Race Coordinator Jerry Dunlap has finalized the 2020 ERCU Race Schedule.

After receiving feedback from the members during our survey last fall, the race schedule was built around a balance of north, south and central. This season, we have three races at Lacey, three at Longview, two at Twin Lakes in Marysville, and one each at Fort Borst Park (Centralia) and Lake Waughop (Lakewood).

The season begins Saturday, April 4 with the traditional first race of the year, the Champion Spark Plug Regatta at Fort Borst Park in Centralia. The second race is the Jack Regas Memorial at Lake Waughop on Saturday, April 18.

This year, we're moving the ERCU Gold Cup event to the last race of the season. Paired with the Ted Jones Memorial (winners of the vintage and modern connies), which counts as a race win, the Gold Cup will be held at Woodland Creek Park in Lacey.

This offseason, the club has been working to bring its equipment - everything from the trailer to the rowboat, and computers to PA system - back into shape for the 2020 season. We'll be presenting a first class event experience at ERCU races in the new year.

ERCU also plans to run three 1/10-scale classes at each race with the vintage and modern, while also adding the classic class for the first time.

We also welcome 1/7 scale and 1/8 scale FE scale unlimiteds to run at our events this year. There won't be registration or scoring done by ERCU the bigger boats.

See you at the races!

A winter tradition renews itself at the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum in Kent on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 when the Roger Newton Memorial RC Boat Show takes place.

Please save the date for the 13th annual show, which remembers the founder of ERCU, RCU and one of the originators of scale RC hydroplane racing.

Participants will be asked to donate $5 each to defray the cost of using the facility.

Please bring your models and your own table. ERCU will set up our display together and will be represented with a club banner for a first class presentation.

Set up begins at 10 a.m. and the show will open to the public from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Normal museum admission fees will apply to the general public.

Hot lunch will be available to purchase.

Let's make a great ERCU showing to recognize and remember Roger as "the Czar" of scale model hydro racing.

At the ERCU January Winter Meeting, the board of directors agreed to try something new, and created the Triple Crown Series, approving the idea presented by Rick Evans.

The new series will provide a little extra racing at each of the first nine races of the year, and each will feature either vintage, classic or modern boats.

The Triple Crown Series will be based on a mixture of time trials points and one heat. These points will not count toward the ERCU high points championship - only they Triple Crown.

Each Triple Crown "event" will consist of a two-lap time trial run for each boat that chooses to compete, which will be held immediately after the drivers meeting. A five lap final heat, featuring the fastest boats (limited to six) in the time trials will also be held. Regular unlimited hydroplane scoring will apply to the Triple Crown final heats. Triple Crown final heat shall be the last heat of racing of that event.

Boats in each class, with the most accumulated Triple Crown points during the season will be crowned the Triple Crown champions.

• At races 1, 4 and 7, vintage boats will run for the Triple Crown.
• Classic boats will run for the Triple Crown at races 2, 5 and 8.
• Modern hulls will compete for the Triple Crown at races 3, 6 and 9.

There will be no Triple Crown racing at the ERCU Gold Cup.

Each boat in its class of that particular event shall participate in a two-lap time trial to be held after the open water testing period and the drivers meeting.

Points shall be awarded for time trial result and count toward Triple Crown standings, as follows:

• 1st 100 points
• 2nd 90 points
• 3rd 80 points
• 4th 70 points
• 5th 60 points
• 6th 50 points
• 7th through 10th. 30 points

During the ERCU January Winter Meeting on Saturday, Jan. 4, at the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum in Kent, the board of directors approved a motion to allow ERCU members with 1/10-scale boats registered in the club to run their 1/8 scale FE boats at ERCU events if they would like to.

"It's very important to be clear that we are not creating a new class for 1/8-scale FE," said ERCU Chairman Nelson Holmberg. "We're simply allowing members who want to have another chance to run their big boats at our events. Only electric-powered boats will be allowed to run."

ERCU will not register any 1/8 scale hulls, nor will we score the runs. These 1/8-scale runs will purely be exhibitions for the purpose of giving those who run both 1/10 and 1/8-scale boats an opportunity to run what they bring.

"Our priority is still 1/10-scale, and we have no plans to change that," Holmberg added

Our own John Earnest last fall had the opportunity of a lifetime - for the second time - when he got to go for a ride in the 1958 Miss Bardahl at Mahogany & Merlot in Chelan.

With many thanks to our friend David Williams at the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum, here is a video of John's ride. Driving the Bardahl that day was Glenn Raymond - museum volunteer extraordinaire.

After the ERCU January Winter Meeting, John wanted to be sure to share this experience with all of you.