Team Gone Again, Kenny Mungle, and Michael Lee Lockwood were in North Miami this morning testing their new 368 SKATER with John Tomlinson of TNT Custom Marine. With the rudder retooled and sharped along with some different props they had hopes of determining whether there was a significant improvement in the boats handling and performance.
Running the twin PSI supercharged 1550 engines that can run up to 7600 RPM, Tomlinson and Mungle pushed the boat hard in the chop water in the bay, locally known as the Bridge to Bridge run today. At 160 MPH Tomlinson reported that although there was some wind and relatively choppy water, “the rudder is much better, much better. It’s definitely handling better at high speed. I want to go back out at the end of the day, and we’ll probably make a drive rotation change after that.”
With the team pleased by the performance this morning, Mungle and Tomlinson are looking forward to more testing this evening where they will be more likely to experience calmer waters. Mungle knows they are making serious headway and won’t be deterred by the expected time frame. “This is a one-off. There’s no set ‘formula’ for it. So it’s going to take little time,” he said.
We’re looking forward to seeing the results of the second round of testing as they are sure to be underway shortly. We expect to see a rotation change from in to out, some additional prop testing and maybe even the addition of crash boxes. You can be sure every detail will be checked, tested, and retested to make sure the absolute best is done to get every MPH out of this spectacular ride!
UPDATE (01/13/16): Gone Again Team chooses to pass and explore different options.
