Charles “Chip” Romer, a former King of the Desert titleholder and one of the best known names in offshore performance boat racing, has died in a boat crash on Lake Havasu, Arizona. He was 65.
Romer and Jennifer Luzzi, 59, both of Lake Havasu City, were killed on the evening of Saturday, September 12, 2026, when their boat struck a peninsula near Cattail Cove State Park and went airborne before landing upside down in a boat-in campsite.
According to a statement from the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, deputies from the Division of Boating Safety responded to the area at 7:08pm following a reported boating collision. On arrival, they found a 2019 36 foot Douglas Marine boat upside down on land on the Arizona side of the lake, just north of Cattail Cove State Park.
Two people were found unresponsive near the boat. Deputies began life saving measures immediately and were joined by crews from San Bernardino County and Lake Havasu City Fire Departments. Both victims were pronounced deceased at the scene.
The Sheriff’s Office said its initial investigation shows the boat was travelling at a high rate of speed when it struck the peninsula. The incident remains under investigation, and no cause has yet been confirmed.
A shootout champion
Romer was a familiar name on the offshore performance boat racing scene, particularly at the Desert Storm Poker Run in Lake Havasu City.
He was the original owner of Dial 911, a Skater 388 built by Douglas Marine’s Skater Powerboats in 2010, which went on to become one of the most successful catamarans in top speed shootout history.
In its debut event, Romer and TNT Custom Marine’s John Tomlinson ran the boat to a 157mph pass at that year’s Desert Storm shootout, the second fastest speed of the day.
The boat later passed through the ownership of Don London, and then Tim and Miranda Jones, and remains active on the shootout circuit today.
Romer went on to hold the King of the Desert title, awarded to the fastest driver at Desert Storm’s Shugrue’s Shootout.
He returned to the event in 2023 driving a Skater named Cervesa, recording a run of 195.4mph.
Success in sports car racing
Romer also competed at national level in sports car racing, driving an Elan DP02 Mazda in the Prototype 1 class at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. He won the P1 class at the 2022 Runoffs at Virginia International Raceway, and finished third at Indianapolis in 2021. He also entered the IMSA Prototype Challenge in an LMP3 car at Road Atlanta in 2020, and raced in Radical Cup North America.
At the 2024 Runoffs at Road America, Romer finished second in Prototype 1, beaten to his first career win by his own son, Matt Romer, after the pair ran wheel to wheel for the full 13 laps. Speaking to the Sports Car Club of America after that race, Romer traced his own start in racing back to powerboats.
My dad sat me in a hydroplane when I was knee-high to nothing and got me started in racing many years ago. Matt grew up with me go karting and he started go karting, it’s been a family thing.
A final race weekend
Romer’s most recent racing came in Radical Cup North America, where he drove for ONE Motorsports in the Platinum class through the full 2026 season. He and Matt Romer raced together most weekends, Chip in Platinum and Matt in Pro 1500.
The season finale was held September 4 to 6 at Circuit of the Americas, alongside the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Lone Star Le Mans weekend. Romer went into the finale third in the Platinum points standings, behind champion Robert Rossi and reigning title holder Wayne Williams.
In the days following that finale, ONE Motorsports announced that Romer had been awarded the team’s Jeff Green Memorial Trophy, given for outstanding sportsmanship, ambassadorship or contribution to the series. It was presented less than a week before he died.
President of Romer Beverage Company
Away from racing, Romer was president of Romer Beverage Company, the family owned Anheuser-Busch distributor headquartered in Kingman, Arizona. Established in 1982, the company serves Mohave, La Paz and Yuma counties from warehouses in Kingman and Lake Havasu City.
Luzzi’s real estate career
Luzzi was a well known figure in Lake Havasu City’s real estate community.
She ran The Jennifer Luzzi Group with Keller Williams Arizona Living Realty, a team named by Real Trends as the sixth ranked small real estate team in Arizona for units sold in 2026.
She had lived in Lake Havasu City for around 30 years, having moved there from Huntington Beach, California, in 1995.
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
