Photo courtesy of speedonthewater.com
Over the past weekend, at the St. Pete Grand Prix, TNT Custom Marine owner, John Tomlinson was able to bring home a first-place win with Taylor Scism in the 450 Factory Stock Class. Tomlinson was also racing in the Pothole Heroes catamaran, however, they did have to pull out due to mechanical issues. Continue reading to learn more about Tomlinson’s role and all that happened.
Fifth in Class 1 went to owner/driver Mike Falco and throttleman Billy Moore in the 48-foot Outerlimits, DeFalco Racing, which finished its first race in recent memory. After having problems with a water intake hose coming loose during testing on Friday and the boat’s bilge filling with water, the 50-foot Victory, Pothole Heroes, with owner/driver Carlos de Quesada and throttleman John Tomlinson, only completed a couple of laps before pulling into the inside of the course with mechanical issues.
Tomlinson and driver Taylor Scism would have no such issues in the 450R Factory Stock class in their 39-foot MTI, TS Motorsports. While the start was a bit of a fustercluck when officials threw a quick green flag, the duo took advantage of their inside lane to blast to the lead while some of the other seven boats in the class made some questionable navigation decisions.
“We just kept a really close eye on the water and today it laid down,” Scism said. “We look at everything we ever do and make our best educated decision based on all on the things.”
When lining up for a start, Scism keeps an eye on where the boat is going and Tomlinson watches the pace boat and the flag, so it’s not bad having a multi-time world champion ready to mash the throttles when the flag goes.
“When it is flatter, when they go, if you’re sleeping on the flag you definitely miss the start,” Scism said.
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Original article published on speedonthewater.com
