[Top] The defending national champion U-1 Miss HomeStreet Bank leaves the dock for another race. [Middle] The U-11 Miss J&D’s lost its horizontal  
stabilizer during the running of Heat 3B, but still took the checkered flag.
[Above] The U-11 crew looks on as the boats scream across the starting line
at the beginning of the final heat.

Spectators had to wait all weekend to see a real unlimited race, but Tate and Shane sent them home with a demonstration of unlimited action at its best. Let’s hope the regatta’s financial situation will permit Madison to play host to a full-fledged race in 2018.

AndrewTate enjoys his victory in the event’s final heat.

     Tate returned to the pits to cheers and high-fives from his team. Crew chief Jeff Campbell was
heard to tell a reporter, “That was
pay back, I owed him one.” He was
referring to Shane’s win in heat 3A.
Shane, meanwhile, was philosophical. “I think the skid fin was pointing straight up,” he said about his near mishap. “I thought I was going over. By the time I got going again, Andrew was gone and I couldn’t catch him.

     At the trophy presentation, Tate reached out to hometown fans who were disappointed with the outcome. “I know I’m not the most
popular driver here, but I grew up
watching the parade, the fireworks,
and the regatta,” he said. He accepted the Governor’s Cup from
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, then received congratulations from
his father, Mark Tate, who won the
trophy in 1995 and 1996.

The final heat would be four laps. A draw for lanes was held; Tate got lane one, Shane went in lane two, Thompson had lane three, and Myers was outside.

     Realtrac, HomeStreet, and J & D’s crossed the line together, while U-27 trailed. Shane in HomeStreet and Tate in Realtrac went up the backstretch together; Miss J & D’s was a roostertail back and U-27 settled in fourth. Preliminary heats had been essentially a show for fans, but the final was a real race. Shane and Tate were locked in a battle for first and they made the most of it.

     HomeStreet held a slight lead at the end of lap three. As the front-runners charged through the first turn on the last lap, HomeStreet hit a hole and the boat went up on its side. Tate didn’t wait to see how HomeStreet came down. He stood on the throttle, pulled away, and won by a couple lengths. HomeStreet finished second, J & D’s was third, and U-27 brought up the rear.

August Issue

Tom Thompson in the Miss J&D’s led Miss HomeStreet Bank
across the starting line in Heat 1A.

[Top] J.W. Myers was handling the steering wheel of the U-27, Wiggins Racing entry. [Middle] Miss HomeStreet Bank pilot Jimmy Shane receives some help getting ready for a race from his wife, Bianca. [Above] Andrew Tate was driving the U-9 Delta Realtrac.

     Miss HomeStreet was among the boats that went through the regatta parade. Just as the parade ended
and the crowd was heading home, a loud and violent thunderstorm rolled through town. It only lasted about 15 minutes, but plenty of rain fell in that brief time.

     Saturday dawned cloudy. The course opened for testing at 11 a.m. First boat out was GP-19, with former unlimited driver Dave Warren at the helm. While he ran his laps, U-27 went in the water. J.W. Myers took the boat out and ran four strong laps. In the first turn of lap five, the boat hooked. Myers did an admirable job of regaining control and avoiding a spinout. He returned to the pits at low speed.

     Next on the course was J & D’s. Tom Thompson ran one fast lap. In the first turn on lap two, the boat took a hop and the canopy popped open. Thompson slowed immediately and returned to the pits. Miss HomeStreet ran three quick laps; Shane swung wide on the final turn and came down the front straightaway close to the pits, giving the hometown crowd a good look at the boat. U-9 Realtrac then ran four good laps.

     Shane was asked about the course. He said the turns were tight, more in keeping with a GP course. Shane said he usually passes the exit buoy on most unlimited courses at about 125 mph. On the 2017 Madison course, his speed was down to 102 mph. Drivers would need to be careful to avoid problems.   

STATBOX
INDIANA GOVERNOR’S CUP
Madison, Indiana, July 1–2, 2017
2-mile oval on the Ohio River

NOTES: A non-points exhibition. No qualifying or timing, assigned lanes
(noted below) except for the final. J.W. Myers was not a qualified driver, so had to start from the outside.

THE BOATS: U-1 Miss HomeStreet Bank (#0706), Jimmy Shane; U-9 Delta
Realtrac (#9210), Andrew Tate; U-11 Miss J&D’s (#9302), Tom Thompson; U-27 Wiggins Racing (#0717), J.W. Myers.

HEAT 1A (1) Miss HomeStreet Bank [lane 1]; (2) Miss J&D’s [lane 2].
HEAT 1B (1) Delta Realtrac [lane 1]; (2) Wiggins Racing [lane 2].

HEAT 2A (1) Miss J&D’s [lane 1]; (2) Delta Realtrac [lane 2].
HEAT 2B (1) Miss HomeStreet Bank [lane 1]; (2) Wiggins Racing [lane 2].

HEAT 3A (1) Miss HomeStreet Bank [lane 2]; Delta Realtrac [lane 1].
HEAT 3B (1) Miss J&D’s [lane 1]; Wiggins Racing [lane 2].

FINAL (1) Delta Realtrac; (2) Miss HomeStreet Bank; (3) Miss J&D’s; (4)
Wiggins Racing.

COMPILED BY ALLEN STILES

Madison Governor's Cup continued...

up the backstretch. But, Shane regained
the lead in turn two as Myers swung wide. In the first turn of lap two, HomeStreet bobbled and U-27 pulled even. HomeStreet moved ahead in turn two and gradually extended its lead. HomeStreet was a full roostertail ahead at the finish as U-27 went very wide in the final turn.

     Debris floated down the river and racing was put on hold as committee personnel swept the course. Grand Prix and unlimited
heats fell behind the previously announced schedule as a result.

     In the showdown between the two fastest boats, Realtrac had lane one and Miss HomeStreet was in lane two in heat 3A. The boats were side-by-side at the start. Shane kept the HomeStreet’s speed up through the first turn and was slightly ahead as they started up the backstretch.
Tate then closed the gap as they reached turn two. The crowd pleasing duel continued for the next lap.

     Realtrac was slow accelerating from turn one on lap three and Shane obviously waited so they could put on a good show up the backstretch. The boats were side-by-side going through the final turn. HomeStreet won the drag race to the finish line by about a length and-a-half.

     There was hope that J & D’s and U-27 would have a good race in 3B. Miss J & D’s had lane one while U-27 was in lane two. They were not lined up properly for the start, however, so officials sent them around again. On the second attempt they received the green flag. J & D’s led through most of the heat as Myers ran wide in the U-27. Near the exit buoy of turn one, on
lap three, J & D’s bounced and the horizontal stabilizer wing broke. It dangled in a vertical configuration until the boat reached the half-way point of the backstretch, when it fell off. Miss J & D’s still won by about three boat lengths.

     The GP class ran its four-lap final heat next. Dave Warren jumped the gun. Greg Hopp took first, Jerry Hopp was second, and

Jamie Nilsen, driving Scott Pierce’s boat, finished third.

     Testing ended and there was a break for lunch. The sun was making a feeble attempt to break through the cloud cover. Heat 1A was scheduled for 2 p.m. and would feature HomeStreet and Miss J & D’s. Heat 1B would go at 2:30 with Realtrac and U-27. Unlimited heats would be three laps with flag starts.

     Thompson and J & D’s, in lane two, led across the starting line in heat 1A. Shane made it look close for a lap-and-a-half, then pulled away. HomeStreet won by two buoy lengths.U-27, in lane two, was first across the starting line in heat 1B. Tate ran close behind, keeping things interesting for the large crowd on the beach. On the final
backstretch, he pulled away and reached the finish line first, about a length-and a-half ahead of Myers. As the checkered flag flew, the sun finally broke through the clouds.

Sunday the sun shone through broken clouds. The crowd arrived late and was slightly smaller than the throng that crowded the Ohio River shoreline on Saturday. There was open testing on Sunday morning, but not a single boat ran. Pairings for all the preliminary heats were announced early. Miss J & D’s would duel Realtrac in 2A; U-27 would go against HomeStreet in 2B. The match everyone was waiting for would occur in 3A, when
HomeStreet and Realtrac would face each other. Miss J & D’s would meet U-27 in 3B. All four boats would go in the final.

     Thompson had lane one in J & D’s and led Tate and Realtrac across the starting line for heat 2A. The two put on a show for the fans, running side-by-side through most of the heat. Just past the apex buoy in the first turn of lap three, J & D’s did a big hop, but came down flat. The two boats did a drag race up the backstretch. Tate went
wide through the last turn, while Thompson hugged the buoy line. J & D’s reached the finish line about a half-boat length ahead of Realtrac.

     HomeStreet had lane one and the lead over U-27 across the starting line in heat 2B. The two boats went through the first turn together, then Myers took a slight lead