 The 10th race of the 2024 ERCU Pentair Championship Series is the Detroit Memorial Regatta, set for Saturday, August 24, at the Bill Mowatt Memorial Race Course in Woodland Creek Park, Lacey. Here is everything you need to know to get prepared for the 10th event of the year.
Location Bill Mowatt Race Course at Woodland Creek Park 6729 Pacific Ave SE Lacey, WA 98503 Contest Directors Jerry Dunlap & Paul Dunlap 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 including Bill Mowatt, Craig Bradshaw and Ben Keller 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. What to Expect (All times approximate, and subject to change)
o First connie second place is alternate for the final o Second connie winner starts on the front line in first connie
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-payment of entry fees is not available for this race, so please bring payment with you to the race site. Pre-registration will close at 11:59 p.m., Friday, August 23. 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 practice/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 at 9:15 a.m. 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
o First connie winner advances to the final as a trailer boat. o Second place in first connie is alternate in the final. o Boats 11-15 in cumulative event points qualify for the second connie. o Second connie winner advances to the first connie as a front starter.
o 1/7 scale, modern/classic combined o 1/10 scale classic o 1/10 scale vintage o 1/67 scale vintage 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. Restrooms Restrooms are available at the Bill Mowatt Memorial Race Course. 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.   Bill Mowatt, a two-time ERCU Gold Cup champion and ERCU Hall of Fame inductee, lost his battle with cancer on Monday, Aug. 12.
Bill courageously fought an aggressive cancer, that took over his body, throughout the summer of 2024 and made it to the race course when he could -- both races at Waughop Lake. He also had a couple of opportunities to go to the lake with Jerry Dunlap and test his new boat. Mowatt will long be remembered as the most positive and one of the biggest personalities in the club's history. His ever-present smile lit up pit areas from Marysville to Longview and he created lasting memories with everyone in ERCU. Mowatt started in ERCU as a "hired gun" driving Rick Evans' 1968 Miss Bardahl -- the "Checkerboard Comet" -- which he eventually was able to talk Evans into selling him. A big fan of the Miss Bardahl, and in particular the yellow and black checkerboard livery, he worked so hard for many years to make his boat a winner. While the 1/10 scale Miss Bardahl was a consistent up-front runner, Bill often battled the "curse of the Karelsen hull", which is flighty and likes to blow over at "just the wrong moments". But the Mowatt smile was never brighter than Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 when he posted his first-ever race win with his Bardahl. That was the Atomic Cup in Elma. Bill also had the opportunity to serve as a "hired gun" when David Newton selected him to drive the 1970 Pride of Pay 'n Pak Hemi in the 1/7 scale classic class at the 2023 ERCU Gold Cup. Mowatt, of course, won the Gold Cup with David's boat that day. But it wasn't the first time. One year earlier, Bill drove John & Denise Sjostrom's 1990 Oh Boy! Oberto to the championship of the 2022 ERCU Gold Cup in the 1/7 scale modern class. It was Bill's first-ever ERCU race win, his own first Gold Cup, and the first Gold Cup for the Sjostroms. He was thrilled. Bill even had so much fun racing the borrowed 1/7 scale boats that he built his own. From scratch. He was proud of the collaborative work he did with Mike Hughes to put together a piece of art that turned out to be the 1968 Miss Bardahl -- just a bigger version of the little boat he had so much appreciation for. Never one to give up, Bill completed the 1/7 scale Bardahl build just a week before his passing. Off the race course, Bill loved ERCU. He served on the club's board of directors for two terms. He towed, stored, maintained, packed (and re-packed) the club's equipment trailer, he arranged for the purchase of the club's new chase boat, and turned the 20-year old Livingston into a planter garden on his property in Eatonville to help be sure it was properly disposed of. He championed and defended the club as if it were a member of his family. He loved ERCU. That love primarily came in the form of the friendships he formed in the club. For Bill, race day was more about time spent with people he loved. People with whom he had racing in common with. And people with whom he shared a love of unlimited hydroplane racing. Bill is already missed. ERCU's Board of Directors has already voted to name the race course at Woodland Creek Park in his honor. Beginning with the upcoming ERCU Detroit Memorial Regatta and going forward, the Lacey race course will be known as the Bill Mowatt Memorial Race Course for all ERCU events. Already, too, some individual members are planning personal remembrances to our friend Bill Mowatt. God speed, Bill. Race in peace.  (copyright Dennis Caines, 2023) Reunanen, Reunanen, Reunanen, Reunanen.
Heilbrunn. Four Reunanens would be a good hand in poker: But they’re a great day in scale RC hydroplane racing. Paxton Reunanen nearly ran the table to collect all five of the 2024 Seafair Trophy Race first place trophies. David Heilbrunn played spoiler and foiled Reunanen’s attempt at the five-for-five sweep by topping him in the 1/7 modern/classic combined class. ERCU gathered Saturday, Aug. 10 at Woodland Creek Park in Lacey for the 26th running of the ERCU Seafair Trophy Race. Seventeen teams brought 27 boats and all were lined up, charged up and ready to contend for the five individual Seafair titles at stake. The 1/10 scale modern class kicked off the day and included the 2024 season debut of Chuck Murray’s freshly painted 2000 Miss Elam. Elam got off to a slow start with a DNS in round one and a DNF in the second. Murray shook off the boat’s cobwebs though and got his feet under him for the third heat and the final, finishing a close second in each. Reunanen, however, was once again the class of the field with no one able to solve the puzzle and top him and his 2019 Graham Trucking American Dream, which won all four heats for a perfect day. Heilbrunn made a run at Reunanen and had his attention but in the end, Heilbrunn rolled the Dalton over the Graham’s wake in the final putting a fork in the most significant competition Reunanen faced in the 1/10 modern class all day. The 1/10 scale classic class saw five boats in the pits ready to race for Seafair supremacy. The first heat witnessed Murray’s 1976 Olympia Beer spin out in the first turn with two boats, Reunanen’s 1983 Miss Rock KISW and Rick Evans’ 1972 Notre Dame unable to avoid the spin resulting in a three-boat collision. The Notre Dame was unable to return and was scratched for the day while the KISW team took care of business, reloaded and came back to sweep heat two, heat three and the winner take all final. ERCU rookie of the year candidate Mike Walcker and his 1973 Red Man Too gave the Rock everything they could but as hard as Walcker tried, the Rock was just too much and Red Man finished second in all four heats tallying 1,200 points on the day. Walcker – a retired Washington State Patrol trooper –also was the chief referee (first time) for all the vintage class heats on the day and did a very good job. Our 1/10 scale vintage class had five boats on hand to start the day. First heat was a preview of the how the day in this class would go as Reunanen piloted Kerry Kjos’s 1960 Miss Thriftway to a win in the first heat and every heat following that including the final and posting a four-for-four day. Closest competition was provided by Heilbrunn’s 1964 Blue Chip – the defending Seafair vintage class champion. Blue Chip gave Reunanen a run in the final heat and was leading the field screaming down the backstretch when he blew up the mid-course buoy ending his quest to repeat and relinquishing that crown to the Reunanen/Kjos team. Paul Dunlap who must have made no less than 20 trips in the chase boat on the day was able to focus nonetheless on his driving and took second place in the 1964 Miss Exide, with Evans and the 1960 Thriftway Too in third. 1/7 modern/classic combined also was a five-boat field and started off with a bang in the first heat as the Goodman Real Estate picked up a DQ on a lane infraction resulting in the roll-over of the Craig Mullen-driven Miss U.S. John Sjostrom was debuting his brand new 1992 Winston Eagle and won its first heat ever by topping the field in heat one. Jim McKeon took second in the opening round with his 1980 Budweiser. Mullen would dry everything out and come back in heat two for a victory picking up 400 points. Mullen then passed the baton to Reunanen who was to drive the Miss U.S. in the third heat and the final. Heat three didn’t pan out as planned with Reunanen and the Miss U.S. picking up a DNF. The final featured four of the original five and was a good race with a spin out but no boats over and all finished. Heilbrunn took advantage of a bobble by Reunanen and drove the Goodman Real Estate to the winner’s circle with Reunanen taking second, McKeon third and John Sjostrom fourth. Finally, the 1/7 vintage class had seven boats in the pits to begin the day’s competition. Dennis Caines took the opening heat followed by John Sjostrom’s Thriftway and McKeon’s Maverick. Heat 1B saw Bob Van den Akker top Reunanen for the heat’s 400 and a chicken dinner. A chicken dinner was in order, and coveted, for one of the very few times this day that Reunanen would be stopped. Van den Akker would go on to pilot his 1962 $ Bill to another victory in the second heat before suffering a DNF in the third but showed up for the final and a second-place finish in the final. Rob Edwards and his 1969 Pay ‘n Pak quietly posted 1,150 points on the day and stood proudly in the third-place position on the 1/7 vintage podium. Next up for ERCU is race number 10 of the 12 race season returning to Woodland Creek Park for the Detroit Memorial Regatta on August 24. ERCU will be celebrating and remembering the lives of fallen members Craig Bradshaw, Doug Brow and Ben Keller. Pre-registration is open now by clicking here.  The ninth race of the 2024 ERCU Pentair Championship Series is the Seafair Trophy Race, set for Saturday, August 10 at Woodland Creek Community Park in Lacey. Here is all you need to know to get prepared.
Location Woodland Creek Park Lacey 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 75 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 your fellow ERCU members for 2024 race # eight at Woodland Creek Park in Lacey on Saturday, August 10 and relive those golden days of yesteryear if only in 1/10 and 1/7 scale form. 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. Pre-registration will close at 10 p.m., Friday, August 9th. 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 “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 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 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. 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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