 Even though the official Seafair race will not be held in 2021 - second year in a row - there will be a Seafair race in ERCU, keeping alive the tradition that's been going on since the club's inception in 2003.
The race will be Saturday, May 1 at Woodland Creek Park in Lacey. With thanks to Seafair Contest Director Ron Daum, here is everything you need to know about the event. Woodland Creek Park 6729 Pacific Ave. SE, Lacey, WA 98503 The third race of the 2021 ERCU Pentair Championship Series is the Seafair Cup, set for Saturday, May 1 at Woodland Creek Park in Lacey. Here is all you need to know to be prepared for the third event of the year: Contest Director Ron Daum Pre-Registration Pre-Registration for the Seafair Cup is now open. To find the pre-registration form, navigate your web browser to https://www.ercu-hydros.com/seafair-cup.html find the pre-registration link in a blue box just underneath the race site map. You may also pre-pay your entry fees online by following the PayPal directions at the bottom of the page. You can also find pre-registration by going to www.ercu-hydros.com, then selecting “Schedule” from the main menu, and “Seafair Cup” from the schedule itself. Schedule It is our intent to have the course set by 8 a.m., so that testing can commence once boats are registered for the event. With the possibility that there may be new boats that need to be inspected or rookie drivers who may need to take a driving test, please plan to arrive early on Saturday morning. The water will be open for testing until 9:10 a.m., with the drivers meeting set to begin at 9:15 a.m., and time trials for the Modern Triple Crown to follow the drivers meeting. Modern heat 1A will begin immediately after the time trials. Three Minute Clock The three-minute clock will start as soon as all drivers indicate to the Chief Referee that they are ready and will not be stopped for any reason other than health or safety. There may be an opportunity to skip the clock ahead to 1:30 when all drivers are at the driving area and boats are ready to go in the water. This will be discussed at the drivers meeting. Drivers Meeting The Drivers Meeting is mandatory for ALL divisions and all classes. It will begin at 9:15 a.m. at the scoring tent. It should not take longer than 15 minutes to complete. New/Guest Drivers ERCU always welcomes new members to the club and visiting racers from other clubs. If a rookie driver needs to be qualified, we will close the course during the test session for the rookie driving test as often is as necessary. The full procedure for rookie qualifications, and for visiting drivers, is in the rulebook, see below). 2021 Rules Please review the rulebook as is posted on the ERCU website, available under the Resources tab (or by clicking here). The Contest Director/Chief Referee will make every effort to be sure that officiating is consistent with the rules as published on the website, and that every effort is made to assure consistency in officiating. New Boats As noted above, it is possible that there will be new boats in the pits that need to be inspected. We ask that you print out the 2021 Hull Inspection Form, found on the Resources tab of the club website (www.ercu-hydros.com), and complete the member information at the top of page one prior to arriving at the race site. Please also remember to bring a photo of the real boat (a photo on your phone or tablet is acceptable) that your boat models. Seafair Cup Defending Champions (2020 season) Vintage: 1962 Miss Supertest, Brad Lewis Classic: 1982 Oh Boy! Oberto, Brad Lewis Modern: 1985 Miss Budweiser, David Newton Race Format
Post Race Cleanup and Awards Presentation After the race is over, please remember to stick around to help cleanup and re-pack the club trailer. Also, please stick around after cleanup is done to help celebrate the day’s award winners. Awards will be given to the podium (1st, 2nd & 3rd place) for each division and each class. It’s always nice for the award winners to be present, and to have our friends present to recognize those who won. Weather Forecast As of this writing, the weather is expected to be a 40 percent chance of rain and in the a high of 59 degrees in Lacey. Covid Notice Thurston County (where Lacey is) is currently in Phase 3 in the state’s Covid protocol. According to the information from the Governor’s Office, we should still be fine for our outdoor event at Woodland Creek Park. Pits The pits should be staked and taped to limit admission to the pit area. Please do not invite in people who are not in your racing team group. This is for everyone’s health and safety. It is also to show Longview we care about following the Covid guidelines they have in place, and that we have in place. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Nelson. Restrooms The public restrooms nearby are expected to be open for us. Race Coordinator Jerry Dunlap will confirm prior to the event that the City of Lacey will make sure the restrooms are open for us. Electricity There is limited access to electric outlets near the pits, and much of the time those outlets are off during the spring. It would be wise to bring a generator or other power source to charge your batteries if you need to charge during the day.  LONGVIEW, Wash. – Saturday, April 17 was a high-water day for ERCU.
With 30 1/10, seven 1/7 and five 1/8 scale boats in the pits, there was a buzz of excitement, and a really great show for the people of Longview to notice. There were personal high-water days, too. Driving Rick Evans’ 2015 Dalton Industries, Paul Dunlap recorded his first-ever ERCU victory, posting a perfect day in earning 1,600 points to win the Diamond Cup – which was a points race format. Nelson Holmberg earned his first-ever 1/7 scale victory, driving the 1972 Notre Dame to three heat wins for 1,200 points and the modern championship. Craig Mullen guided the 1958 Hawaii Kai III to 400 points and a vintage first place finish in 1/7 scale. David Newton, too, had a perfect day, driving Kerry Kjos’s 1960 Miss Thriftway to the vintage Diamond Cup title. And in a tiebreaker, the classic crown went to Brad Lewis, who’s 1982 Oh Boy! Oberto tied Gerry Bordon’s 1974 Miss U.S. with 1,100 points on the day. The tiebreaker – season points – went to Lewis because he had more season points than Bordon did. Bordon, however, did post perfection in the Classic Triple Crown, earning the fastest speed in time trials to start the day, and winning the Triple Crown heat at the end of the day. The weather was perfect, with sunny skies and 84-degree temperature. Just slight breezes were the only wind that affected the racing during the day. And there were plenty of blow overs. And here’s the best part: A great time was had by all. Second place in the 1/10 scale modern class went to Ron Daum and his 2009 Grandview on the Lake Turbinator with 1,094 points. Third was David Heilbrunn with the 2019 J&D’s. Steven Taylor scored 525 points with his 2014 Spirit of Qatar to take fourth. Fifth went to Chuck Murray and his 2000 Ellstrom Miss E-Lam Plus with 400 points, while Holmberg was sixth driving Jim Bakke’s 2031 Graham Trucking for 300 points. Holmberg’s 2018 Oberto – the defending modern class champion – was damaged to the point of in-shop repairs during testing and was unable to participate in the Diamond Cup. In 1/10 scale classic class, third place went to Jerry Dunlap with his brand-new Boat with wings, scoring 994 points. Fourth was Heilbrunn with the 1984 Executone at 719 points, Sano with the 1985 Squire Shop at 700 points was fifth and sixth went to Murray’s 1983 Miss Houston with 625 points. Dunlap’s 1986 Boat and Holmberg’s 1979 Squire Shop failed to earn any points and were scratched due to damage after the second flight of heats. The vintage class in 1/10 scale had a total of 13 boats and the top five were rounded out by second place Murray’s 1957 Short Circuit with 1,169 points; Bordon’s 1970 Parco’s O-Ring Miss with 1,150 points, Jay Fonville’s 1963 Tahoe Miss with 1,094 points, and the Sano-driven 1964 Miss Exide with 900 points. The Diamond Cup was also the debut of the 1/7-scale division in ERCU. While a 21-month layoff showed in the division with a higher-than-normal amount of attrition, there were still some boats that finished the day. We’ll see more out of these boats as the season progresses. The third stop on the 2021 ERCU Pentair Championship Series is set for Saturday, May 1 at Woodland Creek Park in Lacey. The Seafair Cup will be directed by Ron Daum. Pre-registration for the Seafair Cup is open now and can be found by clicking here. 4/14/2021 ERCU Diamond Cup: What you need to knowLake Sacajawea Park, Longview, Washington
Closest address (for GPS) 1701 Nichols Blvd., Longview, WA The second race of the 2021 ERCU Pentair Championship Series is the Diamond Cup, set for this Saturday, April 17 at Lake Sacajawea Park in Longview. Here is all you need to know to be prepared for the second event of the year: Contest Director Nelson Holmberg Pre-Registration Pre-Registration for the Diamond Cup is now open. To find the pre-registration form, navigate your web browser to https://www.ercu-hydros.com/diamond-cup.html to find the pre-registration link in a blue box just underneath the race site map. You may also pre-pay your entry fees online by following the PayPal directions at the bottom of the page. Schedule It is our intent to have the course set by 8:00 a.m., so that testing can commence once boats are registered for the event. With the possibility that there may be new boats that need to be inspected or rookie drivers who may need to take a driving test, please plan to arrive early on Saturday morning. The water will be open for testing until 9:10 a.m., with the drivers meeting set to begin at 9:15 a.m., and time trials for the Classic Triple Crown to follow the drivers meeting. Modern heat 1A will begin immediately after the time trials. Three Minute Clock The three-minute clock will start as soon as all drivers indicate to the Chief Referee that they are ready and will not be stopped for any reason other than health or safety. There may be an opportunity to skip the clock ahead to 1:30 when all drivers are at the driving area and boats are ready to go in the water. This will be discussed at the drivers meeting. Drivers Meeting The Drivers Meeting is mandatory for ALL divisions and all classes. It will begin at 9:15 a.m. at the scoring tent. It should not take longer than 15 minutes to complete. New/Guest Drivers ERCU always welcomes new members to the club and visiting racers from other clubs. If a rookie driver needs to be qualified, we will close the course during the test session for the rookie driving test as often is as necessary. The full procedure for rookie qualifications, and for visiting drivers, is in the rulebook, see below). 2021 Rules Please review the rulebook as is posted on the ERCU website, available under the Resources tab. The Contest Director/Chief Referee will make every effort to be sure that officiating is consistent with the rules as published on the website, and that every effort is made to assure consistency in officiating. New Boats As noted above, it is possible that there will be new boats in the pits that need to be inspected. We ask that you print out the 2021 Hull Inspection Form, found on the Resources tab of the club website (www.ercu-hydros.com), and complete the member information at the top of page one prior to arriving at the race site. Please also remember to bring a photo of the real boat (a photo on your phone or tablet is acceptable) that your boat models. ERCU inspector Robbie Roberts will not be at the race, so inspections will be handled by another board member at the Diamond Cup. Diamond Cup Defending Champions (2020 season) Vintage: 1975 Oh Boy! Oberto, Nelson Holmberg Classic: 1974 Miss U.S., Gerry Bordon Modern: 2018 Oberto Beef Jerky, Nelson Holmberg Race Format
Post Race Cleanup and Awards Presentation After the race is over, please remember to stick around to help cleanup and re-pack the club trailer. Also, please stick around after cleanup is done to help celebrate the day’s award winners. Awards will be given to the podium (1st, 2nd & 3rd place) for each division and each class. It’s always nice for the award winners to be present, and to have our friends present to recognize those who won. Weather Forecast As of this writing, the weather is expected to be sunny and 82 degrees in Longview. Covid Notice Effective Monday, April 12, Cowlitz County (where Longview is) was moved back to Phase 2 in the state’s Covid protocol. According to the information from the Governor’s Office, we should still be fine for our outdoor event at Lake Sacajawea, but restaurants in the county are now restricted back to 25 percent indoor dining. If you intend to have breakfast in town before the event, or dinner after, be aware of the restriction. Pits In response to Cowlitz County being moved back in the protocol, combined with the 82-degree weather, it is anticipated there will be a lot of people in the park, and curious as to what we are doing. The pits will need to be staked and taped to limit admission to the pit area. Please do not invite in people who are not in your racing team group. This is for everyone’s health and safety. It is also to show Longview we care about following the Covid guidelines they have in place, and that we have in place. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Nelson. Sanican We will have a Sanican in place in the pits for race day. To help offset the cost ($200) of having this portable restroom, we will charge a surcharge of $5 per member in the pits. Please come prepared to add this payment, or to submit via PayPal. After the 2021 season-opening Champion Spark Plug Regatta, which didn’t finish until about 5:30 p.m., the ERCU board began a new practice to debrief after each event. This gives an opportunity to discuss what was learned - both good and bad - at the most recent event, and to discuss adjustments that may need to be made.
With 25 1/10 scale boats in the pits for the season-opener, it was a great day. The weather was good, racing was fantastic and everyone had a great time. There were a few reasons why it was a long day - including an hour-long lunch break to present (in person) our 2020 season awards, a longer practice and testing session, and four flights of heats. No one complained. That said, it was a long day, and the club is prepared to mitigate for more lengthy days as 1/7-scale racers begin to join us at the Diamond Cup in Longview on April 17. After a board discussion that led to the decision to not change the rule book after the season started, provided some clarification for the club as it pertains to the three-minute clock. Starting at the Diamond Cup, Contest Directors have the authority to announce at the drivers meeting that if all boats in a heat are at the water and ready to start a heat while the three-minute clock is running, the chief referee will have the authority to advance the clock to 1 minute 30 seconds. If even one member objects during the drivers meeting, the policy for the day is that the three minute clock will continue to run in its entirety. Contest Directors are also encouraged to conduct three preliminary heat formats, though the choice of format is completely up to individual CDs. This is just one “good problem” to have, and as the club continues to grow, the board will continue to debrief after each event and consider other guidance that might help keep days from getting too long. There has been change made on the ERCU Board of Directors this week.
As a result of health issues and a number of conversations and searching his heart, Len Taylor shared that he had made the difficult decision to resign from his position on the ERCU board. ”Because of the health issues I am currently going through, I don’t feel that I can perform my duties as an ERCU Board Member like I used to,” Taylor said in an email to the board on Tuesday, April 6. “Therefore, I am here by submitting my resignation from the ERCU Board. I thank each of you for all of the support for the last few years. I am hoping that I will be able to race again someday soon. I will continue to come visit the races locally.” In accordance with the Club Bylaws, the board voted during its special meeting on Tuesday night to appoint David Newton to the vacancy for the remainder of Taylor’s term, which expires on October 31, 2021. Newton will serve as statistician for the rest of the season. ”I am looking forward to helping the club,” Newton said. “The club is in awesome shape right now and hope I can help it continue.” As a new practice, the ERCU Board of Directors has started a debrief conversation after each race in the 2021 season. We always learn something when we race, so we’re taking advantage of a conversation to continue making the club better.
As a result of today’s email conversation debriefing the Champion Spark Plug Regatta, one of the biggest issues is the length of the race day. Granted we ran four flights of heats and had an extended lunch to present our 2020 awards in person, but it was a long day. Because one of the ideas (shortening the starting clock to two minutes) would require a rule change, the board will meet tomorrow night (Tuesday, April 6) at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. Any decision by the board would be a recommendation to the full membership to vote on prior to the Diamond Cup. Nothing will be changed without member participation and feedback, so we’ll ask you for your feedback after the meeting. At the same time, if you’d like to participate in a conversation about potentially shortening the starting clock, please join in on this special meeting of the board. The Zoom information is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8464189312?pwd=Qi9DZ3JqYlppRjFJbFNDcjMzaE1zUT09 Meeting ID: 846 418 9312 Passcode: ERCU2021 By Phone: (253) 215-8782 Nice weather - for seemingly the first time in the history of our Centralia race - a great turnout and exciting racing highlighted the 2021 season-opening Champion Spark Plug Regatta, Saturday, April 3 at Fort Borst Park.
And it was David Newton and Jerry Dunlap who came away as the day's big winners. Newton paired up with 1960 Miss Thriftway owner Kerry Kjos for a perfect day, driving the persimmon and white beauty to a win in the vintage class after sweeping all four preliminary heats in the vintage class. Newton also won the modern class final with the 1985 Miss Budweiser. It was Newton's fourth consecutive win with the Miss Bud, dating back to the 2020 season. Second place in the vintage final was ERCU rookie Jay Fonville with the 1963 Tahoe Miss. Third went to Brad Lewis with the 1962 Miss Supertest and fourth to John Earnest with the 1962 Gale V. Lewis had previously won the vintage connie and started the final as a trailer where he quickly jumped from the trailer spot to as high as second during the final heat. While pressing the Thriftway, the Supertest missed the entrance pin to the north turn and despite the lap penalty, Lewis was able to unwind the disadvantage and still finish on the podium. With just four classic boats in the pits for the season-opener, contest directors Jerry and Paul Dunlap decided to make the classic class a points race, and it was a close one between Jerry's 1986 Boat and Brandon Sano's 1985 Squire Shop. In the end, Boat eaked out a win with 1,094 points. Sano's Squire was second with 1,050 points. Third went to Lewis in the 1982 Oh Boy! Oberto and fourth was David Heilbrunn with the 1984 Executone. The modern final was another exciting one where the trailer made some serious noise. David Heilbrunn, who won the modern connie with his 2019 J&D's, started legally as the trailer and patiently made his way up the field. His second place finish behind Newton's Miss Budweiser prompted him to fist pump as his boat crossed the finish line and the chief referee announced the second place finish. Third went to Paul Dunlap with Rick Evans' 2015 Dalton Industries and fourth was defending Champion Spark Plug Regatta champ Ron Daum with the 2009 Grandview on the Lake. Heading into the modern final, Dunlap had a perfect day going but battery frustrations in the final slowed the boat significantly. The Dalton, however, was the victor in won of the day's most exciting heat races. In modern heat 4A, the Dalton and Nelson Holmberg's 2018 Oberto Beef Jerky had a deck-to-deck battle for all five laps. Dunlap had better top end, and Holmberg had the inside lane and the ability to control the course. Mixed into it, the J&D's was a lap down in front of the two leaders, so the excitement was electrifying. In the end, Dalton used took the lead in the north turn on the last lap and held on for the heat win. The club also took a longer than normal lunch break to do an in-person presentation of the 2020 ERCU awards, and the club provided box lunches for those in attendance. All-in-all, it was a pretty great day for everyone involved. Many thanks go out not only to everyone who attended, but also those who helped put on the race. It was a great event with a lot of fun had by all. ERCU is grateful for a fantastic start to the season!  ERCU's membership is about to grow significantly with an agreement between the club and 1/7 scale racers has been reached and members of the former Electric Scale Unlimiteds (ESU) will join ERCU and come race with us during the 2021 season that begins on Saturday, April 3 at Fort Borst Park in Centralia.
The 1/7-scale racers have not raced consistently in a few years and have had an open invitation to run with ERCU since 2019, when they ran once with us in Lacey. The agreement reached on Thursday, March 4 allows 1/7-scale to become a new division in ERCU and racers to join the club as full members. Each event in 2021 will include full 1/10-scale and 1/7-scale race formats on courses not to exceed ERCU Gold Cup standards in length at all sites except Centralia (where a longer course isn't likely to work). No extra buoys will be added to the course for the bigger boats. Registration and membership applications have been updated and are open to the 1/7-scale racers. We are excited to have this group of new members and the activity of yet another division in the club. To join ERCU, all we need you to do is complete the Membership & Registration form that you can find as an online form by clicking here, or as a paper form you can print to complete and send a check by clicking here. ERCU Registrar Ron Daum’s mailing address is on the bottom of the printable form. You also can pay via PayPal, if you like. Our PayPal account is ercuhydros@gmail.com. If you are already a paid member of ERCU, we’ll just need your 1/7-scale boat registration information. We are set up to begin accepting your membership and registrations right now, so please feel free to join the club and register your boats now. Membership fees for ERCU are $25 per year per member. If you’re already a member of ERCU and have paid this year’s membership dues, you do not need to pay it again. We also collect $5 per boat in registration fees. For 2021, as a special welcome we’re extending free boat registration to all incoming 1/7 scale members for the 2021 season. We are excited to have you join the club and be a part of scale racing in 2021 events. Please also remember to renew your NAMBA membership, if you haven’t already done so. It’s easy to do online
 The next ERCU Winter Meeting is set for Sunday, Feb. 21 at 11 a.m. on Zoom. As always, this meeting is open to anyone who's interested in attending. At this point, the agenda is light, so it's really a great opportunity to get together, talk about the club and talk about boat racing.
An agenda for the meeting can be found by clicking here. The club is seeing renewed interest as we get ready for the 2021 season, and it's likely we'll see a good number of new members, and several 1/7 scale boats return to the pits in 2021. With most of the state being in Phase 2 of the Governor's new reopening plan (effective Monday, Feb. 15), combined with the allowances for participant only motorsports in outdoor areas, it's beginning to look like we'll be able to get a season in this way. Let's hope the numbers continue to improve and we don't have another surge in the spring. Let's all do our own parts and stay vigilant against the pandemic. I look forward to the meeting on Sunday and hope to see many of you on Zoom! Nelson Chairman 2020-21 ERCU Board of Directors Here’s the Zoom information: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8464189312?pwd=Qi9DZ3JqYlppRjFJbFNDcjMzaE1zUT09 Meeting ID: 846 418 9312 Passcode: ERCU2021 |
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