Andrew Tate Hopes To Take Detroit River By Storm
By Mike Brudenell | Detroit Free Press
Remember the name Andrew Tate on the Detroit River later this month.
The 26-year-old Walled Lake powerboat racer may just drive into Unlimited Hydroplane history.
Tate will compete in the 2016 APBA Gold Cup at the UAW-GM Spirit of Detroit HydroFest on Aug. 26-28.
He’ll pilot the U-9 thunder boat at the event, which will be celebrating 100 years of Unlimited Hydroplane racing in the Motor City.
Despite his rookie status in the H1 Unlimited big-dog series, Tate has already displayed his enormous talent.
Last Sunday, in just his third Unlimited Hydroplane final, he drove the U-9 Sound Propeller/Les Schwab Tires entry to victory in the Albert Lee Appliance Seafair Cup on Lake Washington in Seattle.
Tate, whose father Mark Tate is a two-time Gold Cup winner, held off H1 Unlimited stars Jimmy Shane (U-1) and Brian Perkins (U-21) on the final lap to win.
Tate was talking on Tuesday from the offices of his father’s Sun Coating Company in Plymouth, which offers production and custom coating services to the automotive and packaging industries, among others. Tate is the production manager there.
“My brother Brent and I split time in one boat my Dad provided us growing up,” said Tate, who drives the U-9 Jones Racing Unlimited for owners Mike and Lori Jones of Enumclaw, Wash. “He wanted to know if we wanted to really become race drivers before investing a lot of time and money.”
Andrew did, progressing through the junior ranks to race outboard hydroplanes and on to the 2.5-litre modified inboard category, where he won the 2013 APBA National High Points Championship.
The past couple seasons, Tate has raced in the Grand Prix class before being signed to run Unlimited Hydroplanes for Jones Racing this year.
Andrew Tate Hopes To Take Detroit River By Storm
By Mike Brudenell | Detroit Free Press
Remember the name Andrew Tate on the Detroit River later this month.
The 26-year-old Walled Lake powerboat racer may just drive into Unlimited Hydroplane history.
Tate will compete in the 2016 APBA Gold Cup at the UAW-GM Spirit of Detroit HydroFest on Aug. 26-28.
He’ll pilot the U-9 thunder boat at the event, which will be celebrating 100 years of Unlimited Hydroplane racing in the Motor City.
Despite his rookie status in the H1 Unlimited big-dog series, Tate has already displayed his enormous talent.
Last Sunday, in just his third Unlimited Hydroplane final, he drove the U-9 Sound Propeller/Les Schwab Tires entry to victory in the Albert Lee Appliance Seafair Cup on Lake Washington in Seattle.
Tate, whose father Mark Tate is a two-time Gold Cup winner, held off H1 Unlimited stars Jimmy Shane (U-1) and Brian Perkins (U-21) on the final lap to win.
Tate was talking on Tuesday from the offices of his father’s Sun Coating Company in Plymouth, which offers production and custom coating services to the automotive and packaging industries, among others. Tate is the production manager there.
“My brother Brent and I split time in one boat my Dad provided us growing up,” said Tate, who drives the U-9 Jones Racing Unlimited for owners Mike and Lori Jones of Enumclaw, Wash. “He wanted to know if we wanted to really become race drivers before investing a lot of time and money.”
Andrew did, progressing through the junior ranks to race outboard hydroplanes and on to the 2.5-litre modified inboard category, where he won the 2013 APBA National High Points Championship.
The past couple seasons, Tate has raced in the Grand Prix class before being signed to run Unlimited Hydroplanes for Jones Racing this year.