Mercury powers world record attempt

Tom Montgomery-Swan and Ben Fogle are racing round Britain to raise funds for Stillbirth

Mercury Verado outboards will be powering SUNUS Ocean Racing’s (SOR) Spectre race boat in the team’s attempt to break the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the British Isles in the summer of 2017.

Special guest, Ben Fogle, TV personality, writer and seasoned adventurer, will be joining the SOR team as expedition navigator in their race-proven, Spectre powerboat, C237.

With a pedigree dating back to 1981, C237 is based on the Spectre 32R and the original 31ft Phantom Powerboat racing hull. The race boat is powered by the latest supercharged Mercury Racing Verado 400R engines and capable of just less than 100mph, making it the UK’s fastest production leisure craft.

The Mercury Racing Verado 400R is the most powerful consumer outboard ever produced by Mercury and provides the highest power-to-weight ratio of all other four-stoke outboards in its class.

The 2000 nautical mile challenge, including the west coast of Ireland, requires huge stamina from the crew. With a team goal of 60 hours, SOR aim to run the boat at over 45mph non-stop and smash the current record of 73 hours held by the Yanmar powered Seahound V.

The SOR team currently holds the Club Class Unlimited speed record at 93.01mph and the Marathon record at 89.6mph.

C237 is skippered by record holding powerboat racer, Tom Montgomery-Swan along with navigator Michal Galczewski, the first Polish person to compete in the Cowes Classic. With his hard-to-rival history of expeditions and endurance challenges, Ben Fogle will be joining SOR for the circumnavigation challenge and Barrus’ own Ben Allen makes the final on-board team member.

In 2016, SOR partnered with Barrus, Mercury’s UK distributor, as their outboard engine supplier. The team have worked together to utilise the best technology to operate in a clean and competitive way, without compromising the environment. The Mercury engines offer great fuel economy and the latest technology for clean operation.

Mercury VesselView Link and the new VesselView Mobile app have recently been installed into C237 which allows the SOR team access to engine data whilst on board. VesselView Link is compatible with other navigational devices and the SOR team will be pairing the system with the Simrad NSS EVO3 to benefit from more functionality.

In addition to supplying Mercury Racing engines, Barrus also provides the SOR team with technical support. Effective training is a vital part of Barrus’ business and the company offers a comprehensive programme of courses that are available to all authorised dealers and specialist partners.

In the lead up to the circumnavigation challenge, Ben will complete a bespoke training course on the twin Mercury Verado 400R engines.

The SOR team use marine motorsport as a platform to raise awareness and funding for Stillbirth. Both Tom and Ben Fogle have suffered the loss of a child born still at full term and plan to use their latest challenge to draw national spotlight on their awareness campaign with a viewpoint of raising funds for the associated charities and helping to break the silence on this taboo subject.

From start to finish, everyone can get involved in the SOR challenge from entering competitions to tracking the team as they make their way around the British Isles.

Across social media, in the press and on a dedicated website, there will be continuous updates and opportunities to interact with the team in the lead up to and during the challenge. Follow Mercury Outboards UK and SUNUS Ocean Racing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

To find out more about Spectre boats and the latest models, visit: https://www.spectreboats.com/