2016 XCAT season will be very special in many ways. I will continue the cooperation with Team Australia Powerboat Racing and Brett Luhrmann. The main change for us and the XCAT series will be new engines. The New Boss delivered from Mercury racing. Four stroke racing is the future and its about time to take away the very old construction V6 2,5 litre Mercury engines. Hopefully the new 400hp x 2 engines will provide the class with more fair, pure racing. More close racing and in the end cheaper to service and to run a team in the class. So.. who can waith for the new season?
Source Mercury:
The ROS features the 400R powerhead mounted on an all-new race midsection, featuring the competition proven Mercury Racing heavy-duty swivel clamp bracket assembly. A Sport Master gearcase transfers the ROS’s massive power to the water. And to ensure every revolution counts, Mercury Racing has developed an all-new line of CNC cleaver propellers specifically for the ROS.
By appearance alone – it is obvious this isn’t a production Verado. In fact – the similarities end at the powerhead. The AMS midsection is replaced with a billet aluminum housing. Mercury Racing developed the new midsection to lower the overall engine center of gravity. The 10-inch mid, coupled with the heavy-duty swivel clamp bracket assembly, brings the overall engine mounting height to 15 inches – matching the current 2.5 EFI configurations. The low CG, combined with solid upper and lower engine mounts, is critical for overall handling at competition speeds – particularly when powering the high perf XCAT catamarans into and out of corners.
The ROS also utilizes a remote dry sump system which holds 8L of Mercury Racing Four Stroke Oil, the same semi-synthetic 25W-50 oil used to lubricate and ensure long life in the high output QC4v sterndrive product line. A carbon fiber lower cowl conceals the transition of powerhead to midsection. The lower front cowl features dual rigging tubes, one each for fuel and electrical systems. To assist in the repower of the fleet, the ROS uses the same high pressure fuel pump, also mounted in the boat, as the existing 2-strokes.