Tate drives +164 mph for Day 1 top qualifying speed at Tri-Cities Gold Cup
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Andrew Tate led APBA Gold Cup qualifying with a 164.647 mph average speed.
- Four drivers registered qualifying speeds above 160 mph on the Columbia River.
- Public parks, trails, and river access remain closed through Sunday for the event.
Andrew Tate drove the U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate to a 164.647 mph average speed to finish atop the Apollo APBA Gold Cup qualifying ladder on Friday on the Columbia River.
Four of the seven unlimited hydroplane teams finished qualifying with speeds at 160 mph and better.
Each driver went out for three qualifying laps, with the top two fastest laps averaged out for the qualifying speed.
Right behind Tate was Corey Peabody and the U-9 Beacon Plumbing, with a speed of 161.703 mph; then Dave Villwock and the U-27 Miss Apollo at 161.603 mph.
J. Michael Kelly was fourth in the U-8 Beacon Electric at 160.568 mph.
Jamie Nilsen drove the U-11 Miss FLAV-R-PAC to a sped of 152.504 mph, before losing a propellor in his second attempt of the day.
The final two on the qualifying ladder were Jeff Bernard and the U-12 Graham Trucking at 151.722 mph; and Gunnar O’Farrell and the U-21 Spirit of America at 147.967.
Saturday’s schedule for unlimited will include two sets of preliminary heat races: Heat 1A starts about 2:20 p.m., while 1B goes off around 2:50 p.m.
Heat 2A is set for 4:10 p.m., while 2B is scheduled for 4:40 p.m.
On Sunday, two more sets of preliminary heats are scheduled, and the Apollo Gold Cup final is set for 5:10 p.m.
2025 recap (so far)
Weather has been the Achilles’ Heel for the H1 Unlimited fleet so far this season.
High winds and thunderstorms pretty much blew out the season opener last month in Guntersville, Ala., with only the qualifying getting officially in.
The weather has been bad at the Alabama race site for a few years. Bad enough that Guntersville race officials have already announced they will not host a race there in 2026.
Meanwhile, the boats finished four of the six scheduled preliminary heat races before the Indiana Governors Cup final was run in Madison, Ind., on July 6.
Andrew Tate, driving the U-91 Goodman Real Estate, easily won the final.
What it means is that almost every boat still has a legitimate chance of winning the 2025 H1 Unlimited national high points championship.
Here are the current standings heading into Friday: 1, Tate and the U-91, with 1,225 points; 2, J. Michael Kelly and the U-8 Miss Beacon Electric, 1,130 points; 3, Corey Peabody and the U-9 Miss Beacon Plumbing, 960 points; 4, Jamie Nilsen and the U-11 FLAV-R-Pac, 925 points; 5, Dave Villwock and the U-27 Miss Apollo Racing, 655 points;
After the Gold Cup, the remaining two races are Seafair in Seattle, on Aug. 1-3; and the San Diego Bayfair, set for Sept. 12-14.
Last 10 winners in Tri-Cities
2024 — Miss Beacon Plumbing, driver Corey Peabody
2023 — Miss Beacon Plumbing, Corey Peabody
2022 — Miss HomeStreet Bank, Jimmy Shane
2021 — Pinnacle Peak Consulting, Corey Peabody
2020 — No race
2019 — Graham Trucking, J. Michael Kelly
2018 — Delta Realtrac, Andrew Tate
2017 — Graham Trucking, J. Michael Kelly
2016 — Miss HomeStreet Bank, Jimmy Shane
2015 — Oberto, Jimmy Shane
2014 — Oberto, Jimmy Shane
Vintage boat lineup
The five vintage boats this weekend will include the U-17 Notre Dame, the U-40 Miss Bardahl (1958 edition), the U-60 Miss Thriftway, the U-77 Miss Wahoo, and the U-80 Blue Chip.