If you love Formula 1 and you love boats, it should follow that you’ll enjoy powerboat racing. But…aren’t the best bits of F1 at the start, the crashes and the finish? Surely the rest is just boring.

Not so, say I. I love the thrill of the speed as you get to see the race from the camera above Lewis or Jenson’s head. You get to feel a little of the speed as the track whizzes past at 150 miles an hour. If you’re anything like me you also find yourself swaying on the sofa as if you’re going round the corners yourself. It’s exhilarating as well as being a source of great amusement for the family.

There are some nutters in America that go Jet Boat racing along the white water of Hell’s Gate Canyon in southern Oregon and this video is particularly good if you want to feel the speed. It’s filmed from a camera on the roll-bar (yes boats have roll-bars) of the boat.

If you’re honest though you’d also like to see the boat wipe out. No? Well here’s a fine example, this time filmed in Idaho.

And here’s a last one. The boat almost wipes out due to 50mph headwinds. Listen for the concern of the crowd as it almost ends in disaster. Only in America.

Exciting? Yes. Dangerous? Very. I’m staying a spectator.
Seems like an expensive and dangerous way to spend time. Give me a boat with a stick and a rag anytime.

Related posts:

1. ISAF : The Racing Rules of Sailing for 2009-2012 – Amendments Effective 1 January 2010
2. America’s Cup TV trials underway
3. Enterprise Dinghy racing at Southport in gale