RACE CIRCULAR: Presidents Cup up next, in Ellensburg

The third race of the ERCU 2025 Championship Series is the President’s Cup, set for Saturday, May 3, 2025, at Irene Rinehart Park in Ellensburg. Here is all you need to know to be prepared for the third event of the year.
 
LOCATION
Irene Reinhardt Park, 1081 Umptanum Road, Ellensburg, WA 98926
 
CONTEXT
The President’s Cup was contested by unlimited hydroplanes between 1926 and 1977, with time out for World War II (1941-1945). After 1977, the Presidents Cup became a limited event for several years.
 
A man named William A. Rogers is the “father” of the Presidents Cup Regatta. Rogers convinced his fellow Corinthian Yacht Club members to host the race and persuaded President Calvin Coolidge to sponsor the trophy.
 
Most of the Presidents Cup races were contested on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., adjacent to Hains Point, except for a few pre-war races that were run in Annapolis, Md.
 
The first-place trophy was traditionally presented to the winner by the nation’s chief executive. The president that demonstrated the keenest interest in the race was undoubtedly Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose love for aquatics is well known. FDR watched the 1938 race from the deck of the presidential yacht Potomac. Mr. Roosevelt was so thrilled by the close finish in the last heat that he sent for the drivers of the first and second-place boats (Theo Rossi of Alagi and George Seay of Miss Manteo II) so that he could congratulate them in person for their good sportsmanship and excellent driving.
 
The original winner of the Presidents Cup was L. Gordon Hammersley in his $60,000 duraluminum Cigarette IV. The winning speed was around 55 miles per hour.
 
Please join ERCU at Irene Rhinehardt Park in Ellensburg on Saturday May 3 and relive those golden days of yesteryear if only in 1/10 & 1/7 scale.
 
REGISTRATION
Pre-Registration for the Presidents Cup at Irene Reinhardt Park is now open. To find the pre-registration form, navigate your web browser to www.ercu-hydros.com/presidents-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, May 2, 2025. After that deadline, please register in person on site before 8:30 a.m.
 
RACE OFFICIALS

• Contest Director: Paxton Reunanen
• Chief Referee (modern): TBA
• Chief Referee (classic): TBA
• Chief Referee (vintage): TBA
• Drivers Representative: TBA
• Turn Judges: First and second place finishers from the previous heat will turn judge next heat

 
WHAT TO EXPECT
(All times approximate, and subject to change)

• Race course will be set between 7:30-8 a.m.
• Practice water and on-site registration 8-9 a.m.
• Mandatory drivers meeting 9:05-9:30 a.m.
• Racing begins 9:40 a.m. (or maximum of 10 minutes after completion of drivers meeting)
• One minute-30 second start clock will be used for all racing.
• A 20-to-30-minute lunch break will be held, exact time TBD. Participants should plan to provide their own lunch.

 


RACE FORMAT

• Three preliminary heats of five laps each for vintage, classic and modern classes.
• First and second consolation for both divisions and all classes (depending on boat count and attrition).
• Second connie winner advances to first connie as a trailer. First connie winner advances to the final as a trailer.

• Second place boat in the first connie is an alternate for the final.
• Winner-take-all championship finals for vintage, classic and modern.

 
FLIGHT SCHEDULE

• 1/10 scale modern
• 1/7 scale modern/classic
• 1/10 scale classic
• 1/10 scale vintage
• 1/7 scale vintage

 
HEAT DRAWS
Heat draws will be completed just prior to the drivers meeting. 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. No re-draws of heats will be done.
 
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.
 
RACE DAY MORNING
It will be our intent to have the course open by 8 a.m. so that testing can commence once boats are registered for the event. Boat owners should prepare to have time for inspections and to be ready to race. The water will be open for testing until approximately 9:30 a.m.
 
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 time trials. 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.
 
2024 PRESIDENTS CUP RESULTS

• 1/10 Scale Modern/Classic: Mike Hughes, 1991 Winston Eagle
• 1/7 Scale Modern/Classic Mike McIntosh, 20223 Beacon Plumbing
• 1/10 Scale Vintage: Paul Dunlap, 1964 Miss Exide
• 1/7 Scale Vintage: Mike McIntosh, 1982 Island Securities

 
INSPECTIONS
In 2025, all boats will be inspected before the first race they run at. We ask that you print out the Hull Inspection Form and complete the member information at the top of page one prior to arriving at the race site. Please also remember to bring a photo of the real boat (a photo on your phone or tablet is acceptable) that your boat.
 
VISITING DRIVERS
ERCU welcomes new members to the club and visiting racers from other clubs. Rookie driver testing will be offered during the open water period as needed. The course will be closed for rookie driver tests. Visiting racers may not take home an ERCU perpetual trophy, in the event they win the race.
 
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, 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
There will be a portable toilet delivered on site specifically for our event.
 
ELECTRICITY
There is no access to electricity in the pits. It would be wise to bring a generator or other power source if you will need to charge batteries during the day.