Duel of Delicate Mechanisms

For the 9,000 residents of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., on the banks of the Colorado River, time is measured in spectaculars as well as in seconds. There is, for example, a celebrity tennis tournament in March, a sailboat regatta in April, a water-skiing meet in June. As a special added attraction this year, there was the formal dedication of London Bridge, imported block by block from the banks of the Thames. When it comes to truly big splashes, though, nothing quite matches the Outboard World Championship.

Last weekend, 40,000 outboard enthusiasts descended on Havasu to see the world's best drivers vie for a record $62,750 in prizes. Part race, part promotion and part proving ground for the latest refinements in hull and engine design, the eighth annual championship drew factory teams as formidable as those massed for the Indianapolis 500. Packing one, two and even three high-powered engines, the boats carried the brand names of Mercury (60 entries), Evinrude (17), Johnson (13) and Chrysler (8). With manufacturers investing millions a year in dozens of races, data on key factors like horsepower were guarded secrets. Admitting that engineering developments are subject to "a lot of black magic," Charles Alexander, an Evinrude vice president, explains that "we're running engines today that we didn't have six weeks ago."

Once in the water, men as well as machines need something like black magic to survive the punishing eight-hour Havasu marathon. Topping 100 m.p.h. on the straightaway and jouncing through treacherous wakes, the streamlined craft are, as Driver Bill Muncey says, "delicate mechanisms that run on the ragged edge of blowing up every minute." Indeed, by the halfway mark in last week's race, crackups and conk-outs claimed 26 of the 94 starters.

Winner of the race was Bill Sirois, a marine supply dealer from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., whose sleek 21-ft. boat with its "tunnel" hull--an airfoil design that allows the craft to ride free of the chop on a cushion of air--was powered by twin 200 h.p. Mercury engines. He outdistanced Runner-Up Reggie Fountain Jr. by a 12-mile margin to take the $18,000 first prize. In all, Sirois all but flew more than 660 miles at the average rate of 82.5 m.p.h.--nearly 3 m.p.h. faster than the record he set as last year's Havasu winner.

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