Latest news with #FreedomOne
Daily Mail
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Speedboat's 200mph record attempt goes horribly wrong after being caught by gust of WIND on Arizona lake
A high-speed attempt to break records at the 2025 Desert Storm Shootout in Lake Havasu City, Arizona ended in a shocking crash — but remarkably, everyone walked away with only minor injuries. Freedom One, a skater racing boat from Kansas City, Missouri, was flying down the course at over 200 mph on Saturday when trouble struck. Wind gusts — reported to be around 30 mph — suddenly caught the vessel, sending it airborne in front of stunned spectators. 'We saw the race team proceed down the course, and they started out really well, nothing out of the ordinary,' Ray Lee, owner and publisher of Speedboat Magazine, told AZ Family. 'Then it was about halfway, three-quarters of the way down the course when we saw the nose start to lift.' Video from the event shows Freedom One flipping multiple times before slamming back into the water. The violent crash unfolded around noon, but somehow, both racers survived with only moderate injuries. Freedom One Racing had set its sights on breaking records at the Desert Storm Shootout, an event where boats race solo to clock the highest speeds over a three-quarter-mile stretch. 'It's as fast as you can go in that three-quarter of a mile, and they have radar guns kind of throughout there, and one at the end, so you're really just racing against yourself,' explained Freedom One Racing Boat Tech Ryan Olah. Olah said the boat was custom-built to handle extreme speeds: 'We built this boat to be a record breaker pretty much everywhere we go.' Despite the harrowing crash, the mood among the Freedom One team was surprisingly upbeat. 'Today they've been in great spirits, joking around, a little bit sore and banged up, but for the most part they're happy,' said Olah. One racer suffered a broken collarbone and injured ribs, while the other had a 'semi-fractured' knee, according to Olah. The boat itself took a beating but is expected to be repaired. 'The boat can be fixed, it's all just parts and a little bit of time, so we were just glad that nobody had any major injuries,' he added. Beyond their need for speed, Freedom One Racing is known for giving back to the communities where they compete. Over the weekend, the team raised nearly $20,000 for local charities, even clinching the 'King of the Desert' title at the event — crash and all.
USA Today
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Speedboat leaps out of water, somersaults before crashing into Arizona lake: Watch video
Speedboat leaps out of water, somersaults before crashing into Arizona lake: Watch video Show Caption Hide Caption Dramatic video: Speedboat flips through the air in dramatic crash Videos show a speedboat attempting to break a speed record going airborne during the Desert Storm boating event in Arizona. A speedboat attempting to reach high speeds lost control and somersaulted through the air before dramatically crashing into the water at a boating event in Arizona. Video footage from the annual Desert Storm event in Lake Havasu, about 150 miles south of Las Vegas, shows the Freedom One Racing boat leaping out of the water into the air, and backflipping and twisting midair before crashing upside down on lake waters on April 26. The boat was moving at a speed of more than 200 mph before the crash, according to video footage shared by Freedom One Racing from inside the cockpit. 'No, no, no! Oh my god. Oh my god,' a person can be heard saying in the footage, as others can be heard screaming and swearing. Watch: Out of control speedboat crashes at Lake Havasu in Arizona "Drivers are safe, just a little banged up," Freedom One said in a post on Facebook around 4:00 p.m. on April 26. The team later said, "everyone is safe and in good condition' and thanked all those who "reached out and for all of the prayers." Freedom One Racing is a powerboat racing team from Kansas City "dedicated to raising money for charitable causes and organizations." It owns a custom catamaran Skater boat named America One, which aims "to be the fastest shootout-style race boat in the world," according to the team's website. "Designed to be shorter, lighter, and more powerful than traditional shootout boats, it was engineered for pure speed," Freedom One says about the boat. Watch teh standoff: Video shows goose not backing down from tiger at Columbus Zoo in Ohio 'Flying for the first time' While it is not known how much damage the boat received in the accident, Freedom One said the boat got "a few scratches" and "went flying for the first time" at Desert Storm Shootout, an annual event that showcases high-performance powerboats racing across Lake Havasu at lightening speeds. Despite the accident, Freedom One won the race "even though it was upside down and backwards," boat technician Ryan Olah said, adding the team raised "close to $20k this week in Havasu for charities." Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@ and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
