For Mercury Racing‘s Erik Christiansen 2013 has been a year of transition, excitement and demanding, yet rewarding, work. Not only did Christiansen take the reigns from Fred Kiekhaefer, the legendary Mercury Racing president, he also oversaw the roll out of the Fond du Lac, Wis., company’s 1650 Race engine (read the story) and the introduction of the highly acclaimed concept automotive 1650 crate engine (read the story), which was showcased in a supercar at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas in November. After his final trip of the year to Dubai in mid-December, speedonthewater.com caught up with Christiansen to get his Highs and Lows from 2013.
 Mercury Racing’s Erik Christiansen stands next to the 1650 Race engine at the 2013 Miami show. |
High: My highs for 2013 include the success of the QC4v product at the Super Boat International Offshore World Championships in Key West, Fla. (Boats with Mercury 1350 and 1650 engines finished first, second and third in the premier Superboat Unlimited class.) I have to say that my new role has been a high as well. It’s been very exciting to work closely with so many talented people here at Mercury Racing.
Lows: Certainly the boating accident (at the Lake Cumberland Poker Run) and the human loss that the sport has endured over the years is a low. We’re a small community so these kind of shocking incidents affect us all.
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