Hydroplane driver dies after weekend crash at regatta southwest of Montreal

MONTREAL — A hydroplane racer from Quebec is dead after crashing over the weekend at a regatta southwest of Montreal.

Régates de Valleyfield said today that driver François Leroux died after an accident on Sunday while he was competing in the consolation final in the Hydro 350 class in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que.

The 56-year-old from Sherbrooke, Que., was taken to hospital unconscious and in critical condition after the crash, and the rest of the day’s racing was cancelled.

Event organizers expressed sympathy in an online post to his family and to the nautical and medical teams that responded.

A hydroplane is a powerful racing boat that skims above the water at speeds of up to 225 kilometres an hour.

According to the regatta’s website, hydroplane racing includes “frequent skids, risk of collision, sometimes zero visibility, and no braking system.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press