MIAMI — An offshore powerboat racer died after being critically injured in an accident at the Key West World Championship, the third racer killed during the boating competition.
Joey Gratton, 59, of Sarasota, Fla., died Saturday morning at the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami from injuries suffered Friday, said Super Boat International spokesman Roderick Cox.
Gratton’s racing partner, Stephen Page of Fort Myers, was released from a hospital Saturday.
About 200 people gathered at a memorial for Gratton on Saturday afternoon, including Page, who still had green bandages wrapped around one arm and hospital bracelets on his wrist.
Mourners wore Page Motorsports T-shirts and took turns hugging Page after the memorial.
Although the competition has claimed three lives, race officials said they will continue with today’s scheduled races.
“We’re racing tomorrow,” said John Carbonell, president of Super Boat International, the race’s sanctioning body. “That’s what they’re here for. They know when they come to a race the potential of accidents.”
