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Phantom 9 barrel rolled
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Ratickle
Founding Member / Super Moderator
BOAT RACE: Nobody injured in dramatic crash of Phantom 9 Superboat Vee
By PATRICK FERLISE Correspondent
Published: Monday, July 8, 2013 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, July 7, 2013 at 8:37 p.m.
SARASOTA - Taking a puff from his cigarette, Phantom 9 throttle man Kurt Jagel sat in a lawn chair underneath his team's tent, a somber atmosphere ever present in the air.
He and driver Mark Niemann had just lived through one of the most dramatic crashes in Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix history, and an accident that Superboat Vee class had never witnessed before. Nearing Phantom's third lap in the 11 a.m. race Sunday, the vessel barrel rolled and became airborne, knocking both men out of competition.
"We were coming out of the dogleg and things seemed pretty good, then next thing we knew, we were sideways," Jagel said. "It happened really quick, and it was an extremely violent impact ... my side of the boat just exploded."
The pair cited weather conditions as the cause of the accident, and like other races, they say that is normally the case for any racer out on the water.
The left side of the boat took the brunt of the force, shearing fiberglass off the hull from cockpit to engine block. In Niemann's eyes, parts of the craft are salvageable, but it is a tough hit to their morale and wallet.
"We had maintenance issues, but we finally took it out on the water today and the boat felt super sleek and perfect," Niemann said. "We'll probably have to cut the boat in half and glue it back together, which sounds easy, but it's not."
Phantom had a steady lead over Sun Print, Red Hot Racing/JD Byrider and BoatFloater.com before the crash. It then became a three-way contest to the finish line.
By PATRICK FERLISE Correspondent
Published: Monday, July 8, 2013 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, July 7, 2013 at 8:37 p.m.
SARASOTA - Taking a puff from his cigarette, Phantom 9 throttle man Kurt Jagel sat in a lawn chair underneath his team's tent, a somber atmosphere ever present in the air.
He and driver Mark Niemann had just lived through one of the most dramatic crashes in Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix history, and an accident that Superboat Vee class had never witnessed before. Nearing Phantom's third lap in the 11 a.m. race Sunday, the vessel barrel rolled and became airborne, knocking both men out of competition.
"We were coming out of the dogleg and things seemed pretty good, then next thing we knew, we were sideways," Jagel said. "It happened really quick, and it was an extremely violent impact ... my side of the boat just exploded."
The pair cited weather conditions as the cause of the accident, and like other races, they say that is normally the case for any racer out on the water.
The left side of the boat took the brunt of the force, shearing fiberglass off the hull from cockpit to engine block. In Niemann's eyes, parts of the craft are salvageable, but it is a tough hit to their morale and wallet.
"We had maintenance issues, but we finally took it out on the water today and the boat felt super sleek and perfect," Niemann said. "We'll probably have to cut the boat in half and glue it back together, which sounds easy, but it's not."
Phantom had a steady lead over Sun Print, Red Hot Racing/JD Byrider and BoatFloater.com before the crash. It then became a three-way contest to the finish line.
ratabastardahole
New member
brutal racing conditions in 1' seas, i bet don aranow would crapping his pants in seas that big...
Dunbar 104
Charter Member / Competitor
Yeah doesn't look like anything broke until it was to late. Just took a bad hop and twisted in the air. I wonder why?
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