Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

What happened to all of the Mercury powered super cats,they for some reason could not hang with the Sterling powered cats in that class,whats the problem and will Mercury be in those boats again next year,I would love to see Mercury up front again but in Key West that did not happen,just curious.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

1HYPER1,

Have to agree with you there. It definitely seemed that if you did not have Sterlings at the Worlds you were not up front and as hard for me as it is to say this in a public forum it almost seemed as if the way to go with Hulls in Supercat were either Platinum or MTI. The MTI's were just smoking there way around the course this year. I am sure that Skater will have something up there sleeve for next year. Definitely alot of unexpected turn of events with the Supercat class this year in Key West.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

Team Virgin has Mercury motors and they ran great but I know what your saying, who runs Mercury besides Virgin.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

Diamond Performance,

Actually Team Virgin ran Sterling Power and the reason I know this is because we shared the same tent with them. Reliable was the closest finishing boat to the Sterling powered boats. Judging from the way the Worlds went I would say MTI/Sterling would be the way to go if you basing it on the WORLDS.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

WHM and Reliable run Merc power.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

Used to run Earnhardt inc. motors too.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

Virgin was running Sterlings for sure,I was checking them out in the pit area next to the Wanted boat.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

Ithought Tres was Mercury all the way, BILL you going out SAT.?

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

Reliable is swithing to a MTI next year also. I believe that the cats that were running Merc this year will have something different next year, like Sterling or Koury motors. You may see no cats next year with Mercs.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

Koury motors were unbeatable in Tommy Bahamas. When they were swapped out the boat was beatable.

pat W

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

Pat,

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

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

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.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

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.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

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.... :rolleyes:

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

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.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

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

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

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.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

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

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

He said it, I didn't...

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

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

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

Why should a shaft boat be penalized? It is more cost effective and safer too.

What are the rules saying next year for Supercat? Are they going to hand down penalties for the top 3 to make things more exciting? Or are they going to loosen the rules for the older boats to make them competetive again. It is a shame people have to go out and buy a new boat every time they are beaten.

pat W

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

If a rudder boat is safer and cheaper to maintain they should be allowed to race. The weight adjustment is an easy means of leveling the field. I think it would draw in more boats and a better show.

There are cheaper ways of making the older boats competitive and safer. They just have to open the rules.

pat W

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

I think Tommy Bahama has been converted to a pleasure version of the MTI. I also agree that the Shafts should be allowed. If certain shafts show a competitive edge then rule adjustments/weights can be adjusted for those boats.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

Pat,

Are your drives still legal for Supercat???

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

As far as I know,Pats drives are still allowed,and they are tough enough to handle the HP.Does anyone know if Alcone is coming back and if so who will he be running with,I have also heard that Joey Impressia will be coming back,any info,come on Dennis let the cat out of the bag.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

I was told down in KW that Matt Alcone would be returning and that there will be three WHM Motorsports racing entries next year as there were two this year. You will have to let your head figure out the rest or just do some investigating on your own.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

DPT/Dennis if I had all your free time I would do that,TTT /You know how the rumors fly,I was just wondering what you heard.Joe I and Stuart H,HMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

I don't believe that the alternative has to be shaft boats with rudders only, as the surface drives do steer also.

As for leveling the field for the Mercury Speedmaster guys, that is a bit of an oxymoron as they are the ones the hinder the other manufacturers from entering the competition field.

If everyone thinks that the surface drives are better, then why do we not see them in the states?

Simple, MERCURY and their loyal followers. The racers vote with their dollars and they voted for mercury. Anything else just isn’t right in their eyes.

And the rules are written so that no other outdrive can enter the classes. Sure people can run a Bravo alternative, but that works in Mercs best interest as well as the average person just sees a Merc drive as the IMCOs are merely a copy. Kinda like Reggie putting his name on a Skater. The average person saw FOUNTAIN not the Skater under the name.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

Our drives have been banned since they were homoligated in 2000. That is when the new rules came into effect.They grouped us with the Shaft boys. So far they are still legal to run in SBI.

We slid some past the rules into Vee and were promply shut down there too. I guess it is ok to have pile of spare drives and tear them off the transom every so often. That is a cheap way to go racing safe too.

pat W

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

There is a lot of Irony in your comment Pat.

In KW everyone was ragging that they kept blowing Bravo's.

I kept telling them they get what they deserve. Nearly every racer there if given the choice would choose Merc over any other alternative. They got exactly what they asked for and they are not happy. And the real irony is that the $$$$$$$$ they have in the Bravo's before they break or start their maintenance life is far more than it should be.

If their loyalty to Merc was because Merc took care of them then it would be one thing and an understandable thing at that. BUT, just the opposite is true; they pay and pay and pay. Look at the numbers, the SV and the SCL field broke more damn Bravos than they can count, and it cost several teams their legitimate chance at victory.

On the other side, one SCL team broke a SSM#6 and I say one SC team changing their SSM#6 drives as well.

Nothing is un-breakable but there are better ways to spend a teams $$.

We all got banned when certain people thought it would be best to get some $$ indirectly off the racers backs. Now there is no competition and there is no alternative.

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

How to kill a thread by pat and Rik. :evilb:


I have heard of other builders out there like:
Chuck ? (JD-Byrider)
Vern Gilbert (Joe Pattis)
Byron Koury (Tommy Bahamas)
Paul Phaff (Ettore)
Gary Teague
Carson Brummet

Does any one have anyone else? It might help to list the manufactures that are out there that are good at building motors.

pat W

Re: Mercury Or Sterling / Super Cats
 

I think it's a case of "no argument" after Riks statements