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A couple of racing veterans have expressed a strong interest in joining ERCU and are looking to purchase boats, so if you’ve got something either for sale, or something you’re willing to consider parting with, now might be a good time.
Greg Roth has reached out to ERCU directly and shared that he has visited all of the other clubs in the region and joining ERCU is his first choice. Thank you Greg! We look forward to welcoming you and racing with you. Greg is a veteran of NAMBA racing in District 8 and has mostly raced nitro boats. He’s been to several of our races, particularly at Marysville, and he knows how we operate. Greg is looking to purchase a classic or modern 1/10 scale boat, preferably ready to race or just needing electronics. Click here to contact Greg directly via email. Mike Walcker, a long-time veteran of RC Unlimiteds famous for his two Red Man boats (the 1973 Red Man and 1973 Red Man Too) is also seeking a competitive 1/10 scale set up and to join the club. He has available cash or 1/8 scale boats and equipment for trade. If anything comes available, Mike would appreciate the information. Click here to contact Mike directly via email, or call (509) 670-6038. The 2023 ERCU Board of Directors election is open and all members in good standing are encouraged to vote.
Every vote counts. The board election ballot for this year did go live on Saturday night, as promised, and club members have nominated nine fellow members to run for the 2023-24 ERCU Board of Directors in this year’s election. Seven of those nine accepted their nominations. Unfortunately, one of those seven - Chuck Murray - was not on the original ballot due to an email glitch that meant we did not receive the nomination. That issue was rectified and Chuck has been added to the ballot. With that, if there is any member who would like to change their vote and include Chuck in their ballot, a second ballot from that individual would be accepted. Ballots are being directly emailed to Jim McKeon, club treasurer, who will tally the votes and validate the election, which is due to be completed at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17 after the ERCU Gold Cup. Those members included on the 2023 ERCU board ballot are Rick Evans, David Heilbrunn, Nelson Holmberg, Ben Keller, Craig Mullen, Chuck Murray, and David Newton. Election winners will be announced shortly after the election is verified. Click here to vote in this year's ERCU Board of Directors election.  Two weeks ago, Paxton Reunanen shook his head after the 1/10 scale modern final and said, "man...it's hard to win the modern final."
On Saturday, he did just that. Reunanen posted his first-ever ERCU 1/10 scale modern final with his 2019 Graham Trucking American Dream. And he did it by chasing down four-time 2023 race winner Mike Hughes and his 1991 Winston Eagle. "Paxton really had it today, and I just didn't," Hughes said, after the final. Despite "not having it", Hughes did finish second in the 1/10 scale modern final, followed by Chuck Murray's 2000 Miss Elam Plus. Fourth place, despite a buoy penalty, went to Nelson Holmberg's 2023 Bucket List Racing. Briana Burdsall's 1988 Sutphen Spirit blew over in the backstretch on lap four and did not finish. But the day's success didn't stop there for Reunanen. In the next final, he capped a perfect day with his 1983 Miss Rock KISW by winning the 1/10 scale classic final. Second place went to David Newton, driving Chuck Murray's 1976 Olympia Beer and third was Jerry Dunlap in his 1986 Boat. Mick Shutt, driving his 1978 Miss Circus Circus finished fourth. DNFs in the 1/10 classic final went to Paul Dunlap in Rick Evans' 1973 Red Man Too, and to Bill Mowatt driving Evans' 1972 Notre Dame. Seventh scale classic and modern ran together, due to a low boat count, but Craig Mullen topped the field with Denise Sjostrom's 1974 Miss U.S. Nelson Holmberg took second on the water running his 2021 Graham Trucking, as the only modern boat, along with classics including the Miss U.S. and Mowatt driving Newton's 1970 Pride of Pay 'n Pak. Mowatt was third. Classics and moderns, while running together, were scored separately as has been the precedent this season, so the Graham Trucking was also awarded full points and a win. When it came to the 1/10 and 1/7 vintage heats, Newton put his foot down and wouldn't allow anyone to steal the show from him. Newton swept the two vintage finals on the day. In 1/10 scale vintage, Newton drove Kerry Kjos's 1960 Miss Thriftway to a race win, finishing just ahead of defending Sayres Memorial champ Reunanen - who drove his 1964 Coe-Z-Miss in the final. Third went to Mowatt, who had earlier won the connie and started as a trailer in the final with his 1968 Miss Bardahl. Fourth in the final was John Howell with his 1966 Savair's Mist. DNFs went to Paul Dunlap (1964 Miss Exide) and Chuck Murray (1955 Hawaii Kai). Newton also took the 1/7 vintage final, holding off chine-happy Mullen, driving John Sjostrom's 1960 Miss Thriftway and third was another Sayres Memorial defending champ - Dennis Caines with the 1968 Miss Eagle Electric.  For the first time this season, a single race produced six different winners in the six final heats.
It's just one indicator of good racing across the board at the 2023 Governor's Cup. The round of final heats started off a little messy with a collision in the right turn when the trailer boat - Nelson Holmberg's 2023 Bucket List Racing slid out and hit the 2011 DegreeMen driven by Jim Latimer, taking both boats out of the heat at the beginning of the third lap. After that, things calmed down and Mike Hughes recorded his fourth win of the season in 1/10 scale modern with his 1991 Winston Eagle. Second place went to Paxton Reunanen's 2019 Graham Trucking American Dream, while third was David Heilbrunn with the 2021 Goodman Real Estate. Briana Burdsall took fourth with her 1988 Sutphen Spirit. The Bucket List was disqualified as a result of the collison and the DegreeMen was awarded 169 points. Holmberg then went on to win the 1/7 scale modern with the 2021 Graham Trucking, while Heilbrunn was second with the 2021 Goodman Real Estate. The 1980 Pay 'n Pak, driven by Mike McIntosh, had a rough day and was unable to run in the final due to scoring zero points throughout the day. Reunanen won 1/10 scale classic with his 1983 KISW Miss Rock, while Rick Evans took second with the 1972 Notre Dame. Craig Mullen posted the win in 1/7 scale classic with Denise Sjostrom's 1974 Miss U.S. while Rob Edwards was second with his 1982 Gilmore Special. In 1/10 scale vintage, Chuck Murray posted his first-ever win with his new 1955 Hawaii Kai III. Second went to Reunanen with the 1970 Burien Lady. Bob Van den Akker finished off the day in perhaps the best race of the day, when he held off Dennis Caines to take the 1/7 scale vintage final. Van den Akker claimed his second win of the season with the 1962 $ Bill, while Caines' 1968 Eagle Electric continues to show consistency and improving speed, taking second.  The 10th race of the 2023 ERCU Pentair Championship Series is the Stan Sayres Memorial, presented by American SaniCan, set for Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, at Lake Sacajawea Park in Longview. Here is all you need to know to be prepared for the 10th event of the year.
Location Lake Sacajawea Park 1801 Nichols Blvd. Longview, WA 98632 Contest Directors Nelson Holmberg & Tom Markos Context At 49 years old, 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. Hydro Concours During the Stan Sayres Memorial, we’ll be holding a Hydro Concours, where boats will be on display for viewing and voting. Anyone (i.e. racers, guests, friends, spectators, passersby, etc.) can vote on their favorite boats if they would like to. Ballots will be provided to each pit table and members are welcome to encourage anyone with interest to vote for their favorite boat in the pits. A prize will be awarded to the winner at the awards presentation at the end of the day. 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 near the top of the page. Pre-registration will close at 11:59 p.m., Friday, Aug. 25. 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 “Stan Sayres Memorial” 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 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
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. 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 Stan Sayres Memorial is partly cloudy skies and 94 degrees with a 9 mph breeze out of the north-northwest and a 8 percent chance of rain. Restrooms A portable bathroom provided by 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. Since the majority of feedback about the 2022 ERCU Gold Cup as a two-day event was positive, we’re going to do it again.
While last year’s event was indeed a success, we still learned a few things that we think will help improve this year’s event. This year, setup is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16. We’ll then have an hour of open water, rather than two hours, and we’ll shorten the time trials to 90 minutes. If there’s a need for time trials to run a little bit longer, we can do that. Time trials are included in the Gold Cup rules in the rulebook, and they’ve been a part of ERCU since the club’s inception. In fact, in the early years of the club, boats were required to actually qualify for the Gold Cup. Time trials evolved from that when members said it should be optional, not required, for entry into the Gold Cup. Following time trials will be the Saturday drivers meeting, and the 2023 ERCU Gold Cup first flight of heats. We also hope to have a barbecue dinner in the park for fellowship among racers at the end of Saturday’s racing. If there are members/guests who would also like to bring swap meet items, we can also conduct that on Saturday evening. On Sunday, we’ll have a full day of racing. The day starts at 7 a.m. with all hands helping to re-set the pits and the club equipment. We’ll also have a brief period of open water, primarily for those who didn’t run on Saturday, but open to anyone. We’ll have another required drivers meeting on Sunday morning. Heat racing will dominate the rest of the day, followed by second connies, Ted Jones Memorials and finals for all divisions and classes. The club will provide lunch for members on Sunday only. 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. Club members may nominate another member, or themselves, to be added to the board ballot. Nominations will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26. Nominations can also be made in person at the Governor’s Cup in Marysville or the Stan Sayres Memorial in Longview. On Sunday, Aug. 27, an online ballot will be posted on the club’s website to select four to serve on the seven-person board. Those with expiring terms this year are Nelson Holmberg, Rick Evans, David Newton and Jerry Dunlap. If a member prefers a paper ballot, one may be requested during the ERCU Gold Cup on September 16-17 in Lacey, or by mail. Voting will close at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17, and the election results will be announced shortly thereafter.  The ninth race of the 2023 ERCU Pentair Championship Series is the Governor’s Cup, set for Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023, at Gissberg Twin Lakes Park in Marysville. Here is all you need to know to be prepared for the ninth event of the year.
Location Gissberg Twin Lakes Park 16324 Twin Lakes Ave., Marysville, WA 98271 Contest Director Ron Daum Context The Indiana Governor's Cup (more commonly known as the Madison Regatta) is an H1 Unlimited hydroplane boat race held annually on Independence Day weekend on the Ohio River in Madison, Indiana. Madison has hosted the Madison Regatta annually since 1951, although the race was also contested in the 1930s. The race inspired a Hollywood motion picture released in 2005, titled Madison which starred actor Mount Vernon, Wash., native Jim Caviezel. 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 Governor’s Cup is now open. To find the pre-registration form, navigate your web browser to https://www.ercu-hydros.com/governors-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, Aug. 11. 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 “Governor’s Cup” 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 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
Governor’s 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 forecast for the Governor’s Cup is partly cloudy skies and 78 degrees with a 9 mph breeze out of the west-northwest and a 14 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. |
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