List of fatal accidents in motorboat racing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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. Although a push for safety in recent years has led to the decrease in deaths and serious injuries as closed cockpits, safety cells and harnesses more common in automobile racing have become more common among the top and fastest classes.[1]
Fatal Accidents during Water speed record
| Name | Date | Place | Boat Spec. | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Henry Segrave[2] |
1930-06-13 | Windermere |
Miss England II | Driver |
| Vic Halliwell |
Riding engineer | |||
| John Cobb[3] |
1952-09-29 | Loch Ness |
Crusader | |
 Mario Verga[4] |
1954-10-09 | Lago d'Iseo |
Laura 3 | |
| Donald Campbell[5] |
1967-01-04 | Coniston Water |
Bluebird K7 | |
 Lee Taylor[6] |
1980-11-13 | Lake Tahoe |
Discovery II | Test run |
| Craig Arfons[7] |
1989-07-09 | Lake Jackson |
Rain X Challenger |
Fatal 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 | Mission Bay | Appian Jeronimo | During a practice session on race day. |
Fatal 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] | |
| Mike Fiore | Throttleman | 2014/08/19 | Lake Ozarks Shootout Unsanctioned Race | 2014 Lake Ozarks Shootout | Lake Ozark, Missouri, USA | "Outerlimits" Catamaran Offshore Powerboat | During a run on the 23rd of August, Outerlimits clocked a speed upwards of 179 MPH/288 KPH before the boat lifted upwards. Mike tried to let off the throttle, but it was too late as the bottom of the boat had become a wing, lifting and flipping the boat upside down, until the nose hit the water. This redirected the boat the other direction, corkscrewing due to the high speeds until it hit the water cockpit first. Both the driver and the throttleman escaped under their own abilities, but the throttleman was already injured on the scene. He would pass away the Tuesday after the race due to complications. The race was an "outlaw" race, as races to 2023 were unsanctioned. Starting in 2024, the event is an APBA/UIM sanctioned event. |
Fatal 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] |
1990/06/10 | 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] |
Fatal Accidents during kyōtei racing
Whilst being the 2nd from last with the highest number of fatal accidents of the four parimutuel betting sports in Japan,[Note 1] 34 drivers (including one trainee) have lost their lives since the first death in 1953. This is caused by collisions with the quay or one of the competing boats. It is estimated that there is one death for every 2 years.[93]
Kyōtei boats, which are similar to C Stock Hydro (APBA) or OSY 400 (UIM) in specifications worldwide, do not feature seat belts, safety capsules, or other forms of required safety devices such as flotation devices and oxygen masks, which are required in most powerboat classes (offshore, F1H20, H1 Unlimited) after a series of early 1980's Unlimited Hydroplane fatalities.
| Name | Rank | Date | Race | Start | Grade | Venue | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atsuko Kimura | 2003/5/25 | 7th at Tsu | Tsu | |||||
| Yasutaka Nakajima | B1 | 2004/3/28 | 5th at Amagasaki | 2 | Amagasaki | |||
| Shinji Sakatani | 26 | 2007/2/26 | 50th Taiko Sho | 5 | G1 | Suminoe | ||
| Takahiro Iwanaga | 2010/5/14 | Wakamatsu | ||||||
| Shoko Suzuki | B1 | 52 | 2013/11/2 | test session | Shimonoseki | |||
| Yuzu Mizushiro | n/a | 19 | 19/5/2016 | training session | n/a | Kyōtei Training School | [94] | |
| Katsuya Matsumoto | A1 | 48 | 2020/2/9 | 9th at 63rd Kinki District Championship | 6 | G1 | Amagasaki | |
| Susumu Kobayashi | B1 | 12/1/2022 | BOATBoyCUP | Tamagawa | ||||
| Tatsuya Nakata | A2 | 6/11/2022 | 10th at Miyajima | Miyajima | ||||
| Source: [88][93] | ||||||||
Fatal Accidents during hydroplane and displacement racing
| Name | Date | Competition | Race | Place | Boat Spec. | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Cooper[95][96] | 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 turned from the outside & was run over by another boat from the inside which did not turn & 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[97][98] | 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[99] | 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 | |
| Raivo Peetsmann | 2014/06/29 | UIM World Championships | OSY-400 | Chodzież, Poland | Põvvat-Yamato | At 11:20 AM, the third heat of OSY-400, a formula similar to kyōtei in Japan, started. On the third lap, Peetsmann's boat spun, creating a small wave. The boat of University of Massachusetts, Lowell student Michael Akerstrom hit that wave and was launched against the top of the Estonian’s boat, which was then crossing the usual racing path. The impact was violent, and threw both competitors in the water. The race was red-flagged. Peetsmann's helmet was hit by the propeller of Akerstrom's boat. Peetsmann was sent to Chodzież District Hospital, where he died that night of cardiac arrest. The third heat was abandoned, and the fourth heat was cancelled. |
| Greg Duff | 2018/08/15 | SCSC | Long Beach Sprint Nationals | Long Beach Marine Stadium, | Dark Horse Racing Ps640 | As of media reports, Greg was racing in the superstock class when he was struck in a T-Bone style accident. |
| Jay Hart | 2021/8/8 | SCSC | Long Beach Sprint Nationals | Long Beach Marine Stadium, | K class race boat, Open cockpit K16 | On the backstretch of the First lap of the Sunday Race, Jay had been side by side for the lead, tragically being caught in the wake of the other driver, Corkscrewing, and throwing him into the water at over 100 MPH, The event was later cancelled for investigation. |
Fatal Accidents during drag boat racing
| Name | Date | Competition | Water | Place | Boat Spec. | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hugh Jones | 1986/06/21 | ADBA | Molson Drag Boat Challenge | London, Ontario | BFH Stage fright | ||
| Mac Bale | 1970/02/01 | Lake Ming | Bakersfield, California, United States | [100][101] | |||
| Jan Barrett | 1973/10/07 | Lake Ming, Bakersfield, California, United States | Water speed record attempt | [101][102] | |||
| Alan Hawkins | 2000/06/17 | Lake Ming | Bakersfield, California, United States | "Gladiator" blown alcohol hydro | |||
| Melvin Eaves | 2001/07/01 | Alabama River Rampage | Alabama River | ||||
| Lance Faulkner | 2001/11/22 | Testing | Lake Mead | Parker, Arizona | |||
| Dale Anderson | 2002/09/08 | National Jet Boat Association | Lake Ming | Bakersfield, California, United States | "Bad Boy's Dixie Toy" | [103] | |
| Joe Barnes | 2004/08/28 | Kentucky Drag Boat Association 9th annual "Thunder on the Green" race | Green River, Livermore, Kentucky | ||||
| John Hipwell | 2004/10/03 | International Hot Boat Association race | Lake Yosemite, Merced, California | "Madness" top fuel hydro | |||
| Mike Neuharth | 2005/04/09 | International Hot Boat Association Lakefest | Firebird Lake, Phoenix, Arizona | "Silver Belle" Pro Mod | |||
| David Skalicky[100] | 2005/07/10 | Southern Drag Boat Association | Ozarka Bricktown Nationals | Bricktown Drag Boat Circuit, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States | |||
| Jay Wallace | 2006/05/06 | Event: National Jet Boat Association May Shootout race | Lake Ming, near Bakersfield, California | ||||
| Charlie Hodsdon | 2006/10/15 | Lake Ming, near Bakersfield, California | "White Thunder" River Races jet boat | ||||
| Lloyd Burns | 2007/04/21 | Kentucky Drag Boat Association | Kentucky Lake's Pisgah Bay | ||||
| Stephen Rawleigh | 2008/09/28 | Lake Ming, near Bakersfield, California | 19-foot Chevy-powered flatbottom | ||||
| Jim Tucker | 2009/06/20 | 30th annual Budweiser Creve Coeur Lake Drag Boat Classic | Mission Burial Park South, San Antonio, Texas | "Say When" | |||
| Don Ermshar | 2009/08/27 | Southern Drag Boat Association Cowtown Drag Boat Nationals | Marine Creek Lake, North Fort Worth, Texas | ||||
| John Haas | 2010/08/07 | Southern Drag Boat Association Mid-America Summer Nationals | Grand River, near Chouteau, Oklahoma | "Speed Sport Special" top fuel hydro | |||
| Mike Fry | 2015/08/09 | 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[104] | |
| Wade Stanley | 2016/02/13 | Arizona Drag Boat Association "Southwest Showdown 5" | Colorado River, Parker, Arizona |