Marine
Mercury Wins 24 Hours of Rouen;Powers Top Eight Finishers
OptiMax 200XS SST Race Outboards Dominate Class 2 Competition
FOND DU LAC, Wis., May 1, 2008 – For the 16th time in 17 years, Mercury Marine won the grueling 24 Hours of Rouen endurance powerboat race this morning in Rouen, France. The top eight finishers were powered by Mercury outboard engines.
Rouen tests both man and machine as boats run nonstop, with the exception of fuel stops and driver exchanges, for 24 hours. Mercury has powered more first-place finishers at Rouen than any other engine builder. Course conditions on the Seine River were extremely rough throughout the event.
Team Casino Forges Eaux, a Mercury S3000 race outboard-powered Moore hull, won the 45th running of the world's most demanding powerboat race. Pilots Philippe Masselin, Thierry Marchand, Jean Marie Guerra and Arnaud Gallard completed 798 laps for the win overall and first place finish in Class 3 competition. Team Casino Forges Eaux finished 44 laps ahead of Mercury S3000 race outboard powered Team Star Boat.
Mercury's OptiMax low-emissions – direct fuel injected 2-stroke technology dominated Class 2 competition. The low-emissions Mercury OptiMax 200XS SST race outboard-powered Quicksilver Boat Team, a DAC hull piloted by Pierre Charlot, Stephane Lemoine, Pierre Yves Huon and Jean-Beptiste Thomas completed 676 laps for a first-place finish in Class 2 competition and an astounding third overall! Mercury SST 120 race outboard powered CMN placed fourth overall (second in Class 2), 46 laps behind the low-emissions direct fuel injected 2-stroke OptiMax. Team Loutz, a Hulley boat powered by a low-emissions OptiMax 200XS race outboard, placed third in Class 2 competition (fifth overall). Carlos Goncalves, Olivier Rocquigny, Fr Xavier Lebleu and Guillaume Fouquet piloted V S I Racing, a Mercury S3000 race outboard powered Molinari hull, to a third place finish in Class 3 competition, sixth overall. Mercury OptiMax 200XS SST race outboard powered IXE Team placed fourth in Class 2, seventh overall. Mercury OptiMax 200XS SST race outboard Navikart rounded out the top five in Class 2 competition and Mercury's sweep of the top eight finishers.
Team RMSM BRP, a DAC hull powered by a low-emissions Evinrude E-Tec race outboard, finished ninth overall (fourth in Class 3 competition). The Class 3 Evinrude E-Tec completed 530 laps; 64-laps behind Navikart - powered by the smaller, less powerful Class 2 OptiMax 200XS SST race outboard and 268 laps behind race winners and fellow Class 3 competitor Team Casino Forges Eaux. The Mercury SST 120 race outboard powered Team Privilege rounded out the top 10 overall with 480 laps completed.
Results by Category:
Top 5 - Class 3
Team Casino Forges Eaux #08 (Mercury S3000-798 laps)
Team Star Boat #12 (Mercury S3000-754 laps)
V S I Racing #05 (Mercury S3000-618 laps)
Team RMSM BRP #02 (Evinrude E-Tec S3000-530 laps)
Drakkar Inshore #18 (Mercury S3000-382 laps)
Top 5 - Class 2
Quicksilver Boat Team #27 (Mercury OptiMax 200XS SST-676 laps)
C M N #37 (Mercury SST 120-630 laps)
Team Loutz #24 (Mercury OptiMax 200XS SST-626 laps)
IXE Team #23 (Mercury OptiMax 200XS SST-597 laps)
Navikart #32 (Mercury OptiMax 200XS SST-594 laps)
About Mercury Racing
Based in Fond du Lac, Wis., Mercury Racing, a division of Mercury Marine, is a leading provider of high-performance marine propulsion systems to discriminating boaters worldwide, offering an exciting and fulfilling powerboating experience on the water.
Using leading-edge technology, Mercury Racing produces high-performance outboards, sterndrives, propellers, parts and accessories.
Mercury Racing-powered boats worldwide win more races and set more records than any boats powered by other marine engine manufacturers.
Mercury Marine is a division of Brunswick Corp. (NYSE: BC), the world's largest manufacturer of recreational products, including pleasure boats, marine engines, fitness equipment, and bowling and billiards.
CONTACT: Rick Mackie
Mercury Racing
Senior Marketing Manager
Phone: 920-924-2032
FAX: 920-921-6533
E-mail: rmackie@mercmarine.com
