Water motorsports at the 1908 Summer Olympics

At the 1908 Summer Olympics, three motorboat racing events were contested. Various sources refer to the sport as "water motorsports", [http://olympic.org/uk/athletes/results/search_r_uk.asp IOC medal database] ] "motor boats",Cook, p. 227] and "power boating". [http://olympic.org/uk/sports/past/index_uk.asp IOC list of past sports] ] These Games were the first and only to feature motorized sports, though it was featured as a demonstration sport in 1900.

All three events used the same distance, five laps around an 8 nautical mile course for a total of convert|40|nmi|km|-1. In each of the events, multiple boats started but only one finished, due primarily to the gale that was blowing during the course of the competition. Events were held on 28 August and 29 August 1908.

Medal summary

Participating nations

17 boaters from 2 nations competed.

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Medal table

Events

Class A — Open class

The open class was scheduled to take place on the first day of competition, 28 August. Two boats, "Wolseley-Siddely" and "Dylan", began the race. "Dylan" abandoned the race partway through the first lap, with "Wolseley-Siddely" finishing the first before the weather became too severe to continue the race.

A second attempt to run the event took place the next day, after the other two races had been completed. "Wolseley-Siddely" again started, this time against "Camille" (the only French boat to take part in competition). "Wolseley-Siddely" ran aground on a mud spit, leaving "Camille" to finish alone for the gold medal.

Class B — Under 60 feet

The B class was held on 28 August, after the abortive first running of the open class. Again only two boats appeared at the starting line, "Quicksilver" and "Gyrinus". "Quicksilver" became threatened by water coming in over the sides, abandoning the race. "Gyrinus", a small boat with an extra crewman to bail water, was able to finish to make its crew the first Olympic champions in motorsports.

Class C — 6.5–8 metres

The first race of 29 August was the small class of boats. "Gyrinus", which had won the B class the day before, appeared again. This time her competition was "Sea Dog". Again, however, "Gyrinus" was the only boat to finish, as "Sea Dog" experienced engine problems and had to be towed off the course.

Crew lists

France

"Camille"

* Emile ThubronDe Wael claims three unknown crewman served with Thubron on "Camille".]

Great Britain

"Dylan"

* Thomas Evelyn Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden
* A. G. Fentiman

"Gyrinus"

* Isaac Thomas Thornycroft
* Bernard Redwood
* John Field-Richards

"Quicksilver"

* John Marshall GorhamDe Wael claims Gorham's wife was also aboard "Quicksilver".]

"Sea Dog"

* Warwick Wright
* Thomas Weston

"Wolseley-Siddely"

* Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster
* George Clowes
* Joseph Frederick Laycock (first race only)
* G. H. Atkinson (second race only)

Notes

ources

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