Rouen history just a "Day at the Races" for Mercury


 

• OptiMax in 24 hour endurance race proves reliability of low-emissions technology.
• Mercury Racing intros OptiMax performance outboard
• "Low-E" class lean on challengers

Fond du Lac, WI, USA --What "Le Mans" means to auto racing fans, "Rouen" is to the powerboat crowd. And on Saturday, May 1, 1999, the treacherous River Seine will test driver and machine for the 36th year during the legendary French endurance competition, "24 Hours of Rouen."

For the second time in as many years, Mercury Racing will be making Rouen history in the "Low-Emissions" racing class. This time, with the OptiMax 200 XS, the first performance outboard with Mercury?s revolutionary direct injection technology that provides unmatched fuel efficiency and exceeds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air quality standards for 2006.

In 1997, stock 200 horsepower OptiMax-powered race teams made history at Rouen, finishing 4th & 5th, ahead of the entire field of competitive race engines, and behind only Mercury Racing S3000 outboards. Mercury Racing remains the only low-emissions outboard manufacturer to meet the challenge of running -- and finishing -- at Rouen.

To call Rouen "grueling" is an exercise in understatement. For 24-hours drivers must battle atypical race conditions on a course that features any manner of debris, including the occasional railroad tie. Then there is the matter of racing at speeds in excess of 100 mph...in the dark. Both driver and machine must be made of something extra. For many, Rouen isn't about winning so much as it is about finishing the race. But Mercury Racing believes if you're going to finish the race, you may as well finish ahead of everyone else.

In 1997, Rouen proved OptiMax technology capable of doing both. 1999 will show OptiMax capable of working in the hotter, faster environment of a high-performance engine.

Mercury has powered more first-place finishers at Rouen than any other engine builder, typically dominating the top ten positions. Throughout its 60-year history, Mercury has used the racecourses of the world as its technical proving ground, years before the many industry-leading features found on stock Mercury outboards were in the hands of boaters.

It wasn't until 1968 that a Mercury-powered team finished the race first, but it's happened 12 times since then, including the last seven years (another racing first, by the way).

Mercury will continue to make history at Rouen and other races, proving its technology in the toughest conditions. Because Mercury Racing believes the race never stops.

You may keep up to the minute with information about this years race at Rouen by visiting the Mercury Marine web site on May 1st.

A team of three drivers trade off in 2-hour shifts. In addition to individual class champions, the over all champion is the team with the most laps.  

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