Mercury Racing Apex Series Competition Outboards at Wake the Lake
Racers and fans get a first look at new four-stroke competition outboards
Mercury Racing gave racers and race fans a preview of the future of closed-course powerboat racing with a display of the new Mercury Racing 200 APX and Mercury Racing 360 APX competition outboards at Wake the Lake, the 2021 APBA Outboard Performance Craft (OPC) National Championship. The event was held August 6-8 at Champions Park Lake in Springfield, Ohio.
The Mercury Racing 200 APX outboard was on display only, but veteran racer and multi-time tunnel boat champion Chris Fairchild gave the crowd a thrill with some hot laps in a DAC Formula One tunnel boat powered by the Mercury Racing 360 APX. Fairchild acted as a consultant and test driver to Mercury Racing during development of the both the 360 APX and the 200 APX outboards. The Mercury Racing 360 APX was recently approved for competition in the UIM F1H2O World Championship, the flagship international series of single-seater inshore circuit powerboat racing.
The Mercury Racing 200 APX outboard was designed to replace the Mercury Racing 200XS OptiMax and older two-stroke V6 outboards used in designed for UIM F2 and APBA OPC tunnel boat racing.
“Bringing the 200 APX and 360 APX outboards to the OPC Nationals gave racers, teams, and fans their first opportunity to see the new generation of four-stroke racing engines in person,” said Jeff Broman, Mercury Racing Director of Engineering. “Mercury Racing staff was on site to answer questions and explain the benefits of these new competition engines. The teams and Mercury discussed plans to test the new engine on their boats and how to integrate the 200 APX into future races.”
The Mercury Racing 360 APX and 200 APX feature modern four-stroke powerheads designed to replace previous-generation two-stroke competition engines. Both outboards offer racers a very durable powerhead and the latest in four-stroke engine technology, while reducing exhaust emissions by 90 percent compared to the two-stroke motors they are designed to replace.
The Mercury Racing 200 APX is the first V6 four-stroke outboard produced by Mercury Racing. The powerhead is based on the Mercury Marine 3.4-liter double overhead cam/four-valve powerhead with a 64 degree cylinder angle. The Mercury Racing 360 APX is based on a modified version of the Mercury Racing 300R 4.6-liter V8 powerhead. The engine is normally aspirated and retains its double overhead cam/four-valve architecture. Both outboards are designed to run on 91-octane (98 RON w/ E10 max) pump gasoline fuel, and to require minimal maintenance during the racing season.
Mercury Racing 200 APX and 360 APX outboards are available for order now by qualified racing teams.
