 Race number nine on the 2025 ERCU Championship Series season is the ERCU Gold Cup, set for Saturday, August 9, 2025, at the Bill Mowatt Memorial Race Course in Woodland Creek Park, Lacey. Here is all you need to know to be prepared for the seventh event of the year.
LOCATION Bill Mowatt Memorial Race Course at Woodland Creek Park 6729 Pacific Ave SE Lacey, WA 98503 CONTEST DIRECTOR ERCU Board of Directors CONTEXT The Gold Cup has long been held in high regard. It’s been referred to as “boat racing’s Indy 500” – the granddaddy of them all. It’s no different in model boat racing. In ERCU, the Gold Cup is the most coveted of all trophies. Consistent with boat racing history and the tradition of the Gold Cup, the race is one of endurance and survival. Thus, the course will be longer than others during the 2025 season, and there will be four flights of heats rather than the regular three. Winner-take-all finals will determine the winners of the Gold Cups again in 2025. There will be five Gold Cups awarded at the end of the day: 1/10 scale modern; 1/7 scale modern;/classic; 1/10 scale classic; 1/10 scale vintage and 1/7 scale vintage. The club is doing its best to make sure the five actual cups are present at the event to be awarded in person. Because this race is likely to see a very large turnout, and we have an extra flight of heats, the schedule for the day will start one hour earlier than usual, so please plan accordingly. WHAT TO EXPECT (All times approximate, and subject to change)
PRE-REGISTRATION Pre-Registration for the ERCU Gold Cup is now open. To find the pre-registration form, navigate your web browser to https://www.ercu-hydros.com/ercu-gold-cup.html, where you will find the pre-registration link in a blue box just under the race site map. Pre-registration will close at 10 p.m., Friday, August 8. After that deadline, please register in person on site before 7:30 a.m. You can also find pre-registration by going to www.ercu-hydros.com, then selecting “Schedule” from the main menu, and “ERCU Gold Cup” from the schedule itself. ERCU GOLD CUP SCHEDULE All times approximate and subject to change (except open water and drivers meeting) 7-8 a.m. – Open water 8:05 a.m. – Mandatory Gold Cup Drivers Meeting & heat draw announcement 8:30 a.m. – First flight of heats (1/10 modern, 1/7 modern-classic, 1/10 classic, 1/10 vintage, 1/7 vintage) 9:45 a.m. – Second flight of heats (1/10 modern, 1/7 modern-classic, 1/10 classic, 1/10 vintage, 1/7 vintage) 11-11:30 a.m. – Lunch break 11:30 a.m. – Third flight of heats (1/10 modern, 1/7 modern-classic, 1/10 classic, 1/10 vintage, 1/7 vintage) 1:15 p.m. – Fourth flight of heats (1/10 modern, 1/7 modern-classic, 1/10 classic, 1/10 vintage, 1/7 vintage) 3 p.m. – Ted Jones Memorials (consolations) for all appropriate classes. Gold Cup first connie are the Ted Jones Memorial and count as race wins. Winners also move up to the Gold Cup finals as trailer boats. 4 p.m. – Winner-take-all Gold Cup Final Heats (1/10 modern, 1/7 modern-classic, 1/10 classic, 1/10 vintage, 1/7 vintage) 5 p.m. – Club equipment breakdown and packing — ALL HANDS 6 p.m. – Awards presentation 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
ERCU GOLD CUP DEFENDING CHAMPIONS
RACE FORMAT
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 early forecast for the ERCU Gold Cup is partly cloudy skies and 89 degrees with a 8 mph breeze out of the west-southwest and a 8 percent chance of precipitation. RESTROOMS Public restrooms are available on site. 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 during the day.  TOLEDO — The sun wasn’t the only thing blazing at Wallace Pond on Sunday.
ERCU’s 23rd annual Seafair Cup brought the heat in more ways than one, as 40 boats scorched through the club’s first-ever event at South County Park under flawless skies — and one driver stood well above the rest. Paxton Reunanen, the season point leader in both 1/10-scale modern and classic classes, turned in a double dose of perfection, sweeping both divisions with 1,600-point days. Reunanen nearly made it a trifecta in 1/10 vintage, logging a class-best 1,100 points, but Hall of Famer John Earnest stole the show — and the final heat — with a thrilling win that brought the crowd to its feet. It was a vintage performance from the crafty veteran, who once again proved his magic on the water. In the larger-scale classes, Reunanen again made waves, stepping in as substitute driver for Mike McIntosh in the 1/7-scale modern/classic Beacon Plumbing entry. He collected three heat wins and the final, but a DNF kept him from a third perfect score. Carl Lewis, piloting the rapid Lincoln Thrift, tallied the day’s high score at 1,300 and finished runner-up in the final, just ahead of John Sjostrom and the 1974 Miss U.S., who took third with 1,225 points. Sjostrom didn’t leave without hardware, however. In 1/7 vintage, he closed the day in style by winning the final with his Miss Thriftway after finishing second in points. David Newton had the high score with his 1958 Hawaii Kai III but settled for second in the final heat. With sunny skies, an electric crowd, and a standout new venue, the Seafair Cup was a hit in its Toledo debut. ERCU thanked Lewis County for hosting and hinted at a hopeful return in 2026. Next up is the prestigious Gold Cup, set for Aug. 9 on the Bill Mowatt Memorial course in Lacey — the season’s ultimate endurance test.  The eighth race of the 2025 ERCU Championship Series season is the annual Seafair Trophy Race, for Saturday, July 19 on Wallace Pond at South County Park in Toledo. Here is all you need to know to be prepared for the eighth event of the year.
LOCATION Wallace Pond, South County Park 212 Ray Road Toledo, WA 98591 CONTEST DIRECTOR David Heilbrunn 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 74 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 David Heilbrunn at Wallace Pond at South County Park on Saturday, July 19. 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, click here to find the pre-registration link in a blue box just under the race site map. Pre-registration will close at 10 p.m., Friday, July 18. After that deadline, please register in person on site before 8:30 a.m. You can also find pre-registration by selecting “Schedule” from the main menu, and “Seafair Trophy Race” from the schedule itself. The first five members who pre-register for the Seafair Trophy Race will take home a free five-pound bag of DCR Coffee! 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
SEAFAIR TROPHY RACE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS
RACE FORMAT
POST-RACE CLEAN UP 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. 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 Seafair Trophy Race is sunny skies and 83 degrees with a light breeze 5-10 mph out of the south-southwest and a less than 5 percent chance of rain. RESTROOMS Public restrooms are available on site. 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. |
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