Mike DeFrees of Vancouver, Wash., and veteran throttleman Jeff Harris of Greenville, N.C, piloted Team CRC, a 39-foot MTI catamaran hull powered by twin Mercury Racing 1075 SCi consumer performance engines coupled to dry-sump Mercury Racing Six drives, to win the Offshore Super Series Cat Extreme (OSSCX) World Championship Sunday, November 12, on the Gulf of Mexico in Destin, Fla. The race was the second and final round of the 2006 OSS Merrick World Championships and final event for the 2006 OSS season.  The 2150 h.p. Team CRC out performed  the 3400 h.p. Budweiser Select, a MTI catamaran powered by purpose built Sterling race engines, in both Thursday and Sunday OSSCX racing action.

Budweiser Select, with David Scott behind the wheel with world champion throttleman John Tomlinson on the sticks, led from the start and developed a 15-second lead over Team CRC. Team CRC took the lead when an ignition box failure knocked Budweiser Select out of the race.

Team CRC also won the first round of racing on Thursday after mechanical problems again knocked Budweiser Select out of competition. The Mercury Racing 1075 SCi powered Team CRC dominated both races to cinch the 2006 OSSCX World Championship. Budweiser Select and Cintron rounded out 2-3 in the OSSCX World Championship point’s standings.

OSS Cat Outboard

OSS Cat Outboard (OSSCO) competitors treated race fans to some of the most exciting racing Sunday. Mojo, Mapei and Hogs Breath battled deck-to-deck throughout the event. Mojo managed to cross the finish line first – followed closely by Mapei  and Hog’s Breath.  Mapei earned the 2006 OSSCO World Championship with a victory on Thursday combined with their second place finish Sunday.  Mojo, Hog’s Breath, Bermuda Berrycuda and Double Edge round out 2-5 in OSSCO World championship points. All were powered by Mercury 2.5 EFI offshore race outboards.

OSS Vee Light

Defending OSS Vee Light (OSSVL) World Champion Screamin’ Eagle led from start to finish to win OSSVL race on Sunday with Team Typhoon hot on their transom.  Screamin’ Eagle held Typhoon off to capture the checker flag. A battle for third ensued between Wild Ride and Team IMCO.  After some intense deck-to- deck racing, Wild Ride pulled away from IMCO for a third place finish.  A victory on Thursday combined with a third place finish Sunday provided Wild Ride enough points to capture the

OSSVL World Championship. Screamin’ Eagle, IMCO, Extreme Liquid, Typhoon, Hometown Mortgage, LaveyCraft and WHM Mini Me rounded out 2-7 in OSSVL World Championship points. All were powered by single Mercury Racing 525 EFI sterndrive engine packages.

OSS Cat Light

Race fans were treated to some tight deck-to-deck racing in OSS Cat Light (OSSCL) competition.  Speed Racer would eventually pull into to the lead with Professional Marine and Popeye’s in the hunt. Reliable Carriers eventually passed Popeye’s to capture third position. Motley Crew, after a bad start, worked their way through traffic to pass Reliable for third position. Speed Racer won the race – but would later be knocked to second after being assessed a 1-minuter penalty. As a result, Professional Marine moved to first, with Speed Racer, Motley Crew, Peppers and Reliable Carriers rounding out 2-5. Speed Racer, with a win on Thursday and a second on Sunday earned enough points to capture the OSSCL World Championship. Professional Marine, Motley Crew, Reliable Carriers, Peppers, Learning the Ropes, Popeye’s and Hooters rounded out 2-8 in OSSCL World Championship points. All were powered by twin Mercury Racing 525 EFI engine packages.

OSS Vee

Miccosukee, the 2006 OSS Vee (OSSV) National Champion, continued their flawless performance by winning both OSSV races in their new Mercury Racing 525 EFI powered Outerlimits hull.  Bad Boy/Godspeed led from the start of Sunday’s OSSV competition and held their lead until a mechanical failure forced them to the trailer.

Second place Miccosukee swept into the lead with Fury in second. The boats would repeat their one-two finish from Thursday. The exception was that on Sunday,  Miccosukee ran so strong they completely lapped second place Fury! The win capped a perfect season for Miccosukee and Outerlimits Powerboats - the 2006 OSSV National and World Champions. Fury placed second in overall championship points with a mere one-point deficit to Miccosukee. a Bad Boy/Godspeed and Muscle rounded out 3-4 in OSSV World Championship points. All were powered by twin Mercury Racing 525 EFI engine packages.

Rick Mackie  www.offshoresuperseries.com

Last Updated ( Saturday, 18 November 2006 )