Mercury Racing has furthered its commitment to the Formula 1 Powerboat Championship with the launch of the all-new APX 250 competition outboard.
The industry leader in outboard development launched the APX 200 in 2021, followed by the smaller APX 60 earlier this year for tunnel hull racing. There was also the much-hyped launch of the impressive 500R last summer and the all-new V10 400R platform.
The new 4.6-liter V8 model joins the Apex Series of competition engines and is scheduled to make its Formula 1 Powerboat Championship series debut May 3-5, 2024, at the Port Neches Riverfest race in Texas. The 250 APX is the second V8 four-stroke outboard produced by Mercury Racing for tunnel boat racing and features a double overhead cam/four-valve powerhead with a 64-degree cylinder angle and circuit racing specific 12” midsection. It is rated at more than 250 horsepower, offering added torque and acceleration over other engines used in the series.
“Mercury Racing was born out of competition,” said Jeff Broman, director of category for Mercury Racing. “Expanding our Apex Series portfolio with this new V8 and partnering with F1 Powerboat Championship as a season sponsor demonstrates our commitment to tunnel boat racing and leading the pack while doing so. The 250 APX is going to take race teams to the next level of competition.”
As part of its 2024 sponsorship of the series, Mercury Racing will also serve as the official marine engine and drive sponsor of the Formula 1 Powerboat Championship series and continue to provide its Race Support Team in the pits at U.S. Formula 1 races.
“My family’s powerboat racing history mirrors that of Mercury Racing,” said Tim Seebold, managing director of F1 Powerboat Championship. “We’ve both been around for 50 years and the introduction of the 250 APX strengthens Mercury Racing’s commitment to the future of our series, the competitors and the high-performance marine market. I’m extremely excited to grow our partnership and work together to set the standard in unparalleled performance of formula powerboat racing.”
Mercury Racing will continue to offer and support the V6 200 APX engine, currently used an entry point to competition in F1, as not all race boats in the series are compatible with the 250 APX. The APEX series of engines is only available to qualified race teams and not for retail sale.
