Two speedboat racers narrowly escaped serious injury after a shocking crash at Lake Havasu in Arizona on Saturday, where their boat flipped and soared into the air before crashing back onto the water.
This alarming incident was filmed as the speedboat tried to smash a 206-mph speed record during the Desert Storm Shugrue’s Shootout event.
In the footage, the powerful white boat, boasting 10,000 horsepower, was seen racing fast across the lake with a helicopter filming from above.
The boat began to skip across the water, and when the front tilted enough for the wind to lift it, it executed a complete backflip.
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A speedboat crashed after becoming airborne at Lake Havasu in Arizona during an attempt to break the 200 mph speed record. (Credit: Speedboat Magazine)
However, the adrenaline-pumping moment didn’t stop there. The boat stayed airborne, rotating almost 360 degrees before the front hit the water again, flipping vertically.
Onlookers were heard gasping and swearing in shock at what unfolded.
FOX 10 in Phoenix reported that the two racers, identified only as John Wayne and Clint Eastwood as a means of disguise for their identities, emerged unscathed from the wreck.
The station spoke with Ray Lee from Speedboat Magazine, who shared that the racing team aimed for a historical feat that weekend.
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A speedboat crashed after becoming airborne at Lake Havasu in Arizona during an attempt to break the 200 mph speed record. (Credit: Speedboat Magazine)
“It’s a 388 skater with an estimated 10,000 horsepower,” Lee explained. “They arrived at Lake Havasu earlier that week aiming to break the record at the Desert Storm shootout. That was their first run of the day, and the radar caught them going 200.1 mph.”
Other racers told the station that the survival of the men was thanks to the boat’s sturdy construction.
“You never want to witness a crash, especially something as alarming as that,” said competitor Jeff Clark, noting that speeds like this can diminish a driver’s reaction time. “At that velocity, it doesn’t take much. Those tunnel holes are designed to trap air, allowing the boat to glide on the water. If it picks up too much speed and the nose lifts too high, it can easily go airborne.”
He commented that his heart sank when he saw the boat take flight.
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The boat flipped multiple times while airborne. (Credit: Speedboat Magazine)
“It’s never something you want to witness while having fun as a driver,” Clark added.
Both Lee and Clark noted that windy conditions may have contributed to the crash, but possibly also aided the racers.
Lee explained that when the boat cut through the wind, it may have helped it stay airborne longer than if there had been less wind.
“You hold your breath until you see both racers emerge safe from the cockpit,” he stated. “Fortunately, they were mostly uninjured.”
According to Motorsport Memorial, since 1963, 11 fatal crashes have occurred during races at Lake Havasu, with the deadliest happening in 2018, resulting in three fatalities when a boat named “Lickety Split” crashed.
Clark praised advancements in safety that protected the racers during the incident.
“Those guys survived for one reason alone: that boat was engineered to withstand crashes,” he said. “The imagery shows the boat is in ruins, but the cockpit remained intact. I commend Skater and the team that built that boat for saving their lives; there’s no question about it.”
