KWCH - Kansas News and Weather - Wichita Man Talks About Arizona Speed Boat Crash

Wichita Man Talks About Arizona Speed Boat Crash

by Cliff Judy (WICHITA, Kan.)

Joel Weber distinctly remembers his drag racing boat last Saturday.  It was sleek.  It was brand new.  It was ranked first in the world.  It was sideways.

"It only lasted about two seconds on film," says Weber, "but it seemed like about 10 minutes.  It didn't seem like it was going to stop."

Raw Video: Watch Weber's Crash (Courtesy: International Hot Boat Association)

Reporter Video: Cliff Judy on Speed Boat Crash

Weber's boat "What A Tomato, Too," crashed around 200 miles an hour Saturday during a qualifying round in Phoenix.  Weber and his crew chief, Mark Kastens, believe a piece of wood or debris in the water ripped the boat's rudder off causing the crash.

"It struck something in the water and it broke the bolts off on the rudder," says Kastens, "and from there on, the boat was going to do whatever it wanted to do."

Amazingly, Weber is okay.  He suffered a bruised lung that kept him in the hospital for two days.  The safety capsule where the driver sits is the reason Weber is alive today.  It's designed to break away from the body of the boat during a crash.

Weber raced for 11 years during the 1980's and 1990's.  When the Goddard man won the world championship in 1998, he stepped away from racing to be a dad.

Joel Weber's Profile

However, the sponsorship offers never went away, and neither did the itch to race.  Finally, another racer convinced Weber and his team to re-enter this year's championships.

After getting back to Kansas and having a chance to see his twin sons, he says he still has some thinking to do before getting back in a drag boat.  His last one is now in pieces on his garage floor.

"It was a little emotional," says Weber.  "They told me they don't like to see Daddy get hurt, and that was kind of hard to hear."

Kastens says good things can come of the crash.  The racing association will often adjust requirements for racers and equipment based on an accident.  Kastens hopes racers will soon have to put larger, higher-grade bolts on their rudders to protect them from being ripped away from the boat.

REPORTER TWEETS:  Read below to see the updates Eyewitness News Reporter Cliff Judy was sending out over Twitter throughout the day.  You can follow him at @12Judy.

4:00 p.m.:  "3 days ago, this was world's fastest drag boat.  Wichita driver survived 200+ mph crash.  I talk to him at 10.  (picture attached to Tweet)"

(PHOENIX, Ariz.)

A spectacular crash during a professional boat race in Arizona over the weekend sends the driver to the hospital.

Reporter Video: Cliff Judy on Speed Boat Crash

Raw Video: Watch Weber's Crash (Courtesy: International Hot Boat Association)

Wichitan Joel Weber's boat was estimated to be going 170 miles per hour Saturday when it flipped multiple times, and split apart. Webber was competing at the NPAA Auto Parts World Finals at Firebird Lake in Phoenix.

His boat was called "What a Tomato Too" and he had finished number one in the qualifying heat the day before.

Weber initially gave a thumbs up that he was ok and was able to walk onto the shore. He later was hospitalized and put into ICU, but race organizers say he's doing ok.

Boats during the race reached speeds of 240 to 250 miles per hour and one set a new world record when it was clocked going 260 miles per hour.

Joel Weber's Profile

Eyewitness News Reporter Cliff Judy caught up with Weber in Wichita. Look for Cliff's reports tonight on Eyewitness News.