Written By LAUREN ABDEL-RAZZAQ
The Detroit News
Waterford— Andrew Tate was pushing his 2.5-liter modified racing boat into the last lap, well on his way to victory in his class at the Quake on the Lake, when his motor blew out.
“I’m done for the weekend,” Tate said after the race. But the weekend was far from a loss for the 24-year-old Plymouth resident, whose been racing for 11 years.
“I’m a fourth generation (racer); it’s kind of the only thing I know,” he said. “We’re all here to race, we want to win, but we’re all here to have fun.”
For the nearly 100 power boat racers, crews and family members, the 15th annual inboard hydroplane race at Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area is an opportunity to reunite with friends and take a shot at setting a new speed record.
“There are very few places around the country that are world record-setting courses and this one has 19 records,” said Tom D’Eath, a three-time American Power Boat Association Gold Cup winner.
D’Eath served as the honorary chair of the event. His last power boat race was in 1990 on the Detroit River, which was also his final win. Although he hasn’t raced professionally in more than three decades, he says the sport is in good hands with the younger racers coming up through the ranks.
