During the SBI Key West 30th Annual World Championships week, Mercury Racing introduced its new ROS (Race Offshore) competition outboard. The motor will be used in the XCAT World Series overseas.
What Mercury calls a sinister relative to the Verado 400R, the four-stroke race motor made its on-water debut at the Dubai Grand Prix, round five of the 2015 XCAT World Series, in November. XCAT and Mercury are working together to develop the motor that will replace the existing fleet of Mercury Racing two-stroke 2.5 EFI outboards that the teams currently use.
The ROS is more powerful, more efficient and cleaner burning than two-strokes. It has the Verado 400R power head mounted on a new race midsection that features Mercury Racing’s proven heavy-duty swivel clamp bracket assembly. The aluminum midsection is 10 inches to help lower the engine’s center of gravity. The overall mounting height is 15 inches. The ROS utilizes a remote dry sump system that holds 8 liters of Mercury Racing four-stroke oil. A carbon-fiber lower cowl conceals the transition of the power head to the midsection. The lower front cowl features dual rigging tubes, one each for fuel and electrical systems. The same high-pressure fuel pumps used on the two-strokes feeds the ROS. A Sport Master gear case delivers the power to the water, and Mercury has developed a new series of CNC cleaver props specifically for the racing motor.
The ROS utilizes Mercury’s Digital Throttle & Shift system for smoother shifting and throttling. Mercury Racing’s Zero Effort digital controls have integral power trim switches on the throttle handle, plus one-touch Smart Start and automatic throttle synchronization.
