The Shootout’s Coming Attractions
Bill Tomlinson is planning to bring his 50-foot Mystic My Way back to the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout this year/ Photo by Robert Brown/robertbrownphotography.com
A little more than 11 months ago I wrote my OffshoreOnly.com column (read it here) on why I couldn’t wait for the 25th anniversary of the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout. Well the event is just around the corner and I can hardly contain myself. The hype is building and I don’t think I’m going to be disappointed, especially considering the incredible gathering of jaw-dropping hardware expected to attend the week-long event (Aug. 16-25).
Well there is one thing that’s somewhat disappointing—the 2012 Top Gun champion won’t be returning as Nebraska’s Greg Olson officially retired after running his 36-foot Eliminator Boats catamaran 192 mph to wow the Shootout spectator fleet. That said, Olson would be facing a difficult task to defend the Top Gun title with the 2011 champion expected to return.
In a phone call on Tuesday, Bill Tomlinson confirmed that he’s planning to go after the Shootout record in his turbine-powered 50-foot Mystic Powerboats catamaran My Way. In 2011, Tomlinson and throttleman Ken Kehoe recorded a course-record-tying 208-mph run out in front of Captain Ron’s, the location of the Shootout since 2008.
and then