Drivers Escape Injury In Two Separate Hydroplane Crashes

DETROIT (WWJ) - Two hydroplane boats crashed at the APBA Gold Cup in separate incidents during  qualifying rounds Sunday afternoon, but the drivers are okay.

Thousands of fans like James Sullivan of Birmingham saw one of those crashes.

"It's dangerous down there, evidently, two boats in one afternoon - that's too many," said Sullivan.

"(It's) the same thing that happened to the previous boat that turned over, they were going into a tight turn and he just lost it,"  he said.

 Driver Mark Evans had a near miss on Saturday - he was seriously hurt in a crash in 2003:

"Well ... because we're nuts," said Evans to WWJ's Beth Fisher, when asked why they race. "Naw, it's the fans, the friends, I like the adrenalin, I love to operate equipment and love to drive."

Dave Martin says one boat passed the Belle Isle Bridge and flipped over.

"Usually when the wind picks up like this - the waves are pretty choppy - especially against the river current and sometimes the boats flip over like this," said Martin. "It's unfortunate."

Fans watched racing and many also got a closer look at the boats by walking through the pits alone the water.