MTI Tests New 390XR Race Boat and Delivers Two New Boats for Weekend Events
Not only the team of MTI in Wentzville, Missouri, entrust two new boats to some of its dealers…Nautical performance center and TNT Custom Navy-to deliver in time for the events in Missouri and Alabama this weekend, company owner Randy Scism and customer relations manager Taylor Scism were able to put on the new TS Motorsports The MTI 390XR race boat hit the water Friday afternoon for a quick shakedown session not far from our home on Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks.
The #7 TS Motorsports MTI 390XR race boat hit the water for the first time on Friday. Photo by Jeff Helmkamp/Helmkamp Pictures
Earlier in the week, the crew at speedonthewater.com, who were in town filming an upcoming “On your mind” episode with the founder of MTI, got a glimpse of the team’s new 450R Factory Stock class race boat, which this season will be piloted by Taylor Scism and throttled by TNT Custom Marine’s John Tomlinson from the opener next week’s season in Cocoa Beach, Fla As reported on the site, the team’s first boat that campaigned in the 2021 class probationary season has been sold to the KLOVAR Motorsports team of owner and pilot Randy Keys and throttle Bill Allen.
According to pilot Taylor Scism, who is no longer a rookie, the boat performed as expected its first time in the water.
“We didn’t get a chance to test (the boat on Friday) due to boat traffic and debris, so we’re going out first thing in the morning (Saturday) and I’ll have a better idea of how to navigating feels,” she said.
The MTI crew has been hard at work this week getting the new 390XR race boat ready for next week’s season opener. Photo by Jason Johnson
After Saturday’s practice session, Scism was all smiles as she reported to speedonthewater.com.
“Again, we reduced practice this morning because we didn’t want to damage anything before we had to race next week,” she said. “We mainly wanted to put everything back together to make sure the computer systems, electronics and rigging were in good order.
“I’m happy with how it worked, the boat is very stable,” she continued. “It looks a lot like the first boat. We’ve changed a few aspects of creature comforts inside the cockpit and are trying out different cameras this year. My visibility is improved because we made the windows a little bigger. Also, I will drive on the right side instead of the left side this season. I thought this might sound weird, but it was fine. It’s not like trying to drive on the opposite side of a car.
Scism said most of the races last season — outside of Lake Race and the Key West Offshore World Championships — were right-handers, so driving on the right side should give him a cornering advantage. She added that the team plans to do more testing next week with a stop at mercury race‘s Lake X in St. Cloud, Florida en route to the P1 Offshore– produced the Thunder On Cocoa Beach event.
Photographers Pete Boden from Take 2 sensational photos and Jeff Helmkamp took photos of the latest MTI models leaving the factory. The slideshow includes their images plus a few more courtesy of TNT Custom Marine’s Steven Fernandez and Jason Johnson.
In the meantime, back to the two boats that MTI delivered this week. They are shown in the slideshow above.
One was a stunning 390X catamaran with two Mercury Racing 450R engines that the team at TNT Custom Marine delivered to Texas-based performance yachtsmen Clark and Ashley Beecher so the couple, who plan to sail mostly in Destin, Florida, can participate in this weekend’s Orange Beach Powerboat Week Poker Run in Orange Beach, Ala., hosted by the Florida Motorboat Club. The Beechers also have a matching MTI-V 42 in the works.
The other delivery was a five-engine MTI-V 42 Deluxe Performance Center Console that Jason and Shanna Tolliver of Ohio ordered through Performance Boat Center. The couple were thrilled with the boat, which they steered today at the dealership’s Osage Beach, Mo., Spring Fun Run on the Lake of the Ozarks. Look for a full story on the impressive 42ft Tolliver next week at speedonthewater.com.
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