MTI Tests New 390XR Raceboat And Delivers Two New Boats For Weekend Events
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In the News: MTI Tests New 390XR Raceboat And Delivers Two New Boats For Weekend Events
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Not only did the team at MTI in Wentzville, Mo., get two new boats over to a couple of its dealers—Performance Boat Center and TNT Custom Marine—to deliver in time for events in Missouri and Alabama this weekend, the company’s owner, Randy Scism, and client relations manager, Taylor Scism, were able to put the new TS Motorsports MTI 390XR raceboat in the water on Friday afternoon for a quick shakedown session not far from home on Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks.
The No. 7 TS Motorsports MTI 390XR raceboat hit the water for the first time on Friday. Photo by Jeff Helmkamp/Helmkamp Photos
Earlier in the week, the speedonthewater.com crew, which was in town to shoot an upcoming “In The Lead” episode with the founder of MTI, got a sneak peek of the team’s new 450R Factory Stock class raceboat, which will be driven this season by Taylor Scism and throttled by TNT Custom Marine’s John Tomlinson starting with next week’s season opener in Cocoa Beach, Fla. As reported on the site, the team’s first boat that was campaigned in the 2021 class probationary season was sold to the KLOVAR Motorsports team of owner and driver Randy Keys and throttleman Bill Allen.
According to the no-longer-rookie driver Taylor Scism, the boat performed as expected its first time in the water.
“We didn’t get a great chance to test (the boat on Friday) because of boat traffic and debris so we’re going out first thing in the morning (on Saturday) and I’ll have a better idea of how to boat feels,” she said.
The MTI crew worked hard this week to ready the new 390XR raceboat for next week’s season opener. Photo by Jason Johnson
After Saturday’s test session, Scism was all smiles when she reported back to speedonthewater.com.
“Again, we kept the testing short this morning because we didn’t want to damage anything before we have to go race next week,” she said. “We mainly were wanting to give everything a full shakedown to make sure the computer systems, electronics and rigging were all good to.
“I’m happy with how it ran—the boat is very stable,” she continued. “It feels a lot like the first boat. We changed a few creature comfort aspects inside the cockpit and are trying some different cameras in it this year. My visibility is improved because we made the windows a little larger. Plus, I’m going to drive from the right side instead of the left side this season. I thought that might feel weirded than it did, but it was fine. It’s not like trying to drive from the opposite side of a car.”
Scism said that most races last season—outside of Lake Race and the Key West Offshore World Championships—were righthand turns so driving from the right side should give her an advantage coming into turns. She added that the team plans to get more testing in next week with a stop at Mercury Racing’s Lake X in St. Cloud, Fla., on its way to the P1 Offshore-produced Thunder On Cocoa Beach event.
Photographers Pete Boden of Shoot 2 Thrill Pix and Jeff Helmkamp snagged pictures of the newest MTI models to leave the factory. The slideshow includes their images as well as a few more courtesy of Steven Fernandez of TNT Custom Marine and Jason Johnson.
In the meantime, let’s get back to the two boats that MTI delivered this week. They’re featured in the slideshow above.
One was a stunning 390X catamaran with twin Mercury Racing 450R engines that the team at TNT Custom Marine delivered to Texas performance boaters Clark and Ashley Beecher so that the couple, who plans to boat most of the time out Destin, Fla., could participate in this weekend’s Orange Beach Powerboat Week Poker Run in Orange Beach, Ala., hosted by the Florida Powerboat Club. The Beechers also have a matching MTI-V 42 in the works.
The other delivery was a five-engine MTI-V 42 luxury performance center console that Ohio’s Jason Tolliver and his fiancé, Shanna Roberts, ordered through Performance Boat Center. The couple was thrilled with the boat, which they were running today in the Osage Beach, Mo., dealership’s Spring Fun Run on Lake of the Ozarks. Look for a full story on the Tolliver’s impressive 42-footer next week on speedonthewater.com.
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