The fifth race of the 2023 ERCU Pentair Championship Series is the Detroit Memorial Regatta, set for Saturday, June 3, 2023, at Lake Sacajawea Park in Longview. Here is all you need to know to be prepared for the fifth event of the year.
Location Lake Sacajawea Park 1801 Nichols Blvd. Longview, WA 98632 Contest Directors Nelson Holmberg & Rick Evans Context This was a new race in 2021, established to memorialize and celebrate ERCU members who have passed away over the years. Many thanks to Brad Lewis and David Newton for not only dreaming to create such an auspicious event, but also for their work in putting it all together. It will most certainly be a very special event, so mark your calendars now, and plan to attend. In real life, the Detroit River Racing Association, which later became the Windmill Pointe Yacht Club, presented the Detroit Memorial Regatta in either late-June or early-July. It was one of two unlimited hydroplane races on the Detroit River each year for the first 15 years. The other race was the Silver Cup, hosted by the Detroit Yacht Club. As a club, we'll be acknowledging three members during an extended drivers' meeting, which is to start at 9:15 a.m. There will be lots of additional action both on and off the racecourse throughout the day. Stay tuned for more details. What to Expect (All times approximate, and subject to change)
Pre-Registration Pre-registration for the Detroit Memorial Regatta is now open. To find the pre-registration form, navigate your web browser to https://www.ercu-hydros.com/detroit-memorial-regatta.html, where you will find the pre-registration link in a blue box just under the race site map. Pre-registration will close at 11:59 p.m., Friday, June 2. After that deadline, please register in person on site before 8:30 a.m. You can also find pre-registration by going to www.ercu-hydros.com, then selecting “Schedule” from the main menu, and “Detroit Memorial Regatta” from the schedule itself. Schedule It is our intent to have the course open by 8 a.m., so that testing can commence once boats are registered for the event. Boat owners should prepare to have time so that they can get inspections that are needed and be ready to race. The water will be open for testing until approximately 9 a.m. A mandatory driver’s meeting will start no less than five minutes after the water closes. Drivers who do not attend the meeting will not be allowed to participate in the first round of heats. 1/10-scale modern heat 1A will begin no less than 10 minutes after the conclusion of the drivers meeting. Drivers Meeting The drivers meeting is mandatory for ALL divisions and all classes and will begin at the scorer’s table within five minutes of the closing of the testing period. Drivers who do not attend the drivers meeting will be scratched from the first heat regardless of whether they are pre-registered and pre-paid. Drivers arriving after the drivers meeting will not be added to the event until the draw for the second flight of heats. Race Officials
Detroit Memorial Regatta Defending Champions
Race Format
Inspections In 2023, all boats are to be inspected – including new or dramatically changed/repaired boats which will be inspected before the first race they run at. We ask that you print out the 2023 Hull Inspection Form, found on the Resources tab of the club website 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. If there are not two or more inspectors at a race, new boats and significantly altered boats will be given a waiver for the inspection until the next event where two or more inspectors are present. Post-Race Cleanup and Awards Presentation Club equipment cleanup and re-packing the trailer will take priority once the race is over. Once the trailer is re-packed, awards will be presented. Awards will be given to the first, second and third place finishers, first connie and Triple Crown winners. All members have a responsibility to help with set up and breakdown of club equipment. As a courtesy to your fellow racers, please stick around for the awards presentation whether you’ve won one or not. Weather Forecast The forecast for the Presidents Cup is sunny skies and 77 degrees with a 10 mph breeze out of the northwest and a 5 percent chance of rain. Restrooms A portable toilet from American SaniCan will be provided by the club in the pit area. Electricity There is no access to electricity in the pits. It would be wise to bring a generator or other power source to charge your batteries if you need to charge during the day. A return to seasonally cooler temperatures and cloudy skies marked the 12th running of the ERCU Presidents Cup conducted at Gissberg Twin Lakes Park in Marysville. Twin Lakes is furthest north race site on the 2023 ERCU schedule and as such saw 35 boats on hand for what was another action-packed day of ERCU racing.
Leading off the day was 1/10 modern class which was missing season points leader Mike Hughes’ Winston Eagle and David Newtons’ Budweiser. That left the Goodman Real Estate, Beacon Plumbing, Znetix and Elam as the early betting favorites. Problems and mechanical issues however plagued every boat in the class except for the Goodman Real Estate who was perfect in his heats to take the Presidents trophy. On the same day that he served as contest director for the first time, David Heilbrunn followed up his first-ever ERCU race day win at the last race in the 1/10 Vintage class with his first ever race day win in the ERCU 1/10 modern class. Under Heilbrunn's direction, the day progressed smoothly and with no unnecessary delays or challenges. In the 1/10 classic class six boats made the trip with all six surviving the preliminary heats to make it to the final. In the end only three of the six finished the final heat with Chuck Murray's Miss Houston standing atop the podium. Heilbrunn’s Executone and Jerry Dunlap’s Boat took second and third places. 1/10 vintage featured 10 boats at the start of the day but just two survived the rigors of four heats to finish the winner take all final. David Newton, driving Kerry Kjos’s Miss Thriftway, was the class of the class going perfect on the day to pick up another 1,600 points. Jerry Dunlap driving Paul Dunlap’s Exide took home second place with 1,200 points In the 1/7 scale modern we had a two-boat affair with Nelson Holmberg’s Graham Trucking dominating the day while winning all four of his heats and amassing 1,600 points for the effort. Goodman Real Estate was strong but not fast enough to catch the Graham and finished in second place in each heat. 1/7 classic was a "Pak Attack" with the 1970 Pride of Pay n’ Pak and 1975 Pak leading the field to take the top two places respectfully. David Newton made his 2023 1/7 classic season debut and in typical Newton style was a perfect four-for-four on the day. Craig Mullen was driving his 1975 Pak to second place in each of the four heats. Watch for new a new club member to be piloting the 1975 Pay n Pak at future races as rumor has it that ownership of that beautiful 1975 Pay ‘n Pak has changed hands. Watch for veteran scale boat owner and driver Jeff Pocha who races with Puget Sound Fast Electrics to be joining ERCU for some of the remaining 2023 races. 1/7 vintage class was another David Newton, Hawaii Kai III kind of day with the Kai picking up all 1,600 first place points. Mr. Steady Eddie in the class was Jim McKeon with his Maverick. After second-place and third-place finishes in the prelims, McKeon finished a strong second behind Newton in the vintage final. Terry Harmer's Miss Bahia looked as smooth and strong as it ever has with a super competitive day of racing. In the end the Bahia tallied 1,250 points and a third place finish in the final. One of the days brightest highlights was the surprise visit of Kelly and Sharon Stocklin to the ERCU pits. The owners of Bucket List Racing Team's U-40 and U-440 also had U-440 Miss Boitano Homes Driver, Brent Hall, U-440 crew chief Michael Lemler and the Boitano Homes sponsorship coordinator Nels Enquist in tow. The fivesome visited with nearly all of our ERCU drivers throughout the day and despite it being Kelly’s birthday, they remained all the way through to the finals. Thank you to the Stocklins and their team members for joining us. Gratitude also goes out to to everyone that helped make the Presidents Cup another successful event in the ERCU Pentair Championship Series. Without everybody’s efforts pre, on site and post events we wouldn’t be the world class club that we are. Next up is the Detroit Memorial Regatta on June 3 at Lake Sacajawea Park in Longview. ![]() David Newton moved into first place in 1/10 vintage career points at Saturday's Seafair Trophy Race. Newton takes over the career lead with 102,857 points. He passed Gerry Bordon, who currently has 102,797 points. Newton also holds first place in career wins in ERCU's 1/10 vintage division. The fourth race of the 2023 ERCU Pentair Championship Series is the Presidents Cup, set for SUNDAY, May 21, at Gissberg Twin Lakes Park in Marysville. Here is all you need to know to be prepared for the fourth event of the year.
Location Gissberg Twin Lakes Park 16324 Twin Lakes Ave., Marysville, WA 98271 Contest Directors David Heilbrunn & Nelson Holmberg Context The President's Cup was contested by unlimited hydroplanes between 1926 and 1977, with time out for World War II (1941-1945). After 1977, the Presidents Cup became a limited event for several years. A man named William A. Rogers is the "father" of the Presidents Cup Regatta. Rogers convinced his fellow Corinthian Yacht Club members to host the race and persuaded President Calvin Coolidge to sponsor the trophy. Most of the Presidents Cup races were contested on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., adjacent to Hains Point, except for a few pre-war races that were run in Annapolis, Md. The first-place trophy was traditionally presented to the winner by the nation's chief executive. The president that demonstrated the keenest interest in the race was undoubtedly Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose love for aquatics is well known. FDR watched the 1938 race from the deck of the presidential yacht Potomac. Mr. Roosevelt was so thrilled by the close finish in the last heat that he sent for the drivers of the first and second-place boats (Theo Rossi of Alagi and George Seay of Miss Manteo II) so that he could congratulate them in person for their good sportsmanship and excellent driving. The original winner of the Presidents Cup was L. Gordon Hammersley in his $60,000 duraluminum Cigarette IV. The winning speed was around 55 miles per hour. Please join ERCU at Gissberg Twin Lakes Park in Marysville on SUNDAY, May 21 and relive those golden days of yesteryear if only in 1/10 & 1/7 scale form. Parking Details - IMPORTANT Only three vehicles are allowed beyond the gate at a time to unload by Snohomish County Parks. To enter, you need to have one of our three batons. If none are hanging on the gate post, wait for someone exiting to park to pass one if the batons to you. Exceptions: the trailer hauling vehicle and those with valid state handicapped parking permits are allowed to enter and remain without a baton. What to Expect (All times approximate, and subject to change)
Pre-Registration Pre-Registration for the Presidents Cup is now open. To find the pre-registration form, navigate your web browser to https://www.ercu-hydros.com/presidents-cup.html, where you will find the pre-registration link in a blue box just under the race site map. You may also pre-pay your entry fees online by following the PayPal directions at the bottom of the page. Pre-registration will close at 10 p.m., Saturday, May 20. After that deadline, please register in person on site before 8:30 a.m. You can also find pre-registration by going to www.ercu-hydros.com, then selecting “Schedule” from the main menu, and “Presidents Cup” from the schedule itself. Schedule It is our intent to have the course open by 8 a.m., so that testing can commence once boats are registered for the event. Boat owners should prepare to have time so that they can get inspections that are needed, and be ready to race. The water will be open for testing until approximately 9 a.m. A mandatory driver’s meeting will start no less than 5 minutes after the water closes. Drivers who do not attend the meeting will not be allowed to participate in the first round of heats. 1/10-scale modern heat 1A will begin no less than 10 minutes after the conclusion of the drivers meeting. Drivers Meeting The drivers meeting is mandatory for ALL divisions and all classes and will begin at the scorer’s table within five minutes of the closing of the testing period. Drivers who do not attend the drivers meeting will be scratched from the first heat regardless of whether they are pre-registered and pre-paid. Drivers arriving after the drivers meeting will not be added to the event until the draw for the second flight of heats. Race Officials
Presidents Cup Defending Champions
Race Format
Inspections In 2023, all boats are to be inspected – including new or dramatically changed/repaired boats which will be inspected before the first race they run at. We ask that you print out the 2023 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. In the event that there are not two or more inspectors at a race, new boats and significantly altered boats will be given a waiver for the inspection until the next event where two or more inspectors are present. Post-Race Cleanup and Awards Presentation Club equipment cleanup and re-packing the trailer will take priority once the race is over. Once the trailer is re-packed, awards will be presented. Awards will be given to the first, second and third place finishers, first connie and Triple Crown winners. All members have a responsibility to help with set up and breakdown of club equipment. As a courtesy to your fellow racers, please stick around for the awards presentation whether you’ve won one or not. Weather Forecast The forecast for the Presidents Cup is partly cloudy skies and 69 degrees with a 10 mph breeze out of the northwest and a 20 percent chance of rain. Restrooms There are public restrooms available on site, and they are expected to be open. Electricity There is no access to electricity in the pits. It would be wise to bring a generator or other power source to charge your batteries if you need to charge during the day. Seafair spreads the wealth with six winners in six classes; Crazy finish in 1/10 vintage final5/14/2023
Six different club members won each of the six classes at the Seafair Trophy Race presented by Spartacus Boatworks in Lacey.
And the day was a blast. David Newton delivered the 20th Anniversary t-shirts and hoodies that guys ordered. The 50-50 raffle brought in $155, and two Spartacus Boatworks motors were awarded at the end of the day. But the story of the day may have been the "exciting" 1/10 vintage final heat in which the only boat that finished was DQd. After four 1/10 vintage boats had either blown over, gone dead on their own, or didn't start, two boats were left - Jay Fonville's 1963 Tahoe Miss and David Heilbrunn's 1963 Blue Chip. Just past start-finish at the end of the second lap, the Tahoe Miss bore out and hit the Blue Chip, leaving it dead in the water. Within a half lap later, and the Blue Chip unable to restart despite persistent attempts, officials made the decision to disqualify the Tahoe Miss and end the battle. All that meant that Blue Chip, as the last boat to DNF, was the race winner. Second went to Bill Mowatt's 1968 Miss Bardahl, which was the second to last DNF and third was Jerry Dunlap driving Paul's Miss Exide as the third to last DNF. A wild scene indeed, but it was handled correctly. The 1/10 scale modern final, while more predictable, was a calmer affair. Mike Hughes repeated as Seafair champion with his 1991 Winston Eagle. Second went to Nelson Holmberg's rapidly improving 2022 Beacon Plumbing while David Newton was third with the tailfeather-less 2003 Miss Budweiser (T-6). In 1/10 scale classic, most of the field was penalized within the first lap, leaving Jay Fonville, who won the connie with his 1976 Spirit of Dayton Walther as the race leader, and eventual winner. Second went to Chuck Murray's 1983 Miss Houston and third to David Heilbrunn's 1984 Executone. A lighter turnout in 1/7 scale modern and classic meant two boat shootouts all day, but even those didn't disappoint. Great racing occurred between Jim McKeon (1980 Miss Budweiser) and Craig Mullen (1975 Pay 'n Pak) all day long. Mullen ended up winning the race, but it was fun to watch both boats race together all day. Same was true for 1/7 scale modern where David Heilbrunn (2021 Goodman Real Estate presents Homestreet Bank) scored the most points of the day, but Nelson Holmberg (2021 Graham Trucking) took home the win. The biggest turnout of the year for 1/7 scale vintage also provided good competition throughout the day, and the win - and the only perfect day for the Seafair event - went to David Newton with the 1958 Hawaii Kai III. Second place was Dennis Caines with the 1968 Eagle Electric and third was Rob Edwards with the 1969 Pride of Pay 'n Pak. One of the big highlights for 1/7 vintage was the debut of Bob Van den Akker's gorgeous 1962 $ Bill, which won a heat and finished fourth in the final. It was nice to have Bob back in the drivers area with us. The third race of the 2023 ERCU Pentair Championship Series is the Seafair Trophy Race, set for Saturday, May 13, 2023, at Woodland Creek Park in Lacey. Here is all you need to know to be prepared for the third event of the year.
Location Long’s Pond at Woodland Creek Park 6729 Pacific Ave SE, Lacey, WA 98503 Contest Director Craig Mullen Context In August 1951, the feature event of Seafair in Seattle was the Gold Cup. For the first time, Seattle had a major league sport; unlimited hydroplane racing! Stan Sayers’ Slo-Mo-Shun IV had won the 1950 Gold Cup in Detroit and earned for the Seattle Yacht Club the right to put on the race for 1951. So let us hearken back to a Seafair 70 years ago when the grass was green, the skies were blue, the Gold Cup was now in Seattle and Slo-Mo-Shun IV was defending. A time when the boats roared and thundered, the Seafair Pirates were not politically correct and the Buicks, well they were two-tone. Please join Contest Director Craig Mullen at Woodland Creek Park in Lacey on Saturday, May 13 and relive those golden days of yesteryear if only in 1/10 and 1/7 scale. What to Expect (All times approximate, and subject to change)
Pre-Registration Pre-Registration for the Seafair Trophy Race is now open. To find the pre-registration form, navigate your web browser to https://www.ercu-hydros.com/seafair-trophy-race.html, where you will find the pre-registration link in a blue box just under the race site map. You may also pre-pay your entry fees online by following the PayPal directions at the bottom of the page. Pre-registration will close at 10 p.m., FRIDAY, May 12, 2023. After that deadline, please register in person on site before 8:30 a.m. You can also find pre-registration by going to www.ercu-hydros.com, then selecting “Schedule” from the main menu, and clicking on “Seafair Trophy Race” from the schedule itself. Drivers Meeting The drivers meeting is mandatory for ALL divisions and all classes and will begin at the scorer’s table within five minutes of the closing of time trials. Drivers who do not attend the drivers meeting will be scratched from the first heat regardless of whether they are pre-registered and pre-paid. Drivers arriving after the drivers meeting will not be added to the event until the draw for the second flight of heats. Race Officials
Seafair Trophy Race Defending Champions
Race Format
Inspections In 2023, all boats will be inspected before the first race they run at. We ask that you print out the 2023 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. Post-Race Cleanup and Awards Presentation Club equipment cleanup and re-packing the trailer will take priority once the race is over. Once the trailer is re-packed, awards will be presented. Awards will be given to the first, second and third place finishers, first connie and Triple Crown winners. All members have a responsibility to help with set up and breakdown of club equipment. As a courtesy to your fellow racers, please stick around for the awards presentation whether you’ve won one or not. Weather Forecast The forecast for Seafair Trophy Race Saturday is clear, sunny skies and 86 degrees with a 9 mph breeze out of the northwest. Restrooms There are two public restroom facilities on site in Woodland Creek Park and they are expected to be open. Electricity There is limited access to electricity in the pits. It would be wise to bring a generator or other power source if you will need to charge batteries during the day. |
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