Three Generations of Kade Racing Excellence

Toni Kade won the 2025 UIM GT15 European Championship at Östhammar, Sweden, taking three heat victories and finishing 200 points clear. The 14-year-old continues a family racing legacy spanning six decades.

Vello Kade: Soviet Champion

Born in Tartu, Estonia in 1937, Vello Kade competed in powerboat racing at Tartu Kalev club.

In 1962, he won gold at the Estonian championships in the MA class. In 1964, he took double silver at the Soviet Union nationals, earning master sportsman status.

He served as Estonia’s youth boxing head coach from 1965 and adult head coach from 1969.

The family moved to Finland in 1991 because Raul’s mother is Finnish and she wished to move back to her homeland. That became possible after Finnish President Mauno Koivisto rehabilitated Ingrian Finns and recognised them with returnee status.

Vello returned to lead the Estonian Boxing Union from 1997 and has served as president of the Estonian Boxing Veterans’ Association since 2018.

Raul Kade: Competitor and Executive

Raul Kade raced powerboats at Tartu Kalev club alongside Üllar Põvvat, who won the 1990 Soviet Union O-350 championship and became one of Estonia’s most successful powerboat coaches and boat builders.

Raul competed in SA-250 and SBN-350 and is a multiple-time Estonian and Baltic champion in the SA-250 class.

He also held an unofficial world speed record in the SA-250 class at one time. In fact, Henri Põvvat, a boat builder and son of Üllar Põvvat, started his powerboat racing career with the boat that Raul used to race.

He told Powerboat.News:

While Stefan Arand is Toni’s idol, mine was Üllar.

Raul is CEO of Hamina LNG Oy, appointed in December 2023. His previous roles included positions at Viafin GAS Oy, Gasum Oy, and Maintpartner Group Nokia. Based in Kouvola, he supports his son’s racing career. Kouvola is 50 km away from Kotka, where their home circuit is located.

Toni Kade: European Champion

Racing for Veleiro Racing, Toni competes in GT15, a monohull class for drivers aged 9-16 using 15hp, 350cc engines. Speeds reach 65 km/h, with modifications forbidden to maintain equal competition.

His 2025 season proved exceptional. At the European Championship in Östhammar, he dominated the field by winning heats 1, 3, and 4, accumulating 1,500 points. His closest rival, Estonia’s Paul Richard Laur, finished 200 points behind on 1,300. Sixteen drivers from seven nations competed, with Finland claiming both first and third places—Joni Inkinen securing third on 732 points.

Earlier in the year, Toni had already claimed a silver medal at the World Championship. Kouvola city has since recognised his achievements.

The Legacy

From Vello’s 1964 Soviet silver medals through Raul’s racing at Tartu Kalev to Toni’s 2025 European title, the Kades have competed at national and international level across three generations. The family relocated from Soviet Estonia to Finland, where Toni now dominates junior competition with several years remaining before advancing to senior classes. He has one year left in GT15, then the target is to progress through GT-30 to Formula classes.

The sporting excellence extends beyond powerboat racing. Toni’s godfather Ervin Kade was head coach of the Finnish national boxing team and also trainer of Robert Helenius and Eva Wahlström.

Toni’s grandmother Milde Kade, maiden name Matikainen (Vello’s wife), was a track and field athlete, competing in 400 and 800 metres, finishing 9th in the European Championship in Athens in 1969. A 24-time Estonian champion and world champion in the veterans class, she was also the first coach of Vilma Murto, European Champion in pole vault.

As Toni Kade continues his ascent through the junior ranks with the 2025 European Championship secured, he carries forward a remarkable family tradition that spans powerboat racing, boxing, and athletics across two nations and 60 years. With circuit competition in Tartu having begun 101 years ago in 1924, the Kade family’s contribution represents a significant chapter in the sport’s rich Estonian and Nordic history. The youngest generation now writes the latest chapter, with ambitions extending well beyond GT15.