Evinrude powers new speed record

The New Zealand offshore powerboat championship-winning boat, ‘Konica Minolta’, which is powered by an Evinrude® E-TEC™ outboard, has set a new official speed record for its class.

During the recent kilo speed records on Lake Karapiro, Jeff Weake set a new official record of 92.62 mph for the Super 60 offshore powerboat class.

Hamilton-based Weake is a key member of the Greg Brinck-owned Konica Minolta Offshore Powerboat Race Team. Weake normally prepares the boat for its offshore racing events with Brinck in the driver’s seat.

“It’s particularly exciting to have won our first 60-mile offshore powerboat championship and set a new class speed record in the same year,” says Brinck, based in Sandringham, Auckland. “Jeff did a fantastic job at Karapiro in deteriorating conditions, so to set a new record on his first run is particularly satisfying for the whole team.”

The boat – an F19x production racing model from Australia’s Force Boats – was in standard offshore racing trim, explains Brinck. “The only thing we changed was to put a larger propeller on the Evinrude E-TEC 250 outboard engine. Essentially you have an unmodified boat and an 250 hp outboard motor straight out of the box, so it’s particularly pleasing to see how well this hull and engine combination have performed all season. It’s a versatile pairing, having successfully contested offshore races, circuit races and now a speed record.”

The New Zealand Power Boat Association-administered speed records require the boats to complete a one-kilometre-long run in one direction, then a successful run in the other direction, with the speed from each run averaged to produce a final result.

The stock-standard Evinrude E-TEC engine was new for Brinck’s boat at the start of the 2009 season. Manufactured by Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), the award-winning Evinrude E-TEC outboards are well-known for their clean technology, power and reliability.

“We’re absolutely delighted for Greg, Jeff and all the Konica Minolta team,” says Richard Shaw, New Zealand manager for BRP. “We offer our warm congratulations on their success with this new official New Zealand class speed record, as well as their 60-mile offshore powerboat racing championship title successfully concluded earlier this month.”

Shaw notes that the BRP’s Evinrude E-TEC outboard engines have been ranked highest in customer satisfaction with two-stroke outboard engines in the U.S. in the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Marine Engine Competitive Information Study.

“This is the third time that Evinrude engines have been ranked the highest in customer satisfaction in the U.S. in the study and comes during the brand’s 100 year anniversary celebration.

“Evinrude E-TEC is the only outboard with no dealer scheduled maintenance for three years or 300 hours has made consumers’ decision to choose Evinrude an easy one,” adds Shaw. “All Evinrude E-TEC’s come with a factory-based five year warranty and we currently offer $1,000 cash back on 90-200 hp engines and $1,500 cash back on 200-300hp engines; conditions apply so talk to your local Evinrude dealer via the website http://www.brp.com/en-AU/Index.htm.”

Background information

BRP is a world leader in the design, manufacture, distribution, and marketing of motorized recreational vehicles and powersports engines. Built on a 60-year tradition of excellence and headquartered in the Canadian town of Valcourt, Quebec, BRP owns manufacturing facilities in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Finland, Austria, and China, and is represented in New Zealand by 61 retail outlets around the country.

BRP’s internationally recognised product lines include:
§ Ski-Doo and Lynx (snowmobiles)
§ Sea-Doo (watercraft and sport boats) – see www.sea-doo.com
§ Evinrude and Johnson (outboard engines)
§ Can-Am (ATVs/quads and roadsters)
§ Rotax (engines)

BRP's Evinrude E-TEC engine line-up now includes 110 engine models from 25 to 300 horsepower.