Suzuki Marine, a raid to celebrate 60 years of outboard motors. How it went

PALERMO – Sixty hours of uninterrupted relay navigation, teams of six people, six-meter dinghies powered by DF60A engines. The number “6” could only be the one that characterizes the “Suzuki Raid 60 Anniversary”, the event organized by Suzuki Marine from June 30 to July 3 in the waters of Palermo to celebrate 60 years of history of the Japanese brand’s outboard engines. A story that began with the birth of the first Suzuki outboard engine, the D55 two-stroke 98 cc. and 5.5 HP, created to help the algae farmers of Lake Hamana in their work, thus starting the Marine sector activity in Japan. Since then, the range of Suzuki outboard engines has been expanded through technological innovations such as the introduction of oil injection in 1980, electronically controlled ignition, the first 4-stroke engines in 1994 followed by those with electronic injection and 12 valves. And again, the 250 and 300 HP engines from the early 2000s, the Lean Burn Control system, the Selective Rotation and the Dual Prop system with double counter-rotating propellers.

As Paolo Ilariuzzi, Director of the Marine and Motorcycle Division, explained, these innovations have allowed Suzuki outboards to win, with large and small power engines, the prestigious Nnma Innovation Award nine times, a record among brands in the sector. These awards are joined by the Design Innovation Award at the 2022 Genoa Boat Show for the Micro-Plastic Collector technology, a filter that allows microplastics to be collected in the sea during navigation through the cooling circuit.

The engine chosen for the Raid 60 Anniversary was the DF60A, a four-stroke, three-cylinder with 12-valve distribution and 60 hp, equipped with electronic fuel injection and Lean Burn combustion control.

The raid features two teams of six people, including Suzuki testimonials and specialized journalists in the sector, with each team divided into three crews that alternate in navigation: three hours at sea and six hours of rest. The goal, as stated by Lucrezia Belmonte of the Marine and Motorcycle Marketing Office, is "pure fun". But every self-respecting raid must have a winner and so the two teams compete in eleven point-scoring trials, including orienteering trials, recovery of objects at sea, regularity, "consume less" and a night race. Only one rule is fundamental: the two dinghies must keep their engines running for all sixty hours of the raid, day and night.

Before the official start on July 1st at Marina Arenella in Palermo, the Open Raid reserved for the press saw us sailing for three hours with two exceptional drivers: Domenico Sciaraffa and Dario Mezzano, respectively Marine Sales manager and Area Sales manager of Suzuki. Our goal was to reach three waypoints, located in front of Capo Zafferano, San Nicola l'Arena and Termini Imerese, and return promptly at 11 to hand over the dinghy to the first crew in the race.

In three hours of pleasant and enjoyable cruising along the coast east of Palermo, the DF60A engine proved to be ideal for our type of boat, with smooth, quiet and powerful power when needed. We can only wait for the next addition to the Suzuki outboard family, with the new engine launching in 2026.