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Stan Sayres Memorial, presented by American Sani-Can

Lake Sacajawea Park
Longview, Wash.
Date
Saturday, August 26, 2023

  • EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

At 49 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.

This year's race will be a renewal to ERCU as the event will be run at Lake Sacajawea Park in Longview.

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Many thanks to American Sani-Can of Portland for their support of the ERCU Stan Sayres Memorial in 2022. American Sani-Can will support us by providing a portable toilet for the day at no cost.

We deeply appreciate working with American Sani-Can and hope you'll think of them when you have needs for portable toilets in the future.

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Stanley 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 Wall 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.

From 1937 on, he owned a series of successful hydroplane racing boats called Slo-mo-shun I to V. The first ones were bought in 1937 and 1942 from Jack Cooper; the Slo-mo-shun II had with its previous owner and under its previous name Topps III set a world record for its class (225-class boats) at 87.48 mph. The 1947 Slo-mo-shun III was the first boat specially ordered by Sayres, again in the 225 class. It marked the start of the collaboration between Sayres, designer Ted Jones, and builder Anchor Jensen (son of Tony). The Slo-mo-shun IV was built between 1948 and October 1949, the Slo-mo-shun V in 1951. It was the last boat he built.

Usually, he let others drive the boats, but in 1950 he piloted the Slo-mo-shun IV to the World Unlimited water speed record. Malcolm Campbell had set the record in 1939 to 141.740 mph (228.108 km/h) with his Blue Bird K4. On June 26, 1950, Sayres broke that record when he reached 160.323 mph (258.015 km/h). He again improved this record on 7 July 1952 to 178.49 mph (287.25 km/h). This record stood until July 1955 when Donald Campbell, son of the former record holder, reached 202.32 mph (325.60 km/h) in Bluebird K7.

In the early 1950s, his two boats Slo-mo-shun IV and Slo-mo-shun V (with various captains including Ted Jones) were the six-time winners of the APBA Gold Cup, the most important hydroplane race in the United States. The IV also won the Harmsworth Cup in 1950, making it the only boat to win the two most important trophies and set the world speed record in one year.

Sayres died of a heart attack in 1956. The Stan Sayres Memorial Park (i.e. Stan Sayres Pits) in Seattle is named after him.


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Race Format
  • LOVE PLAN: Three flights of preliminary heats, five laps each. Connies and winner-take-all finals.
  • First and second connies for each class (depending on total boat count and attrition).
    • Boats 6-10 in cumulative event points qualify for the first connie.
    • First connie winner advances to the final as a trailer starter. Second place in first connie is alternate in the final.
  • Final heat with top five boats in each class, plus the connie winner as a trailer starter.
  • Flight Schedule
    • 1/10 & 1/7 scale modern
    • 1/10 & 1/7 scale classic
    • 1/10 & 1/7 scale vintage
  • Final heat of the day will feature a 1/7-scale class

2022 Race Results
1/10 Scale Modern Class
  1. Mike Hughes, 1991 Winston Eagle
  2. David Heilbrunn, 2021 Goodman Real Estate
  3. Nelson Holmberg, 2012 Miss Red Dot
  4. Chuck Murray, 2000 Miss Elam ^
      DNF Paxton Reunanen, 2019 Miss Homestreet Bank
      DNF David Newton, 2012 Peters & May

1/10 Scale Classic Class
  1. David Newton, 1979 Squire Shop (Owner: Paxton Reunanen)
  2. Paxton Reunanen, 1983 KISW Miss Rock ^
  3. Jason Walters, 1982 Miss Prodelco
  4. Jim Latimer, 1985 U-33
      DNF Ron Cole, 1972 Pay 'n Pak
      DNF Chuck Murray, 1983 Miss Houston

1/10 Scale Vintage Class
  1. Paxton Reunanen, 1963 Coe-Z Miss
  2. David Newton, 1960 Miss Thriftway (Owner: Kerry Kjos)
  3. Bill Mowatt, 1968 Miss Bardahl
  4. Rick Evans, 1962 Dewey's Lumberville (Owner: John Earnest) ^
  5. John Howell, 1966 Savair's Mist
  6. John Earnest, 1962 Gale V

1/7 Scale Modern Class
  1. David Heilbrunn, 2021 Goodman Real Estate
      DNS Nelson Holmberg, 2021 Graham Trucking

1/7 Scale Vintage Class
  1. Dennis Caines, 1969 Eagle Electric
       DNS Chuck Murray, 1960 Miss Spokane
^ – started final as a trailer boat
* – backup driver for the final


Stan Sayres Memorial All-Time Results
1/10 Vintage Class Race Winners
2003 — 1957 Maverick. Owner/Driver: David Newton.
Location: Bellevue Downtown Park, Bellevue
2004 — 1957 Maverick. Owner/Driver: David Newton.
Location: Bellevue Downtown Park, Bellevue
2005 — 1957 Hawaii Ka’i III. Owner/Driver: Roger Newton.
Location: Bellevue Downtown Park, Bellevue
2006 — 1970 Pay ‘n Pak’s Lil’ Buzzard. Owner/Driver: Jeff Campbell.
Location: Bellevue Downtown Park, Bellevue
2007 — 1969 Pride of Pay ‘n Pak Outrigger. Owner/Driver: Jeff Campbell.
Location: Cherokee Bay,Maple Valley
2008 — 1969 Pride of Pay ‘n Pak Outrigger. Owner/Driver: Jeff Campbell.
Location: Cherokee Bay, Maple Valley
2009 — 1963 Notre Dame. Owner/Driver: Bob Vanden Akker.
Location: Cherokee Bay, Maple Valley
2010 — 1972 Miss Timex. Driver: Mike McIntosh. Owner: Jason Hartley.
Location: Cherokee Bay, Maple Valley
2011 — 1971 Hallmark Homes. Owner/Driver: Bill Smiley.
Location: Bellevue Downtown Park, Bellevue
2012 – 1971 Hallmark Homes. Owner/Driver: Bill Smiley.
Location: Juanita Beach Park, Kirkland
2013 – No race due to bad water conditions
2014 – 1960 Miss Thriftway. Owner: Kerry Kjos. Driver: David Newton.
Location: Twin Lakes Park, Marysville
2015 – 1975 Miss Vernors. Owner/Driver: Robert Roberts.
Location: Twin Lakes Park, Marysville
2016 – 1960 Miss Thriftway. Owner: Kerry Kjos. Driver: David Newton
Location: Twin Lakes Park, Marysville
2017 – 1970 Parco's O-Ring Miss. Owner/Driver: Gerry Bordon
Location: Twin Lakes Park, Marysville
2018 – 1957 Miss U.S. 1. Owner/Driver: Steven Taylor
Location: Twin Lakes Park, Marysville
2019 – 1969 Miss Schweppes. Owner/Driver: JimmeJames Cusworth
Location: Twin Lakes Park, Marysville
2020 - Canceled due to Covid-19 Pandemic
2021 - 1960 Miss Thriftway. Owner: Kerry Kjos. Driver: Paxton Reunanen
Location: Lake Sacajawea Park, Longview
2022 - 1963 Coe-Z Miss. Owner/Driver: Paxton Reunanen
Location: Lake Sacajawea Park, Longview

1/10 Classic Class Race Winners
2021 - 1983 Miss Houston. Owner/Driver: Chuck Murray
Location: Lake Sacajawea Park, Longview
2022 - 1979 Squire Shop. Driver: David Newton. Owner: Paxton Reunanen
Location: Lake Sacajawea Park, Longview

1/10 Modern Class Race Winners
2003 — 1973 Pay ‘n Pak. Owner/Driver: John Williams.
Location: Bellevue Downtown Park, Bellevue
2004 — No race for modern class
2005 — 1974 Country Boy. Owner/Driver: Mike Campbell.
Location: Bellevue Downtown Park, Bellevue
2006 — 1972 Notre Dame. Owner/Driver: Mike Campbell.
Location: Bellevue Downtown Park, Bellevue
2007 — 1974 Country Boy. Owner/Driver: Mike Campbell.
Location: Cherokee Bay, Maple Valley
2008 — 1978 Miss Circus Circus. Owner/Driver: Mike Gossler.
Location: Cherokee Bay, Maple Valley
2009 – 1982 Executone. Own er/Driver: Mike Campbell.
Location: Cherokee Bay, Maple Valley
2010 — 1982 Executone. Owner/Driver: Mike Campbell.
Location: Cherokee Bay, Maple Valley
2011 — 1977 Charlie’s Girl. Owner/Driver: Bill Smiley.
Location: Bellevue Downtown Park, Bellevue
2012 — 1999 Miss Madison. Owner/Driver: Ron Forister.
Location: Juanita Beach Park, Kirkland
2013 — No race due to bad water conditions
2014 — 1999 Miss Madison. Owner/Driver: Ron Forister.
Location: Twin Lakes Park, Marysville
2015 — 2011 Valken. Owner/Driver: JimmeJames Cusworth.
Location: Twin Lakes Park, Marysville
2016 – 2014 Graham Trucking. Owner/Driver: David Newton.
Location: Twin Lakes Park, Marysville
2017 – 1938 Miss Houston. Owner/Driver: Chuck Murray
Location: Twin Lakes Park, Marysville
2018 – 2011 Oh Boy! Oberto. Driver: Gabriel Kjos. Owner: Dead Guy Racing
Location: Twin Lakes Park, Marysville
2019 – 2011 Valken. Owner/Driver: JimmeJames Cusworth
Location: Twin Lakes Park, Marysville
2020 - Canceled due to Covid-19 Pandemic
2021 - 2015 Dalton Industries. Owner: Rick Evans. Driver: Paul Dunlap
Location: Lake Sacajawea Park, Longview
2022 - 1991 Winston Eagle. Owner/Driver: Mike Hughes
Location: Lake Sacajawea Park, Longview

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