Simrad® is proud to sponsor team SUV OFFSHORE RACING in this year’s Australian Offshore Superboat Championships. Experienced superboat racer Conn Saloumidis and daughter Taelah will be racing a custom-built powerboat in the competition’s Supercat Outboard class, with father at the controls and daughter in the pilot’s seat. Taelah is not only the sole female competitor in this year’s championship, but also the youngest woman ever to compete in the event.
The 32-foot, 2200-kilogramme SUV OFFSHORE RACING superboat was built by Salstrip Ultimate Vehicles using a combination of carbon fibre and Kevlar. The vessel features a pair of 300-horsepower Evinrude E-TEC G2 engines, which deliver high performance balanced by the lowest reportable emissions and best fuel efficiency of any combustion outboard available to date. Combined with eco-friendly construction materials and methods, this makes the SUV OFFSHORE RACING vessel one of the world’s cleanest and greenest racing superboats.
The vessel will be fitted with dual 12-inch Simrad NSS12 evo2 multifunction displays in the cockpit, loaded with Navionics Platinum+ charts to provide the most accurate, detailed and up-to-date coverage of Australian waters available.
“Our Simrad displays are vital in providing up-to-date engine monitoring information, in a clear and easy to read format” explains Conn. “We need up-to-the-second display of engine temperature and RPM, as well as water pressure and trim status, to ensure the vessel is constantly running at its best.”
An accurate speed display and on-board camera integration are also important, Conn notes, while clear visibility of race course charts ensures the high-speed superboat remains on track and ahead of the competition. These features are all readily available through the NSS evo2 interface, with network connectivity and highly customisable display panels ensuring key information can be delivered to either or both cockpit displays in a variety of formats.
The SUV OFFSHORE RACING boat will commence the race schedule in Bowen, QLD for the first race of the season. Following on from Bowen will be Mackay, Coffs Harbour, Lake Macquarie and Hervey Bay.