Nearly a year after running a Mercury Racing 450R Factory Stock as an exhibition class, the American Power Boat Association made it official.
The addition means racers using the stock outboards are now eligible to accrue National Championship points and an official class within the eight-race APBA Offshore National Offshore Championship series, which kicked off in May in Cocoa Beach, Fla.
So far just two boats are signed up for the class, TS Motorsports running a new MTI 390X catamaran (Taylor Scism and John Tomlinson) and KLOVAR (Randy Keys and Bill Allen) in a 39’ MTI. Supporters expect the 450R Factory Stock class to grow as at least two boats are slated to join the class this season.
According to the APBA rulebook, a class must have at least three registered entries to be eligible to accrue National Championship points. The APBA Offshore National Championship concludes with the Key West Offshore World Championship, Nov. 6-13.
Factory classes have strong appeal for offshore teams looking to control costs and offers balanced competition.
