Inside SOTW Mag: Tomlinson’s Take—Offshore Racing’s Learning Curve

I have raced offshore and succeeded with a lot of people, Forest Barber comes to mind, who didn’t have a lot of offshore racing experience when they started. But racing with Taylor Scism in the new Factory Stock 450R catamaran class this season is the first time I’ve shared the cockpit with a true rookie. It’s also the first time I’ve raced with a woman, and it’s made absolutely no difference.

Listening, learning and applying—combined with an endless amount of enthusiasm—are making Taylor Scism into a fine rookie offshore racer. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

Taylor is doing well as a driver. Not only is she a fast-learner, I don’t think I’ve ever raced with anyone more thrilled and pumped up to compete. And she’s already had more seat time in

her MTI 390X cat with Mercury Racing 450R outboards than you might think. Before the season, she came down and tested with me in Miami.

From there, we spent a full day on a course we had set up at Lake X, Mercury Racing’s famous testing facility in St. Cloud, Fla. As of right now, Taylor has done three races with me and one with Shaun Torrente. Looking at the rest of the 2021 offshore racing schedule, Taylor and I will share the cockpit of the TS Motorsports MTI in more four events in Florida—Clearwater, Fort Myers Beach, Key West and Englewood Beach.

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