Cambridge, Maryland - HRL - 5/20/23 Recap

Written by Andrew Tate

Pennzoil · 300 - H350

Photo credit: Ben Lemay

Fourteen boats showed up for the 111th running of the Cambridge Classic in the H350 class. All fourteen of the drivers passed their breathalyzer test Saturday morning at registration and then completed a random number draw from a hat for their first heat lane assignments. With such a competitive field the qualifiers proved to be somewhat uneventful as the big turns in Cambridge generally gave the inside boat the advantage needed to ease away from the competition.

Michael Tremblay impressed throughout the weekend as the H8 posted the fastest heat time, but jumping the gun in heat 3A relegated him to lane 3 for the Final. Nicolas Rousse in the H225 and Eric Mckenna in the H999 also seemed fast, taking heat wins of their own. For me, staying clean all weekend, and taking 2 out of 3 possible heat wins was enough to secure lane 1 for the final.

The Pennzoil boat has always been extremely fast but with no preseason testing, and other teams making off season improvements, it was apparent to me that we were not the fastest boat in Cambridge. This thought was confirmed as we exited turn 1 for the first time in the final. Starting from lane 3 and getting an excellent start, Tremblay slowly pulled away from me for the first two laps of what would become one of my favorite heats ever. This guy left me just enough room to fit my boat between the buoys and the H8 for 5 laps. There were multiple occasions where I had to ride the wing upon corner entry longer than I’d like, and instances where I had to lift to ensure the 300 didn’t slide out and go through his roostertail. At the exit of turn 1 on the fourth lap, there was maybe an inch or two between the right side of the 300 and the left side of the 8. Entering turn 1 on the final lap Michael skipped out about half a lane after tripping up on a roller. This was the slight mishap I needed to control the remainder of the lap.

It was a sweet race, and I hope the people on the shoreline enjoyed it as much as I did. Maybe next time kid…I’m sure there will be a next time.

Pilot	Boat - Number	Starting Position	Finish Position
Andrew Tate	Pennzoil - 300	1	1
Michael Tremblay	Last Minute Again - 8	3	2
Eric Mckenna	Black Beast - 999	4	3
Nicolas Rousse	Rousse Motorsports - 225	2	4
Jeff Bernard (Tyler Kaddatz)	Ahh Sum Secret - 1	7	5
Louis-Alexandre Beaudoin	Another One - 113	6	6
Martin Rochon	RTX Racing - 773	5	7

HydroFish · 88 - Grand Prix

Same boat, same team, different name, different colors. The Steeler name and number have been retired, but the Endres legacy lives on. With help from Scott Kropfeld, the team spent some serious hours piecing this baby back together again to make sure the hull was 100% prepared for the 2023 season. Upon completion of the weekend, there’s no hull damage to be found and we’re ready for Sorel-Tracy. Grand Prix however, is still Grand Prix, and there were some gremlins to be worked out amongst the teams at the first race of the season.

We worked later than most teams on Saturday night making a few changes of our own in an attempt to improve on Sunday. Had it not been for some wind, an untimely low-tide, and a first heat DNF, the GP-79 Bad Influence driven by Jeff Bernard would have undoubtedly been in lane 1 for the final. Instead, it was Brandon Kennedy on pole in TKO Racing’s brand new GP-35. Quite the achievement coming out of the box flying and leading the points after Saturday. Kiwi Ken Lupton was the other entry with a brand new hull, the Lucas Oil GP-577. Ken gets a new toy every year and remains fast. We had our work cut out for us entering Sunday 4th in points after getting our butts kicked by the 35 and 33 in the second qualifier on Saturday. Unfortunately, we wouldn’t get a chance to improve our position or test the changes we made prior to the final. The third heat was canceled after the day got started late due to heavy winds and the low-tide didn’t leave us with enough water to put the boats in the water. A quick hard run during the 5-minute milling period assured me that the setup changes from Saturday had us moving in the right direction. Starting from lane 4 with three fast boats inside of me, we knew we had to push the clock and hope for the best.

Push we did.

Full-song across the starting line as the 577 back pedaled, we got the jump we needed. It was a great battle for two laps with Brandon in the 35 before he backed off as he was made aware that he had jumped the start. He couldn’t have missed it by more than a couple feet because the GP-88 was just off his hip as the field entered turn 1. Much to my surprise, things fell into place and we were able to triumph from the position of underdog. It’s a long season, and I truly believe the performance gap from the top of the field to the bottom of the field becomes smaller and smaller everyday.

I’m looking forward to the new event in Sorel-Tracy as we head back to Quebec and the always challenging St. Lawrence River.

Pilot	Boat - Number	Starting Position	Finish Position
Andrew Tate	HydroFish - 88	4	1
Ken Brodie	Freedom - 50	5	2
Jack Lupton	Lupton Motorsports - 33	3	3
Marc Lecompte	Cleopatre - 104	6	4
Brandon Kennedy	TKO Racing - 35	1	5
Ken Lupton	Lucas Oil - 577	2	DNF