It is remarkable that that there was not more damage, I am glad that they are OK, look at the size of one these channel markers. Those guys have been racing a long time, they know what they are doing, accidents happen, but that is the first time I ever remember an offshore race boat running over a US Coast Channel Marker. If you can't see where you are going due to getting washed down by the other boat(s) rooster tail then it would be tough to see what is in front of you.

Damn those are huge!!

Geico would have kept going.... :evilb:

Marc: "WE JUST HIT SOMETHING! BIG"
Scotty: "and???.....motors are still running and the props are turning - GO,GO,GO!"

Sad news for the Warpaint team to be taken out like that - hard lick to take! Seeing the damage must have been gut wrenching. Actually surprised it did do more damage to the hull than what was shown

What had me scratching my head about this when I saw it happen live, was who in their right mind would define a start area with an obstacle like that right in the middle. With all the spray that is always there, especially at the start, it was a matter of time before someone hit it. IMHO this would be like putting telephone poles in the middle of a Nascar or F1 race course start line..DUH!!

Luckily someone wised up and moved the start area away from the markers as of Race 1 today (Sunday)!!

Dave

Yeah, thats a classic like this Geico video! LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiRuB2i0aW0

Marc: Go, Go, Go
Marc: Uh oh, we've got no steering.

An off the topic question;
Do the throttle men help when making turns by adding speed to one motor and lying back on the second?

CG guy I spoke with estimated the Marker at 2k lbs above water and 3k concrete below,

I was wondering what it weighed, I asked a Coast Guard serviceman in Cape May yesterday, and he wasn't sure. Thank you for the post, I had been wondering since I saw the pictures Warpaint driving over the buoy/channel marker.

There was also about an 8' long session of the hull missing, and they were taking on lots of water. The boat had very heavy damage.