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| Dorset powerboat accident: driver dies and navigator seriously injured | Dorset powerboat accident: driver dies and navigator seriously injured |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A powerboat driver has died and his navigator is in serious condition after their vessel flipped over during a race off the Dorset coast. | A powerboat driver has died and his navigator is in serious condition after their vessel flipped over during a race off the Dorset coast. |
| Driver Mike Lovell and his team-mate, Dan Whapples, were both airlifted to hospital following the accident in Weymouth Bay, the venue for the Olympic and Paralympic sailing regattas. | Driver Mike Lovell and his team-mate, Dan Whapples, were both airlifted to hospital following the accident in Weymouth Bay, the venue for the Olympic and Paralympic sailing regattas. |
| The organisers of the race, which is billed as a "grand prix on the sea" and features boats that can travel at up to 70mph, announced that Lovell had died while Whapples was "serious but stable". | The organisers of the race, which is billed as a "grand prix on the sea" and features boats that can travel at up to 70mph, announced that Lovell had died while Whapples was "serious but stable". |
| In a statement the management of the P1 SuperStock UK Championship said: "Following a powerboat incident in Weymouth, Mike Lovell and Dan Whapples both sustained serious injuries and were airlifted to Southampton general hospital. | |
| "Overnight Mike Lovell sadly succumbed to his injuries. Dan Whapples is in a serious but stable condition. A further statement will be issued when more details are available. Our thoughts are with the whole powerboat community and particularly with Mike and Dan's family and friends." | "Overnight Mike Lovell sadly succumbed to his injuries. Dan Whapples is in a serious but stable condition. A further statement will be issued when more details are available. Our thoughts are with the whole powerboat community and particularly with Mike and Dan's family and friends." |
| The accident, which took place at 2.30pm on Sunday afternoon, will be investigated by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch. | The accident, which took place at 2.30pm on Sunday afternoon, will be investigated by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch. |
| Shelley Jory, a leading powerboat racer who was commentating on the event, told the BBC that she believed Lovell's boat got caught up in the wash of other vessels. "That's what happens with powerboat racing. The drivers got thrown clear of the boat." Jory said the powerboat racers are not "strapped in" but know the dangers of the sport and "love the adrenaline". | Shelley Jory, a leading powerboat racer who was commentating on the event, told the BBC that she believed Lovell's boat got caught up in the wash of other vessels. "That's what happens with powerboat racing. The drivers got thrown clear of the boat." Jory said the powerboat racers are not "strapped in" but know the dangers of the sport and "love the adrenaline". |
| The weekend's event was the culmination of the P1 SuperStock powerboat racing series. In its publicity material, the sport is described as exciting and unpredictable. "Racing on water is completely different to racing on tarmac. The course is constantly changing beneath you, which makes for spectacularly close and unpredictable racing." | The weekend's event was the culmination of the P1 SuperStock powerboat racing series. In its publicity material, the sport is described as exciting and unpredictable. "Racing on water is completely different to racing on tarmac. The course is constantly changing beneath you, which makes for spectacularly close and unpredictable racing." |