Pat,

Were those the motors they had when the were implemented the penalty because of the BPM Drives(shaft drives)???

True they did not win alot, it was always something small like a bad altenator or the tunnel tab braking, but they almost always lead the race. They were the only comptition for the Drambuie team. Just ask Drambuie.

Thats a drastic move for the Reliable team to switch boat manufacturers and engine programs,I know that Tom Abrams had Sterling power in his poker run boat/Skater 46 but that is a huge undertaking to just scrap the Skater and all of those Mercury motors,but I guess you will do what you have to do to win,I also heard a rumor that Matt Alcone is going to be coming out of retirement,has anyone else heard or can anyone verify that.

It's too bad those Sterlings weren't built as well in a particular Poker Run boat from Jersey... I guess every manufacturer has their good ones and some bad ones....

1Hyper1,

Have to agree with you there and it will be very interesting considering as long as I have been following Jerry's career he has always been in a Skater. MTI looked really strong in Key West this year. I think the Reliable boat is probably the fastest Skater out there right now. I would really like to see how it would have ran with Sterling power in it.

If Mike (Sterling) has no competition then the racing will suck. Obviously there are engine builders waiting for a chance to step up and take a shot.

Maybe Merc will wake up step up to the plate and start doing something about being beaten besides buying out the sport.

pat W

Pat,

Have to agree with you one engine builders. I think the deciding factor comes down to dollars spent. Sterling showed that it has a competitive edge over the Mercury's. Tommy Bahama showed it had an edge with its old motor program but it lacked reliability. I think the way the state of the sport is, until it starts to gain more dollars for teams through sponsorship you will see teams going directly with a proven winner. I do hope Mercury puts some R&D into there racing engines to get then back to the top. I remember in the mid 90's when Mercury drafted the Recovery Racing Team to battle the Sterling powered boats. Back then it was Mercury vs Sterling but the odds were a little better. Guess time will tell. I wonder parts and equipment wise what it actually costs to build a competitive Supercat motor, by this I do not mean retail, I mean what it cost the engine builder before sale and profit.

DPT,

Those were the motors. TB finished second in the campionship and was given a 200 lb penalty for being a (trimax) shaft drive boat. They did not hand out a penalty for first place (Drambui)

The first race they switched they were running dead last and expired before the finish. Everyone has a bad day.

pat W

He said it, I didn't...

The origional Drambui boat did not have surface drives on it and that is why they probablly did not get penalized.