Like father, like son–both have won prestigious trophy
Tate clinches National Championship at Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers APBA Gold Cup Final
by Owen Blauman
On Sunday, Aug. 26th, Walled Lake, Michigan resident Andrew Tate, driver of the U-9 Delta/Realtrac won his fourth race of the H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Series, claiming the 102nd APBA Gold Cup running on the Detroit River.
Tate powered in front of Jimmy Shane in the U-1 Miss HomeStreet at the start of the race, and never lost the lead. Tate finished the five-lap final on the 2.72-mile racecourse with an average speed 155.460 mph, nearly 2 mph faster than Shane.
Tate not only etched his name in the record book for winning the APBA Gold Cup, but the fourth-generation boat racer became part of the only father/son duo to do so. His father Mark Tate won the oldest trophy in motorsports in 1994 and 1991.
With the Detroit win, Tate also clinched the H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Series National High Points Championship, and will be awarded the U-1 number in 2019.
Tate said afterward, “I don’t have the words. I can’t describe it, I haven’t had time for it all to sink in.”
Later he gathered his thoughts. “We changed one thing for the final, and it seemed to work. Kudos to the crew. They gave me a rocket ship. The inside lane is always an advantage, and we had a good start,” said the 29-year-old Tate, who was second to Shane after the first lap in the final. “The buffer between me (U-11 in lane two) and Jimmy helped."
All eight preliminary heat races were run Sunday after half were postponed Saturday by high winds.
Shane, who finished second in the winner-take-all final, won all four preliminary heats his team entered. He finished the Gold Cup final with an average speed of 148.864 mph.
A disappointed Shane said afterward, “We should have come away with the Gold Cup win. Unfortunately for us, it didn’t work out. Andrew won, and congratulations to them.”
Third place went to the U-11 Reliable Diamond Tool presents J&D’s, driven by Tom Thompson with an average speed of 113.325 mph. Thompson was penalized one minute for a line violation, but it did not affect the order of finished.
Fourth place went to Dustin Echols, driving the U-440 Bucket List Racing with an average speed of 84.710 mph.
The U-7 Spirit of Detroit and driver Bert Henderson were disqualified when he entered the restricted area of the racecourse.
The fastest lap in the final went to Tate, who posted a speed of 154.601 mph on lap two.
Preliminary Heat Race Recap
HEAT 1A
1) U-1 Miss HomeStreet, Jimmy Shane, 152.481 mph average
2) U-440 Bucket List Racing, Dustin Echols, 128.591 mph average
3) U-3 The Roostertail, Jimmy King, 121.385 mph average
HEAT 1B
1) U-9 Delta/Realtrac, Andrew Tate, 146.203 mph average
2) U-11 Reliable Diamond Tools presents J&D’s, 140.517 mph average
3) U-7 Spirit of Detroit, Jeff Bernard, DSQ
HEAT 2A
1) U-1 Miss HomeStreet, Shane, 124.158 mph avg.
2) U-9 Delta/Realtrac, Tate, 119.541 mph avg.
3) U-7 Spirit of Detroit, Bert Henderson, 112.011 mph avg.
HEAT 2B
1) U-440 Bucket List Racing, Echols, 127.767 mph avg.
2) U-11 Reliable Diamond Tool presents J&D’s, Thompson, 119.638 mph avg.
3) U-3 The Roostertail, King, 111.400 mph avg.
HEAT 3A
1) U- Miss HomeStreet, Shane, 149.244 mph avg.
2) U-440 Bucket List Racing, Echols, 116.740 mph avg.
3) U-9 Delta/Realtrac, Tate, 115.271 mph avg.
HEAT 3B
1) U-11 J&D’s, Thompson, 141.706 mph avg.
2) U-3 The Roostertail, King, 134.661 mph avg.
3) U-7 Spirit of Detroit, Henderson, DSQ
HEAT 4A
1) U-9 Delta/Realtrac, Tate, 136.572 mph avg.
2) U-11 J&D’s, Thompson, 130.144 mph avg.
3) U-3 The Roostertail, King, Did not start
HEAT 4B
1) U-1 Miss HomeStreet, Shane, 140.776 mph avg.
2) U-7 Spirit of Detroit, Henderson, 139.944 mph
3) U-440 Bucket List Racing, Echols, 118.113 mph
METRO DETROIT CHEVY DEALERS GOLD CUP FINAL
1) U-9 Delta/Realtrac, Tate, 150.460 mph avg.
2) U-1 Miss HomeStreet, Shane, 148.864 mph avg.
3) U-11 J&D’s, Thompson, 113.325 mph
4) U-440 Bucket List Racing, Echols, 84.710 mph vg.
U-7 Spirit of Detroit, Henderson, DSQ