List of fatal accidents in motorboat racing


As motorboat racing is a dangerous sport, many individuals 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.

Accidents during [Water speed record]

Accidents during an Unlimited Hydroplane race">H1 Unlimited">Unlimited Hydroplane race

Accidents during [offshore powerboat racing]

NameRoleDateSeriesRacePlaceBoat SpecComment-
Val Carr1972/03/26Schwepps 80Port Jackson, Sydney, Australia-
Paul Carr1972/03/26Schwepps 80Port Jackson, Sydney, Australia-
Alf BontoftDriver1976/08/29Cowes-TorquayEnfield Marine "Blitz"-
Joel HalpernDriver1981/03/29APBAHalter 200Lake Pontchartrain, New OrleansMichelob Light-
Robert WeirDriver1984/01/29Australian Power Boat AssociationPort Phillip 100Sandringham, 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.-
Dick Fullamdriver1985APBAKey WestStill CrazyFullam had a previous career as a CFL player-
Mike PoppaThrottleman1985APBAKey WestStill CrazyFullam had a previous career as a CFL player-
Mark LavinThrottleman1986APBAMarathon Fl., Seven Mile BridgeJesse James-
Didier PironiDriver1987/08/23Offshore World ChampionshipNeedles TrophyIsle of Wight, United KingdomACX "Colibri" - LamborghiniPironi 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 GuénardThrottleman1987/08/23Offshore World ChampionshipNeedles TrophyIsle of Wight, United KingdomACX "Colibri" - LamborghiniPironi 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.-
Bernard GirouxNavigator1987/08/23Offshore World ChampionshipNeedles TrophyIsle of Wight, United KingdomACX "Colibri" - LamborghiniPironi 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.-
Thomas Brandtpilot1988APBASheffield Oil Unocal 76 Offshore ClassicPanama City, FloridaSpirit of Miss Liberty-
Don Wrightthrottleman1988APBASheffield Oil Unocal 76 Offshore ClassicPanama City, FloridaSpirit of Miss Liberty-
Kevin BrownOwner/Driver1989/10/23APBA/UIM Worlds ChampionshipAtlantic City, New Jersey32 ft SkaterTeam Skater UIM II Jim Dyke throttle-Man Kevin Brown Owner/Driver--
Stefano CasiraghiThrottleman1990/10/03Class 1 WOCMonacoFrench RivieraPinot di Pinot--
Shannon PearceDriver1990Cock of the Mersey - Devonport Apex RegattaMersey River, Latrobe, Tasmania, Australia-
Brass WilcocksonNavigator1991Class 3D National ChampionshipAllhallows, River Thames, United KingdomPuma Catamaran-
Hamed BuhaleebaThrottleman1995/08/25Class Two World Offshore ChampionshipCowes, Isle of Wight, United KingdomVictory M-1-Sterling Chevrolet V6-
Khalid Al-Sabah1997/03/30Class Two Middle-East Offshore ChampionshipAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates-
Jack CarmodyDriver2001APBA Offshore Pro SeriesCorpus Christi, TexasXtreme Carlos N'Charlie's-
Sergio CarpentieriThrottlemanJune 30, 2007Powerboat P1 World ChampionshipTravemünde, GermanyCarpenter
Kevin GraffDriverAugust 24, 2008OPABattle on the BayPatchogue, New York"Aero Express" MTI-
Phil DeJanaThrottlemanAugust 24, 2008OPABattle on the BayPatchogue, New York"Aero Express" MTI-
Joey GrattonThrottleman2011/11/11Superboat International31st Annual World ChampionshipsKey West, FloridaPage Motor Sports-
Mohammad Al MehairiDriver2009/12/11Class One World Offshore ChampionshipDubaiDubai International Marine Club, Mina SeyahiVictory 1-
Jean-Marc SanchezThrottleman2009/12/11Class One World Offshore ChampionshipDubaiDubai International Marine Club, Mina SeyahiVictory 1-
William NockerDriver2012/07/13UIM Class-1Gabon Grand PrixLibreville, GabonWelmax-

Accidents during outboard powerboat racing

NameDateSeriesRacePlaceMachine
Cesare Scotti1974/10/06ON Six Hours of ParisSeine RiverScotti - Evinrude
Peter Inward1983/07/03British F2 Powerboat ChampionshipFairfordHodges / Mercury
Ken Stevenson1983/12/11Formula 2 Powerboat World ChampionshipNassau-Paradise Island StraitBahamas
Luigi Valdano1984/05/27Formula 1 Powerboat World ChampionshipGrote Prijs van NederlandErtveld Plas, 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Gérard Barthelemy1984/06/02Formula 1 Powerboat World ChampionshipParis Grand PrixSeine River, Paris, FranceHodges - Evinrude
Roberto Saviero1984/08/03Formula 1 Powerboat World ChampionshipPrivate testPo River, near Piacenza, Italy"Esercito Italiano" Molinari - Evinrude
Tom Percival1984/08/19Formula 1 Powerboat World ChampionshipGrand Prix de Belgique Benson & HedgesMeuse River, Liège, BelgiumHodges - Evinrude
Philippe Rebulet1988/11/06Six Hours of ParisSeine River?
François SalabertJune 10, 1990Formula 1 Powerboat World ChampionshipEmbassy Grand PrixBristol, United KingdomJeanneau / Mercury
Bolesław Niklewski1991/07/03Malta Circuit, PoznańPoland
John Hill1993/04/16Formula 1 Powerboat World ChampionshipAbu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesBurgess / Mercury
Roger Demares1995/05/0224 heures Motonautiques de RouenSeine RiverDeboos / Mercury
Andy Chesman1998/07/19European Formula 500 ChampionshipHamburg, GermanyFort Boat / König
Francis Maré1999/05/0124 heures Motonautiques de RouenSeine RiverHeart attack
Mirosław Kędziora2001/09/23S-550 World ChampionshipTrzciankaPoland
Victor Kunitch2001/10/28Formula 1 Powerboat World ChampionshipAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates
Vincenzo Polli2002/12/21Formula 1 Powerboat World ChampionshipAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates
2012/09/16P1 Superstock SeriesWeymouthUnited KingdomPeters & May - P1 Panther 250 UK
Joe Mahmah2012/11/04-

Accidents during hydroplane and displacement racing

Accidents during [drag boat racing]