ERCU Hydros Diamond cup

**KjosenOne** · 04-24-2018, 02:30 PM

Diamond Cup Recap:

Evans wins first Modern trophy; Kerry Kjos bests Vintage Field to win!
Sponsored by Offshore Electric

Longview, Washington – The second race of the 2018 ERCU season went off without a hitch as it was a beautiful, yet a little windy day at Lake Sacajawea. 14 boats entered the race which was presented by Offshore Electric’s. We are proud to have them as a presenting sponsor – four lucky winners received a $25 gift certificate for their entry into yesterday’s competition. Special Thanks to Paul Dunlap who spent the day retrieving dead boats and doing his Earth Day weekend duties by picking up a piece of garbage on the lake. Also, huge shout out to Nelson Holmberg who not only drove – but took amazing pictures throughout the day. You can see his pictures here: https://nelsonholmberg.smugmug.com/E...mond-Cup-2018/. We will post more of those on our website in the next few days. Many thanks to the spectators who showed up to support the sport, and thanks for an overall fantastic race.

In the Vintage Class, the first heat of the vintage went well even though the wind picked up as the Schweppes went first and then the Thriftway was second. The Notre Dame flipped on the third lap which made for the third-place boat to be the Miss US with Steven Taylor. The lake then turned into a mini ocean during the heat. All three boats started close before Gerry Bordon’s Parco O-Ring Miss marched to first. The Miss US and the Hawaii Kai were in close competition before the Miss US flipped in right turn. In the second round of vintage heats, it was a wild ride. The Thriftway and the Schweppes were neck and neck at the start. The Thriftway was overtaken by the Schweppes, but the Schweppes veered and dumped the Miss US 5. The Schweppes went dead on the white flag lap leaving the Thriftway to win and Steven Taylor’s Miss US 2 for 2nd. It was a quiet heat in 2B, with not as much exciting action as the previous heats. Gerry Bordon’s Parco repeated as a heat winner for a perfect day so far, followed by Jerry Dunlap in the Hawaii Kai and Rick Evans in the Notre Dame. We had a lot of spectators throughout the day and in the third heat, our spectators started to have a lot of fun. One kid stated” There’s a lot of good looking boats out here today. Can’t believe that boat won.” Gerry Bordon first place winner with the Parco, found that funny, followed by The 1969 Notre Dame and the Hawaii Kai. In the last heat of Vintage, the Schweppes swept the heat for a 1st Place Finish over a just as fast Miss Thriftway driven by Kerry Kjos. Steven Taylor’s Miss US 2 was in third before breaking on it’s owner in the left turn. Steven Taylor’s Miss US 2 survives a fight against the 1969 Notre Dame to secure a spot as a trailer in the Vintage Final. In the final, the fastest boats of the day competed for the glory of the Diamond Cup. It was a fast heat from the finish with the Thriftway, Schweppes and the Parco all in position. The Thriftway continued in first place throughout the heat keeping the Parco at bay. The Schweppes and the Miss US 2 both flipped which left the Hawaii Ka’i III to take 3rd. Congratulations Kerry!

In the Modern Class, fast boats and smart driving won the day. The Valken and the Miss Madison approached the start neck and neck followed by the Miss US as the Dalton Industries struggled to get on plane. The Madison and Dalton both DNF’d whole the Valken and Miss US went 1-2. In the next heat, it was a Taylor 1-2 sweep as ERCU Chairman Gabriel Kjos wanted some driving experience. The 2014 Spirit of Qatar driven by Steven Taylor bested Dad Len Taylor’s 2012 Qatar. Kjos took third. In 2A, it was a crazy start with all four boats at the beginning to make a great start to the heat. The Valken showed great speed pulling into first. The Dalton Industries was in a battle for second with the Spirit of Qatar before being over taken by the Miss US. The Spirit blew over in the left turn. The Miss US finished second and the Dalton finished 3rd. In 2B, Len Taylor scored his first heat win with the 2012 Qatar. He outdrove Gabriel Kjos’ Oh Boy! Oberto which had a rear stabilizer issue on the wing. Nelson Holmberg’s Miss Madison had a reverse speed control issue which prevented him from starting the heat. The drama continued in 3A since it was an amazing heat with very fast boats. Gerry Bordon and the Miss US won his first heat of the day in Modern followed by Nelson Holmberg’s Miss Madison. Gabriel Kjos and the Oberto came in third while Len Taylor’s Qatar did not finish the race due to a motor mount issue. For the last heat of the day, the Spirit of Qatar was in first place for the majority of the race before blowing over and making way for JimmeJames’ Valken to win the heat. The Dalton Industries was second to finish the heats for the day before the consolations and final heats. We did not run the Model Consolation due to a problem with the Spirit of Qatar which meant that Nelson Holmberg gained his spot into the Modern Final. In the final, Rick Evans and the Dalton Industries captured the imaginations of spectators and racers alike in Longview as he took home the Diamond Cup. Nelson Holmberg was the trailer and took home second while Gabriel Kjos took home third in the Diamond Cup. The Valken and the Miss US both sacrificed themselves for the glory of the Canadians Victory :)

- Gabriel Kjos, ERCU Board Chair and Contest Director

ERCU Hydros Diamond cup

ERCU Hydros Diamond cup

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