MTI At 25—Batman Lives – Speed on the Water

Of all the “themed” catamarans built by MTI during the years, from the cartoon-inspired Speed Racer to a pair of Lamborghini automobile-inspired stunners, Batman is perhaps the most unusual. Like the Batboat and Batmobile from the famed comic strip and television show, the 44-footer completed in 2007 actually has “tail fins.”

Clients Darren and Cory Atkinson wanted authenticity in their homage to the Batman series, and the Wentzville, Mo., company was happy to deliver it.

A 44-foot MTI catamaran that began its life as a themed pleasure boat, Batman Racing had a great run at the 2023 Race World Offshore Key West World Championship earlier this month. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

The Batman Racing boat holds another distinction: It is the only themed open-cockpit MTI to make it onto the offshore racecourse. Thanks to owner Elliot Toth of Illinois, the catamaran competes in the Bracket 200 class.

Most recently, Toth drove it alongside throttleman Jax Muller, the son of Super Cat-class throttleman Jay Muller of WHM Motorsports fame, at the 2023 Race World Offshore Key West World Championship sanctioned by the American Power Boat Association. Batman Racing finished second in Wednesday’s race and took the checkered flags on Friday and Sunday.

Sounds like a world-championship-winning weekend, right? But as good as those results were for Toth and Muller, a Bracket 200-class world title was not to be. To qualify for APBA world championship points, all teams must compete in at least two races during the regular season and Batman Racing had not.

Still, the team did go home with three Race World Offshore trophies and it was a strong showing for one of the most unusual catamarans MTI has ever built.