Ron P

Mercury Racing to Support Marathon Offshore Race
FOND DU LAC, Wis. (05/07/2004) – Mercury Racing’s offshore race support team will be in Marathon, Fla., May 14-16 to support customers competing in the Marathon Offshore Gran Prix, round one of the 2004 APBA Offshore GMC Pro Grade Series.
“We are excited to be in Marathon to support teams that are running our products,” said Mercury Racing’s Senior Marketing Manager Rick Mackie. “We provide on-site race support because we want to make sure that every Mercury-equipped boat gets in the race,” said Jim Goerlitz, Mercury Racing’s Manager of Racing. “When someone invests money in your products, it doesn’t do you any good to have that boat sitting on the beach when the race starts,” Goerlitz said.
Race support sends a message to all Mercury customers about how the company stands behind its products, according to Goerlitz. “If we’re working with a race team, the fans see you helping, but more often than not, our guys don’t have a lot to do. That sends a clear message about product reliability,” he said. “It’s all about keeping Mercury-powered boats on the water and capturing checkered flags. Mercury Racing continues to power more national and world champions and has set more speed records than any other marine engine manufacturer,” Mackie said.
Many of the industry-leading innovations found on Mercury outboards and Mercury MerCruiser engines and drives were proven on the racecourse before they were available to the general public. Mercury Racing remains the only major engine manufacturer with on-site support at powerboat racing events.
Mercury Racing supports racing with two custom Freightliner semi-trucks, one for offshore racing and the other for outboard tunnel boat and drag race support. The
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Released: 05/07/2004-RM
Marathon Support/Page 2 of 2

offshore truck will support customers at selected 2004 APBA Offshore, Offshore Super
Series and Super Boat International race events. The outboard truck will support 2004 Champ Boat Series events and selected American Performance Racing (APR)
Superleague events and Outboard Drag Boat Association (ODBA) outboard drag racing events. The phantom black race support vehicles feature custom 53-foot trailers stocked with engines, drives, propellers, parts and all the tools needed to fix any mechanical emergency a race team may encounter on the road.
Race fans and teams are encouraged to visit the Mercury Racing team and take an opportunity to purchase officially licensed Mercury Racing merchandise at the truck throughout the Marathon Offshore Gran Prix weekend.
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Released: 05/07/2004-RM

LarryD

thats great news glad to see that we are getting off to a good start things keep looking brighter every day!!!

KenD

Hear, Hear!

I can confirm the Mercury Racing team support guys where right there when our engine Grimlin reappeared in Biloxi. If there was anything they could have done to get our boat out on the race course, they where ready to do it.

The Merc guys spent a lot of time with us in Biloxi, explaining how different systems work, things to look for, and checking out the engines to make sure we hadn't overlooked anything.

Although the nasty little Grimlin is still popping his head out and laughing at us, his days are numbered. We have every confidence that between the the Mercury Racing engineers and the experts at Innovation, our engine shut-down problem will be solved and the consumer will benefit.

Way to go guys!

Thanks for your support.

Ken Doyle
Mid-American Offshore
APBA - SV #10
OSS - OSV #10
SBI - SVL #10