The last four years of grand prix hydro racing in Detroit
BY STEVE GAREY
Screaming hydros bring the roar back
to the river in the Silver Cup Grand
Prix
The winner of this exciting race was
none other than Memphis, Michigan’s
Jimmy King, driving The GP-10 Charger,
owned by bass fishing champion Dean
Rojas.
The O.J. Mulford Silver Cup, the
venerable old trophy housed at the
Detroit Yacht Club, was presented to
King by DYC officers, Jim Gierlach (left)
Commodore Joe Brooks, and Patricia
Thull O’Brien.
Tate wins Silver Cup Grand Prix
In one of the wildest, loudest heats of
racing in years, Andrew Tate overcame
a fast, seven boat field to win the Silver
Cup Grand Prix final. Coming
from fourth place at the start, Andrew,
driving the GP1O1 AMSoil craft, caught
and passed race leader Ken Brodie on
the final turn, forcing Brodie’s GP50
to dance precariously atop Tate’s
roostertail before settling down to take
second. Greg Hopp, in the Lucas Oil GP
West hydro, finished in third.
Henderson
Dominates
Brockville,
Ontario’s Bert
Henderson
continued his
domination
of the 2017
HRL season
by winning the
Detroit Grand
Prix. Henderson, at the wheel of the
GP-777 Steeler, outdistanced another
quality field of drivers that included,
Andrew Tate, Jimmy and Bobby King,
and Tom Thompson.
Kennedy and GP25 outlast classy field
Brandon Kennedy took the honors
in the Finals August 26th at the
Detroit Hydrofest and won his fourth
consecutive Grand Prix race aboard the
“Team H8 Cancer” GP-25.
The Bear,
Delaware driver
had the inside
lane after
qualifying and
led the ultimate test from start to
finish. This triumph allowed Kennedy to
take another step towards the point’s
championship for the 2018 season in
the Hydroplane Racing League.
Kent Henderson, brother of 2017 winner
Bert, at the wheel of the same Steeler
boat, battled the winner after the start
in the first lap but was unable to catch
him. Henderson finished 2nd while
Mathieu Daoust completed the podium
upon his return to Miss Cleopatra GP-9.
The Salabeny-de-Valleyfield driver had
previously won the event at the wheel of
the boat that had suffered significant
damage at the Valleyfleld Regatta.
Ghislain Marcoux finished 4th in the
Grand Prix Valleyfield GP-444. Joe Sovie
followed in 5th place in the Miss New
Zealand while Jerry Hopp was forced to
retire in the GP-1 5 Happy Go Lucky.
In addition to Brandon Kennedy (1A, 2A)
and Mathieu Daoust (1B), Jerry Hopp
(GP-15, 2B), Kent Henderson (GP-777,
2C) and Ken Brodie (GP-50, 1C) were the
winners in other qualifying heats.
2019 Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Hydrofest 15