Marine Technology Inc. (MTI) of Wentzville, MO announced their plans to debut their new 482R Class 1 project in collaboration with Willy Cabeza of GC Racing. Production for the cutting-edge race boat has already begun and is scheduled to arrive in Wentzville this week to continue its progress. The new race boat's hull is based off of their new 482 pleasure catamaran that was unveiled at the Miami International Boat Show in February, 2024 and has enjoyed undeniable performance, speed, and handling––ideal for a new Class 1 contender.
The inception of the 482R Class 1 boat has been nearly a year-long journey, with offshore racing's defending World Champion Willy Cabeza considering moving up from the Factory Stock 450R Class. To which class specifically, was yet to be determined. But following a successful demo ride with MTI founder Randy Scism in the first 482 cat powered by twin Mercury Racing 1100s, which just so happens to be the selected engines for Class 1, the decision was made to move forward to build the first MTI 482R.
"Randy came out with the 482.. and he said 'I think I got a boat here that can be a Class 1 boat,'" Cabeza told Speedboat. "And the last one that he built was 10 years ago with the Bob Bull program."
The 482R will retain the hull of the 482 pleasure boat, but will feature a newly designed deck mold, tailored specifically for Class 1 racing, as well as safety equipment as their number 1 priority. MTI has leveraged insights gained from their vast experience in the Factory Stock 450R class to optimize safety in the new 482R. Collaborating with MTI client and NASCAR legend Rick Hendrick of Hendrick Motorsports, the team is committed to incorporating state-of-the-art safety features for both the driver and throttleman. The team's targeted debut event is P1 Offshore's Thunder on Cocoa Beach, scheduled for May 16-19, 2025–the first Class 1 competition of the new season.
"Hendrick Motorsports and Rick has helped us, and I know Taylor (Scism) took a pretty hard shot out there last week (in Sarasota)," said Randy Scism. "They sheared off motor mounts and broke the motors. But both her and Johnny (Tomlinson) said, 'man, those seats were amazing!' The safety stuff in the cockpit, it's gonna have 2-inch thick windows, you know. And we're gonna try and build this thing as bulletproof as possible and still keep it light enough to be competitive."
"This outboard class is an absolute great learning tool. Not only for the guys in the boat, but for us as boat builders, we've learned things through the process," said Scism. "And as we've went from 34 to 39 to 44 and out of 48, all that technology is moving up with us. So we've had a unbelievable R&D program, and now we get to put it all together."
Cabeza, with fellow champion Grant Bruggemann on throttles, are gearing up for a dynamic 2025 season, with plans to campaign two race teams––the # 32 MTI 390CXR to compete in the new Factory Stock 500 Class (replacing the 450Rs) and with new Class 1 boat. Moving up from the Factory 450R class, the Class 1 482R represents a strategic progression for GC Racing. The team is enthusiastic about integrating the 1100 Mercury Racing QC4V engines into their program, working alongside the dedicated tech team at Mercury Racing.
"Mercury (Racing) has been really great for us... So, you know, we think that we can work with Mercury, especially testing wise, at Fond du Lac and at Lake X, and we got to know a lot of these guys." said Cabeza.
Cabeza began his offshore racing career just three years ago when he purchased his own MTI 390XR for competition and joined MTI's Race Concierge Program, where the company provides all of the logistics, preparation, boat transport and race suppport for the racers and teams from event to event. He has since raced alongside racing champions such as Gary Ballough, Shaun Torrente (whom he won the Key West World Championship with), Randy Scism and currently Grant Bruggemann, where he has gained invaluable knowledge in short order.
"I thought it was gonna be a year, at the most. You know, I had a pleasure race boat that everybody was joking around about. I had a horn in it. I had holders for our fenders. We had a light. We had navigation lights... it had full A/C in it. The only thing we didn't put was speakers and stuff because there was, like, no place to put it," laughs Cabeza.
"So then the next year, we started taking things out of the boat, started moving things around. I really got into (the racing) with Gary... reading the water, throttling, getting, you know, more into it. That process took place, and then we started taking things out of the boat," admits Cabeza. "'Oh, Willie, you don't need this air conditioning unit. Hey, Willie, you don't need these stairs. Willie, you don't need the margarita machine. Willie, you don't need this. You don't need that.'"
Cabeza will be retaining his current crew, led by Lake Havasu City, AZ's Adrian Barrett of Barrett Custom Marine, with the addition of possibly four more team members to help with the two boat duties.
"Willy put a toe in the water wanting to go boat racing and being part of starting the MTI race support team," explains Barrett."He has been 'all-in' learning from everyone that he shares the cockpit with, growing as a team owner and driver. Willy and Grant are meshing really well in the boat, so I can’t wait to see how this team grows moving forward."
MTI's return to manufacturing Class 1 boats after a decade is a testament to the company's enduring commitment to sterndrive-powered race boats. This new project underscores MTI's dedication to innovation and excellence in the sport, paving the way for a new chapter in their illustrious racing history.
