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Water Follies live updates: Tate, Shane dominating race for points

From left, Jimmy King in the U-3, Tom Thompson in the U-11 and J. Michael Kelly in the U-12 race in Heat 2A on Saturday afternoon. Kelly crossed the line first for the win.
From left, Jimmy King in the U-3, Tom Thompson in the U-11 and J. Michael Kelly in the U-12 race in Heat 2A on Saturday afternoon. Kelly crossed the line first for the win. Tri-City Herald

The final set of Saturday’s heat races have wrapped, as has Day 2 of the Water Follies and the Columbia Cup.

J. Michael Kelly in the U-12 won Heat 2A, while Jimmy Shane in the U-1 held off Andrew Tate in the U-9 by half a length in Heat 2B.

Shane and Tate have been running best over the first two days of the event.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tate was a little bit fast in milling, had to surrender Lane 1 to Shane and that was the difference in the race. U-1 wins 2B by half a tail <a href="https://t.co/EYK7eLij0l">pic.twitter.com/EYK7eLij0l</a></p>&mdash; Dustin Brennan (@Tweet_By_Dustin) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tweet_By_Dustin/status/891449040239435777">July 30, 2017</a></blockquote>

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Looks like race organizers are discussing Sunday’s schedule, which currently has Heat 3A starting at 10:20 a.m., a fourth set of heat races starting at 2:10 and then the Columbia Cup main event at 4 p.m.

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So here’s how things are stacking up heading into Saturday’s second set of heat races.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Leaderboard as we head to Heat 2A and 2B. U-9 Andrew Tate at the top with 500 pts, U1 Jimmy Shane with 480. They&#39;ll meet in 2B <a href="https://t.co/yWEwKLI71I">pic.twitter.com/yWEwKLI71I</a></p>&mdash; Dustin Brennan (@Tweet_By_Dustin) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tweet_By_Dustin/status/891443451660689410">July 29, 2017</a></blockquote>

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Looks like that spin in Heat 1A was more than just a bump in the road for Brian Perkins and the U-21 crew.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It&#39;s official, Brian Perkins U-21 Payne West Insurance out for the weekend, damage to most major systems and Perkins has a wrap on left knee</p>&mdash; Dustin Brennan (@Tweet_By_Dustin) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tweet_By_Dustin/status/891433489635057665">July 29, 2017</a></blockquote>

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Heat 1A was delayed but still delivered on the racing action.

Here’s Herald writer Dustin Brennan’s recap:

Brian Perkins in the U-21 was pushing Jimmy Shane U-1 from Lane 2 for a lap and a half, but lost steering and his rudder in Lap 2 Turn 3, causing him to skip sideways but remain upright.

J. Michael Kelly in the U-12 had to turn right — never good when everyone else turns left — to avoid a wreck with him, causing him to lose all momentum. But with Perkins upright and far enough to the outside, race officials kept the race going and Shane cruised to a 1st place finish, with Kelly about a half lap down.

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Here’s Herald writer Dustin Brennan’s recap of Heat 1B:

U-11 Tom Thompson nailed the start, got inside positioning and the lead at the beginning, U-9 Andrew Tate was second in Lane 2.

Ran deck-to-deck first lap, Thompson lost speed in that nasty Turn 1 on Lap 2, and by the time they came out of Lap 2, Tate had a half rooster tail lead.

Andrew Tate, left, takes the lead in the U-9 Les Schwab Tires unlimited hydroplane from Tom Thompson in U-11 J&D Hydraulics & Repair during Heat 1B Saturday at the Columbia Cup.
Andrew Tate, left, takes the lead in the U-9 Les Schwab Tires unlimited hydroplane from Tom Thompson in U-11 J&D Hydraulics & Repair during Heat 1B Saturday at the Columbia Cup. BobBrawdy Tri-City Herald

Tate — top qualifier yesterday — went on to win heat by two rooster tails with Thompson in tow.

Heat 1A up next, will feature Jimmy Shane vs. J. Michael Kelly.

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The first heat race signals the start of competitive racing at the Columbia Cup on the Columbia River.

The U-12 Graham Trucking driven by J. Michael Kelly is washed down by the rooster tail from U-1 HomeStreet Bank driven by Jimmy Shane after Kelly cut across the infield lining up for the start of Heat 1A of the Columbia Cup. The start was canceled after Dustin Echols in the U-440 Bucket List Racing stalled before the start in the middle of the bottom turn.
The U-12 Graham Trucking driven by J. Michael Kelly is washed down by the rooster tail from U-1 HomeStreet Bank driven by Jimmy Shane after Kelly cut across the infield lining up for the start of Heat 1A of the Columbia Cup. The start was canceled after Dustin Echols in the U-440 Bucket List Racing stalled before the start in the middle of the bottom turn. BobBrawdy Tri-City Herald

No surprise that Andrew Tate and the U-9 boat, Friday’s top qualifier, took the flag with room to spare in Heat 1B.

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Day 2 of the Water Follies is underway, which really means Day 1 of action out on the water.

Looks like the first heat — Heat 1A —has been put on hold by a stalled motor.

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The big unlimited boats won’t just be running against the clock Saturday, but against each other in a series of heat races, building up to Sunday’s big Columbia Cup finale.

Make sure to check out all the videos and stories from this weekend’s action. And also a slew of photos. Also, check us out on Facebook and Twitter using #tchydros.

The first set of unlimited heat races starts at 2:30 p.m., with the the second set at 4:20. Throughout the day, the Grand Prix and 5 Liter boats will be racing and qualifying.

Check back for updates.

This story was originally published July 29, 2017 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Water Follies live updates: Tate, Shane dominating race for points."

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