay 'n Pak Team Boat History". Unlimited Excitement. Archived from the original on 2009-02-09. Retrieved April 3, 2009.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  33. History of Pay 'N Pak Racing Archived 2008-06-14 at the Wayback Machine
  34. "Skipp Walther killed in crash". St. Petersburg Times. wire services. June 3, 1974. p. 1C.
  35. "Skipp Walther foresaw 'no problem' on death day". Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. Associated Press. June 3, 1974. p. 6.
  36. "Skipp Walther Tributes". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  37. "Death mars Muncey victory". St. Petersburg Independent. Associated Press. August 8, 1977. p. 7C.
  38. "Jerry Bangs, 42". Eugene Register-Guard. wire services (photo). August 8, 1977. p. 2C.
  39. "Jerry Bangs Tributes". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  40. "Hydroplane driver Bill Muncey dies in crash". The Day. New London, Connecticut. Associated Press. October 18, 1981. p. 23.
  41. Remembering Bill Muncey, Mr. Unlimited Archived 2009-01-11 at the Wayback Machine
  42. "Speedboat racer Dean Chenoweth dies in crash". The Day. New London, Connecticut. Associated Press. August 1, 1982. p. C5.
  43. "Dean Chenoweth Tributes". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  44. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  45. O'Neil, Danny (2000-09-18). "Hydro driver dies in crash in San Diego". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  46. "THE CIGARETTE: how many they were?!". Offshoreonly.com. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  47. "Njppc.Com". Njppc.Com. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  48. "The Cigarette". Offshoreonly.com. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  49. "The Cowes-Torquay". Classicoffshore.com. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  50. Clark, Alfred E. (1981-03-30). "Joel Halpern, Developer And Racer - Nytimes.Com". Select.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  51. "Njppc.Com". Njppc.Com. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  53. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  54. "POWERBOATING". 17 April 1988. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2016. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  55. "C-5 Finish Line - Page 3". Offshoreonly.com. 2008-09-13. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  56. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  57. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-05-11. Retrieved 2009-03-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  58. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19950826/ai_n14002851. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  59. "WebCite query result". Archived from the original on October 26, 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2014.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  60. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  61. "Boat Reviews, Features and Boating Blog, Boats.com". Articles - boats.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  62. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
  63. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  64. "Joey Gratton Dead: Powerboat Racer Dies In Crash At Key West World Championship". Huffingtonpost.com. Associated Press. 2011-11-12. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  65. "Mohammed Majid Al Muhairi, Jean-Marc Sanchez Dead In Dubai Powerboat Crash". The Huffington Post. 2009-12-11. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  66. Archived December 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  67. "UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship Official Website". Class-1.com. Archived from the original on 2014-08-12. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  68. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  69. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  70. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  71. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  72. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  73. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  74. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  75. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  76. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  77. Archived March 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  78. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  79. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  80. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  81. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  82. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  83. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  84. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  85. "Weymouth incident statement". P1 Superstock. 2012-09-17. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  86. "BBC News - Weymouth powerboat crash: Mike Lovell dies from injuries". Bbc.co.uk. 2012-09-17. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  87. "Peters & May Team Information from". P1 Superstock. Archived from the original on 2012-04-14. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  88. "Milestones". Thunderboats.org. Archived from the original on 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  89. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  90. Archived November 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  91. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected] (2004-11-06). "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  92. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  93. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  94. HNS Hermes, lsbale for Down & Out Press. "DWIGHT and MAC BALE - DRAGBOAT RACERS - Drag Boat racing in the 1960s and 70s - HOME PAGE". Narberthpa.com. Retrieved 2014-08-12.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  95. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  96. The Motorsport Memorial Team, [email protected]. "Motorsport Memorial". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.