Marine
Mercury Wins 24 Hours of Rouen; Powers Top 12 Finishers; OptiMax 200XS SST Race Outboard Wins Class 2
FOND DU LAC, Wis., May 1, 2007 – For the 15th time in 16 years, Mercury Marine won the grueling 24 Hours of Rouen endurance powerboat race this morning in Rouen, France. The top 12 finishers were powered by Mercury outboards.
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.
Team Vauban Humanis, a Mercury S3000 race outboard-powered Molinari hull, won the 44th running of the world's most demanding powerboat race. Team Vauban Humanis also won the Class 3 competition. Pilots Christophe Boyard, Xavier Savin and Cedric Deguisne completed 851 laps for the win. This was a record-tying fourth Rouen victory for lead driver Boyard, and a first for teammates Cedric Deguisne and Xavier Savin.
Team Vauban Humanis finished 21 laps ahead of fellow Mercury S3000 race outboard powered Team Dynamic Performance. Class 3 competitors Team Casino Forges Eaux and Drakkar Inshore #18 rounded out the top four overall with 822 and 816 laps completed, respectively.
The Mercury OptiMax 200XS SST race outboard powered Navikart, a Moore hull piloted by Sebastien Lemoine, Eric Doublet, Tony Bourdin and Franck Delambre, completed 760 laps for a first-place finish in Class 2 competition and fifth overall. Mercury SST 120 race outboard powered Team Caroline placed sixth overall (second in Class 2), 23 laps behind the low-emissions direct fuel injected 2-stroke OptiMax 200XS SST. OptiMax 200XS SST race outboard powered IXE Team rounded out third in Class 2 competition (seventh overall). Tech Motor Racing, a Moore hull powered by a Mercury S3000 race outboard, placed fifth in Class 3 competition (eighth overall). The boat, piloted by Marc Roig, Jean Pierre Bersoult, Jean Baptiste Thomas and Dominick Thomas, also set the fastest lap speed of 100.6 mph (161.854 kmh). Jerome Mezeray, Chryslain Le Roux, Dominique Lefevre and Baptiste Philippe piloted Drakkar Inshore #20, a Mercury OptiMax 200XS SST race outboard powered Moore hull, to a fourth place finish in Class 2 competition, ninth overall. Mercury SST 120 race outboard powered V I S Racing rounded out the top five in Class 2, 10th overall.
Mercury SST 120 and OptiMax 200XS SST race outboards powered the 11th and 12th finishers, respectively. Defending Rouen champion Team RMSM BRP, again powered by a low-emissions Evinrude E-Tec race outboard, finished 13th overall (sixth in Class 3 competition). The Class 3 Evinrude E-Tec finished 33-laps behind 12th place finisher Team Dailly Inshore Passion - powered by the smaller, less powerful Class 2 OptiMax 200XS SST race outboard. The Class 3 Evinrude E-Tec placed an astounding 332-laps behind race winners Team Vauban Humanis.
Results by Category:
Top 5 - Class 3
Team Vauban Humanis #11 (Mercury S3000-851 laps)
Team Dynamic Performance #06 (Mercury S3000-830 laps)
Team Casino Forges Eaux #08 (Mercury S3000-822 laps)
Drakkar Inshore #18 (Mercury S3000-816 laps)
Tech Motor Racing #16 (Mercury S3000-685 laps)
Top 5 - Class 2
Navikart #32 (Mercury OptiMax 200XS SST-760 laps)
Team Caroline #35 (Mercury SST 120-722 laps)
IXE Team #33 (Mercury OptiMax 200XS SST-714 laps)
Drakkar Inshore #20 (Mercury SST 120-640 laps)
V S I Racing #23 (Mercury SST 120-638 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
