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Here are some hotels in the Lacey area, within 2.5 miles of Woodland Creek Park for those who are considering staying the night on Saturday, Sept. 10 for ERCU Gold Cup weekend.
 The 10th and final race of the 2022 ERCU Pentair Championship Series is the ERCU Gold Cup, set for Saturday and Sunday, September 10-11, 2022, at Woodland Creek Park in Lacey. Here is all you need to know to be prepared for the final event of the year.
Location Long’s Pond/Woodland Creek Park 6729 Pacific Ave SE, Lacey, WA 98503 Contest Directors 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 2022 season, and there will be four flights of heats rather than the regular three. Winner-take-all finals will determine the winners of our club’s Gold Cups for 2022. There will be six Gold Cups awarded at the end of the day: 1/10 scale modern; 1/7 scale modern; 1/10 scale classic; 1/7 scale classic; 1/10 scale vintage and 1/7 scale vintage. 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. 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, September 9, 2022. 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 “ERCU Gold Cup” from the schedule itself. Schedule Saturday, Sept. 10
Sunday, Sept. 11
Starting Clock A 1-minute 30-second clock will start as soon as all drivers are in the driving area and will not be stopped for any reason other than health or safety (including stubborn waterfowl). Please plan ahead for your upcoming heats, including getting your own spotter, and be ready when the chase boat comes back. A trailer boat shall not cross the start line less than five seconds after the start gun. Rookie drivers who have not yet earned 1,200 career points must start from the trailer position. Heat Draws Heat draws will be completed with the randomizer in our Excel workbook that’s used for scoring races. Every effort will be made to avoid preferred driver/spotter heat conflicts, but sometimes those cannot be avoided. The first heat draw will be conducted at approximately 9 a.m. and will be read verbally at the drivers meeting as a roll call. Succeeding heat draws will be conducted between flights. All heat draws will be printed and posted, and displayed on the TV screen, whenever possible. 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 As of this writing, weather.com predicts mostly sunny weather with a high of 79 degrees and 7 mph winds out of the northwest on Saturday and partly cloudy weather with a high of 77 degrees and 7 mph winds out of the west southwest on Sunday. Covid Accommodations Following local, state and federal guidance, face coverings, social distancing and vaccination proof will not be required at ERCU events in 2022. Those who would like to take any precautions to their own comfort level are certainly welcome and encouraged to do so. ERCU reserves the right to change the Covid accommodations, in accordance with local, state or federal guidelines, should that need arise. ERCU will give as much notice as possible if changes are made. 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 to charge your batteries if you need to charge during the weekend. With many thanks to our friend Jason Walters, who was a guest racer from RC Unlimiteds at the ERCU Stan Sayres Memorial presented by American SaniCan on Saturday, Aug. 27, we've got some very nicely done videos of a few heats from the race. We enjoyed having Jason and Dylan Hirano race with us on Saturday and hope they'll return to run with us again. Enjoy Jason's videos. Under sunny, breezy and cool conditions at Lake Sacajawea Park in Longview, ERCU conducted the 48th running of the Stan Sayres Memorial presented by American SaniCan where David Newton, David Heilbrunn, Dennis Caines, Mike Hughes and Paxton Reunanen came away the big winners.
Thirty-six boats made up the field for the 48th running of the Stan Sayres Memorial, Saturday, Aug. 27 at Lake Sacajawea Park in Longview. David Heilbrunn broke through and did his best Jeff Bernard impersonation piloting the 2021 Goodman Real Estate to the race win in 1/7 scale modern. It was his first career win in 1/7 scale. Dennis Caines also posted his first 1/7 scale career win by piloting his 1969 Eagle Electric to the vintage win. But it was ERCU's all-time career wins leader, David Newton, who made the biggest splash, winning both the 1/7 scale classic final driving his own 1970 Pay 'n Pak, and the 1/10 scale classic final, driving Reunanen's 1979 Squire Shop. Reunanen got a win of his own, taking the 1/10-scale vintage final with the 1963 Coe-Z Miss. Hughes also gained another 2022 ERCU race win, taking the 1/10-scale modern final with his 1991 Winston Eagle. Reunanen was also awareded a $50 gas card for winning the Best of Show award. His combined pits presentation, uniforms (all of them), on-the-water performance, and sportsmanship edged out brilliant total presentations by Caines and Newton who were also very strongly considered for the award. It was another very fun day of ERCU racing and we were finished with the race day, and on the road home by 5 p.m. If you're coming to the Stan Sayres Memorial, keep this in mind:
There will be an award for the "Best of Show". This award will go to the member who presents best in the pits. Sayres Memorial Contest Directors Nelson Holmberg and Tom Markos will consider the following criteria while choosing the award winner:
Judging will take place randomly throughout the event, and all things will be observed. The award will be presented at the end of the day with the rest of the awards. Nelson & Tom challenge all members to think creatively and have fun with this contest and opportunity! First-time ERCU participants Haeley Long and Kyson Lor - both grandchildren of current club members - made quite the impression on August 13 at the Governor's Cup in Marysville.
Lor, grandson of Craig Bradshaw, took his driving test on Saturday morning before the drivers meeting and handled it with ease. He then made the most of his race day, capping it with a second place finish in the first consolation, driving his 1961 Miss Madison. After a scratch by the connie winner, Lor had his first-ever entry into a final heat and finished third from the trailer position. Lor finished the day with 994 points on his Miss Madison, and collected two third place finishes in 1/10 scale modern with the 2019 Delta RealTrac. Long, granddaughter of David Heilbrunn, made her debut as an experienced member visiting from another club. She didn't need to take the driving test and started as a trailer in each class for two heats before taking to front-line starts the rest of the day. She drove in 1/10 scale modern (1997 Close Call), and in 1/7 scale vintage (1964 Miss U.S. 5). While she had frustrations in the modern class, Long was able to win a heat and collect 569 points in the 1/7 scale vintage class. Safe to say that both drivers had fun, and made strong impressions on the rest of the club. We're excited to see more of both Haeley and Kyson at future races. With his three wins at the Governor's Cup on Saturday, Aug. 13, David Newton made history.
Newton, a founding member of ERCU, tied the club's record for total race wins (all classes combined) when he drove Paxton Reunanen's 1979 Squire Shop to a win in the 1/10 scale classic Governor's Cup final heat. He broke the record when he piloted his 1/7 scale 1970 Pay 'n Pak hemi in the final of that class. Newton extended it when he won the 1/10-scale vintage final with Kerry Kjos' 1960 Miss Thriftway. With 69 career wins to date, Newton takes over the club's all-time total (all divisions/all classes) wins record from Mike Campbell, who now stands in second place with his 67 career wins. Second place on the current active drivers all-time wins list is Nelson Holmberg with 45 combined (all classes) career wins. It is, again, the time of year when ERCU begins the process to elect members of its board of directors.
The first step, of course, is nominating ERCU members to run for election. As such, there is a nomination form posted on the club’s website. Click here to nominate a member for the board ballot. Nominations will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, and can also be made in person at the Stan Sayres Memorial in Longview. On Sunday, Aug. 28, an online ballot will be posted on the club’s website for members to select three members of the seven-person ERCU Board of Directors. Those with expiring terms this year are Ron Daum, Jim McKeon and Bill Mowatt. If a member prefers a paper ballot, one may be requested during the ERCU Gold Cup on September 10-11 in Lacey, or requested via U.S. mail. Voting will close at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11, and the election results will be announced shortly thereafter. In accordance with ERCU Bylaws, board secretary Rick Evans will tally the votes and share the final results for public disclosure once he certifies the election. To say David Newton had a good day at the Governor's Cup would be an understatement.
Newton not only claimed three Governor's Cup trophies and took over the ERCU all-time career wins ranking, he also posted two perfect days and one near-perfect day. Driving Kerry Kjos' 1960 Miss Thriftway to a win in the 1/10 scale vintage final, and Paxton Reunanen's 1979 Squire Shop to victory in the 1/10 scale classic final, Newton completed perfect days with those two boats. If it weren't for a second place finish in 1/7-scale classic heat 1A, Newton's entire day would have been perfect. But he more than made up for that second place finish in heat 2A, avenging Nelson Holmberg in Gary Hansen's 1972 Notre Dame in what was perhaps the best race of the day - a duel that went down to the final lap before it was decided. Newton bested the 1/10 scale vintage field, while second place went to Chuck Murray's 1964 Savair's Mist and third went to rookie Kyson Lor (who passed his drivers test the same morning) with the 1961 Miss Madison. Gerry Bordon was unable to finish the final with his 1970 Parco's O-Ring Miss and Bill Mowatt was DQ'd for taking out another boat with his 1968 Miss Bardahl. In the 1/10 classic final, Newton proved his perfection on the day by dominating with the Squire Shop. Second went to Gentleman Jim Latimer in the 1985 U-33 while third went to trailer starter Jay Fonville in his 1976 Spirit of Dayton Walther. Fonville not only one the first connie to make it into the final, but he also won the second connie in order to get into the first connie as a trailer. Holmberg drove his 2021 Graham Trucking to a Governor's Cup title in the 1/7 scale modern final heat, holding off John Sjostrom in the 1990 Oh Boy! Oberto. David Heilbrunn's 2021 Goodman Real Estate was unable to finish the final. Holmberg had a perfect day of his own with the U-12 while former Graham Trucking teammates Shawn Murray and Kevin Stoltz watched during their visits to the race. Mike Hughes' 1991 Winston Eagle was, again, the cream of the crop in 1/10 modern. Hughes easily scored the final heat win, followed by Tyler McKeon and his 2019 Miss J&D's in second, Heilbrunn with the 2021 Goodman Real Estate in third and Murray in fourth with his 2000 Miss Elam. Reunanen, who started on the trailer after winning the connie, was unable to finish the heat with his 2018 Miss Homestreet Bank. Craig Mullen debuted the totally re-vamped 1958 Hawaii Kai III with its first test of the year on raceday morning and ended up securing a perfect day after winning the 1/7 scale vintage final. Second in the final went to Tyler McKeon's 1967 Miss Lapeer, which started from the trailer after winning the first connie. A DNF and 169 points went to Bordon's 1969 Parco's O-Ring Miss after being taken out in a collision another boat. Another DNF went to Terry Harmer and the 1986 Miss Bahia while Fonville and his 1975 Kirby Classic were DQ'd for taking out another boat. While it was a longer day than usual, it was a very fun and positive day with perfect weather conditions and fantastic racing all day. Many thanks to Denise & John Sjostrom for providing a fantastic lunch spread for everyone at the event. Gratitude also goes out to all of the members who helped out with set up and breakdown of the club equipment. It really made things easy and helped to make the process go smoothly as well. The ninth race of the 2022 ERCU Pentair Championship Series is the Stan Sayres Memorial, presented by American SaniCan, set for Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, at Lake Sacajawea Park in Longview. Here is all you need to know to be prepared for the ninth event of the year.
Location Lake Sacajawea Park Closest address (for GPS) 1701 Nichols Blvd., Longview, WA Contest Directors Nelson Holmberg & Tom Markos Context At 48 years, the Stan Sayres Memorial is the "world's oldest and greatest RC Scale Unlimited Race". Started in 1974 by Roger Newton and Monte Steere, the race has been contested in Seattle Model Yacht Club and in RC Unlimiteds before finding itself a home in ERCU. The only year the race was not run was 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic caused half of the ERCU racing season to be canceled. Stanley “Stan” St. Claire Sayres (1896-1956) was a hydroplane racer who broke the world water speed record with his "Slo-mo-shun IV". Sayres was born in Dayton, Wash. in 1896, and studied at Whitman College in Walla Walla before entering the U.S. Army in 1917. After World War I, he ran his own car dealerships in Walla Walla and a second one in Pendleton, Ore. By 1931, when he moved to Seattle, he owned five car dealerships. Together with Harry Jensen he founded the successful company Jen-Cel-Lite, which made sleeping bags using cellulose for insulation. Harry's brother Tony owned Jensen Motor Boat Company, and this sparked the interest in motor boat racing Sayres would have for the rest of his life. What to Expect (All times approximate, and subject to change)
Pre-Registration Pre-Registration for the Stan Sayres Memorial is now open. To find the pre-registration form, navigate your web browser to https://www.ercu-hydros.com/stan-sayres-memorial.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, AUGUST 26. 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 “Stan Sayres Memorial” 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. 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 within 10 minutes of the conclusion of the drivers meeting. Drivers arriving after the drivers meeting will not be added to the event until the draw for the second flight of heats. Starting Clock A 1-minute 30-second clock will start as soon as all drivers are in the driving area and will not be stopped for any reason other than health or safety (including stubborn waterfowl). Please plan ahead for your upcoming heats, including getting your own spotter, and be ready when the chase boat comes back. A trailer boat shall not cross the start line less than five seconds after the start gun. Rookie drivers who have not yet earned 1,200 career points must start from the trailer position. Heat Draws Heat draws will be completed with the randomizer in our Excel workbook that’s used for scoring races. Every effort will be made to avoid preferred driver/spotter heat conflicts, but sometimes those cannot be avoided. The first heat draw will be conducted at approximately 9 a.m. and will be read verbally at the drivers meeting as a roll call. Succeeding heat draws will be conducted between flights. All heat draws will be printed and posted, and displayed on the TV screen, whenever possible. Race Officials
Stan Sayres Memorial 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 As of this writing, weather.com predicts sunny weather with a high of 83 degrees and 8 mph winds out of the west northwest. Covid Accommodations Following local, state and federal guidance, face coverings, social distancing and vaccination proof will not be required at ERCU events in 2022. Those who would like to take any precautions to their own comfort level are certainly welcome and encouraged to do so. ERCU reserves the right to change the Covid accommodations, in accordance with local, state or federal guidelines, should that need arise. ERCU will give as much notice as possible if changes are made. Restrooms This the “Pee for Free” Longview race! We’ll have a port-a-potty on site, provided by American SaniCan in exchange for their sponsorship of the event. Many thanks to American SaniCan for their support of ERCU and the Stan Sayres Memorial. 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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