Upon the heels of the Verado 400R outboard is its sibling, the Mercury Racing ROS (Race Offshore), dubbed by the Company the “sinister relative”. This 4-stroke racer makes its debut at the Dubai Grand Prix of the 2015 XCAT World Series. XCAT has partnered with Mercury Racing in the development of the engine that will replace the existing fleet of Mercury Racing 2-stroke 2.5L EFI race outboards.
Mercury Racing General Manager Erik Christiansen said, “We are very excited to launch our new Race Offshore competition outboard. The venerable 2.5 EFI 2-stroke Mercury’s have been a mainstay for many years and is still a solid product. The ROS builds on that foundation while using the four stroke technology today’s market demands.”
“We worked with the WPPA (XCAT promoters) to develop a strong, reliable engine that meets the new U.A.E. exhaust emissions requirements. The ROS will be homologated into the Union Internationale Motonautique technical specifications for XCAT. Next season will be a transitional year with the entire XCAT field switching to the ROS four-strokes for 2017. I’m looking forward to seeing our new engine compete next weekend in Dubai”.
The ROS features the 400R powerhead mounted on a new race midsection, featuring the Mercury Racing heavy-duty swivel clamp bracket assembly. A Sport Master gearcase transfers the power to the water. Mercury Racing has also developed a new line of CNC cleaver propellers specifically for the ROS.
The similarities with Verados end at the powerhead: the AMS midsection is replaced with a custom billet aluminum housing. Mercury Racing developed the new midsection to lower the overall engine center of gravity. The low CG, combined with solid upper and lower engine mounts, is critical for overall handling at competition speeds, particularly when powering the XCAT catamarans into and out of corners.
The ROS brings another innovation in XCAT, with Mercury Digital Throttle & Shift (DTS).
DTS replaces traditional throttle and shift cables with digital impulses, resulting in smoother shifting and instant throttle response. The Mercury Racing ROS features the XCAT World Series logo and color-matched orange accent graphics.
With the ROS comes a new line of five and six blade CNC Cleaver propellers, developed specifically for surface applications such as those endured in offshore powerboat racing. The props are rated for 400 HP and are available with blade rake angles of 13, 15, 18 or 21 degrees. A variety of pitch sizes are available to dial-in each hull for maximum efficiency and performance.
