Mercury Racing to Showcase New 200 APX Competition Outboard At Revived Havasu Classic

From 1964 to 2001, outboard engine/endurance powerboat-racing fans flocked to Lake Havasu City, Ariz., to enjoy the Lake Havasu Classic Outboard Championships. The event returns this year—after a 20-year absence—October 15-17 and will mark the final rounds of the 2021 NGK Spark Plugs Formula 1 Powerboat Series. Two 2021 American Power Boat Association North American champions will be crowned in the Formula 1 and Tri Hull classes.

The 200 APX is one of two models currently offered in Mercury Racing’s four-stroke APX competition only outboard engine series.

The weekend will see the in-water debut of the new Mercury Racing 200 APX competition outboard, a 3.4-liter V6 four-stroke model designed for Union Internationale Motonautique F2 and APBA OPC tunnel boat racing, according to a press release from the Fond du Lac, Wis., company

In April, Mercury Racing announced that the 200 APX would be released this year. The six-cylinder outboard boasts a durable powerhead and the latest in four-stroke engine technology. It produces 20 percent more torque than the out-of-production Mercury Racing 200 SX outboard in current competition use while reducing exhaust emissions by 90 percent. The two-stroke model is out of production.

“Lake Havasu is one of the iconic venues in the history of powerboat racing,” said Stuart Halley, the general manager of Mercury Racing. “Many great battles between racers, teams and engine manufacturers have taken place at this oasis in the desert. Like all racing fans, Mercury Racing is excited to see fast boats back dueling in front of the Nautical Resort.”

The Apex Series competition outboards—the 200-hp engine has a 360-hp sibling for F1 H2O Series Class 1 international tunnel-boat racing—are designed to run on 91-octane (98 RON w/ E10 max) pump gasoline fuel, and to “require minimal maintenance during the racing season.” (Click here to learn more about the Mercury Racing 200 APX outboard.)

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