STIHL Teams with Marine Design Corp. for 2015 Season

In an announcement made today, Team STIHL Offshore Racing has entered into a partnership with Marine Design Corporation for the 2015 season.

STIHL will utilize Marine Design Corporation’s DriveGuardian and DriveSync devices this season. Photo by Pete Boden/Shoot2ThrillPix

Mike Clesceri, the CEO and founder of MDC, was proud to announce a sponsorship deal with Robert “J.R.” Noble, owner and driver of the STIHL 388 Skater. Not only will STIHL be utilizing DriveGuardian, the patented torque limiting clutch designed to eliminate the torque spikes that occur when a boat hits a wave and the propellers catch air and then re-enter the water, the team will be utilizing MDC’s latest product, DriveSync.

Leveraging a microprocessor to monitor the drive trim, DriveSync synchronizes the drives every time the throttleman presses the both button. DriveSync ensures the drives are always even and allows the operator to focus on trimming the boat for optimum performance instead of adjusting for trim pumps that don’t operate evenly.

“After speaking with Jason Saris of Team Saris Offshore Racing, it was apparent that DriveGuardian improved the reliability of their drives in the 2014 season,” Noble said in the release. “The lack of wear and pitting on their gears using DriveGuardian in 2014 compared to the 2013 season without DriveGuardian were very impressive.”

Clesceri said the protection offered by DriveGuardian extends beyond the gears, and greatly improves the reliability of the entire drive train, including the propellers, gear shafts, U-joints and damper plates. For more on DriveGuardian, check out the Product Spotlight in the November/December 2014 issue of Speed On The Water magazine (page 30—the issue is free to download).

Earlier this month, Noble announced the team’s plans for a new 38-foot catamaran from Douglas Marine/Skater Powerboats (read the story). Since the team’s inception in 2011, STIHL has earned three Super Boat International National Championship titles and one SBI World Championship.

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