RACE CIRCULAR: Seafair Trophy Race at Toledo, July 19

The eighth race of the 2025 ERCU Championship Series season is the annual Seafair Trophy Race, for Saturday, July 19 on Wallace Pond at South County Park in Toledo. Here is all you need to know to be prepared for the eighth event of the year.
 
LOCATION
Wallace Pond, South County Park
212 Ray Road
Toledo, WA 98591
 
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 74 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 Contest Director David Heilbrunn at Wallace Pond at South County Park on Saturday, July 19.
 
WHAT TO EXPECT
(All times approximate, and subject to change)

• Racecourse will be set between 7:30-8 a.m.
• Practice water and on-site registration 8-9 a.m.
• Mandatory drivers meeting 9:05-9:20 a.m.
• Racing begins at approximately 9:30 a.m. (maximum of 10 minutes after drivers meeting)
• Three flights of heats for each division (1/10 and 1/7)
• First and second consolations (depending on boat count and attrition)
  • First connie winner is trailer in the final
  • First connie second place is alternate for the final
  • Second connie winner starts on the front line in first connie
• Winner-take-all final heats will be run for each class
• One minute-30 second start clock for all racing
• A 30-minute lunch break will be held after the second flight of heats is complete. Members should provide their own food and drinks.
• Awards will be presented following the conclusion of the final heat of racing. Please stick around for the awards presentation and celebrate your fellow racers.

 
PRE-REGISTRATION
Pre-Registration for the Seafair Trophy Race is now open. To find the pre-registration form, click here to find the pre-registration link in a blue box just under the race site map. Pre-registration will close at 10 p.m., Friday, July 18. After that deadline, please register in person on site before 8:30 a.m.
 
You can also find pre-registration by selecting “Schedule” from the main menu, and “Seafair Trophy Race” from the schedule itself.

The first five members who pre-register for the Seafair Trophy Race will take home a free five-pound bag of DCR Coffee!
 
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

• Contest Director: David Heilbrunn
• Chief Referee 1/10 Modern & 1/7 Modern/Classic: Jerry & Paul Dunlap
• Chief Referee 1/10 Classic: David Heilbrunn
• Chief Referee 1/10 Vintage: John & Denise Sjostrom
• Chief Referee 1/7 Vintage: Carl Lewis
• Drivers Representative: Dennis Caines
• Turn Judges: First and second place finishers will judge the next heat

 
SEAFAIR TROPHY RACE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS

• 1/10 Scale Modern: Paxton Reunanen, 2019 Graham Trucking
• 1/10 Scale Classic: Paxton Reunanen, 1983 KISW Miss Rock
• 1/10 Scale Vintage: Paxton Reunanen, & Kerry Kjos, 1960 Thriftway
• 1/7 Scale Modern/Classic: David Heilbrunn, 2021 Goodman Real Estate
• 1/7 Scale Vintage: Paxton Reunanen & Chuck Murray, 1976 Vagabond

 
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 boat. Second place in first connie is alternate in the final.
  • Boats 11-15 in cumulative event points qualify for the second connie.
    Second connie winner advances to the first connie as a front starter.
• Final heat with top five boats in each class, plus the connie winner as a trailer starter.
• Flight Schedule
  • 1/10 scale modern
  • 1/7 scale modern/classic
  • 1/10 scale classic
  • 1/10 scale vintage
  • 1/7 scale vintage

 
POST-RACE CLEAN UP 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 Seafair Trophy Race is sunny skies and 83 degrees with a light breeze 5-10 mph out of the south-southwest and a less than 5 percent chance of rain.
 
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.