Smokin’ Joe’s Prevails

Mark Tate won a hydroplane demolition derby, easing at the finish to make sure he wasn’t a casualty of the Ohio River, too.

Tate, who blew a hole on the underside of Smokin’ Joe’s during practice Saturday, was almost unchallenged after Mark Evans’ already damaged Miss Budweiser spun out on the first lap of the final heat of the Madison Regatta.

Another boat flipped during a warm-up lap, and Tate cruised to the finish line some 12 mph faster than Dave Villwock’s Pico American Dream.