Vision Marine Technologies has released a documentary detailing the company's record-breaking 116 mph run at the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout.
The Canadian company has been at the forefront of the emerging electric boating market, having made several keynote advancements that are pushing battery-powered boats closer to their gas-powered counterparts.
The Quebec-based company has been attending the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout each year with a continually improved platform that has gradually added more speed and better overall performance. They first set an electric speed record of 109 mph in 2022 using a custom-built 32-foot Hellkatt catamaran driven by renowned racer Shaun Torrente.
"On a daily basis, I'm trying to find the best people in the world to help me achieve my dream of getting boats all over the world that use our technology. So my job is to make sure that everyone's happy and everyone is moving forward in the same direction -- building the best and most creative team in the boating industry," said Alexandre Mongeon, CEO & Co-Founder of Vision Marine Technologies.
As battery and drivetrain technology has improved, most notably by Vision Marine themselves with their impressive E-Motion 180 outboard, they set the current record of 116 mph using twin E-Motion outboards paired to a carbon fiber S2 Powerboats 966 catamaran driven by Torrente.
S2 Powerboats was founded by Torrente himself and racing teammate Sean Conner. Torrente has an extensive resume an accomplished Formula One boat racer with three world championships.
Now with the 2024 LOTA Shootout set to begin this weekend, Vision Marine has released a documentary detailing their epic run.
The world record attempts were made during the Shootout's 'kilo runs' that use a 1 km/0.75 mile straightaway on a closed course. Boats enter the run below 40 mph and then accelerate to max speed before the 1 km/0.75 mile finish line.
"The week before the Shootout was a crazy time. We barely had time to test the boat. We tested it about three times in Florida with Shaun, but it was pretty intense. Everyone was on the edge."
Torrente first ran a 111 mph pass before a second run at 116 mph to establish Vision Marine as the undisputed leader in high-performance electric boating.
"We've started a whole new project, which we actually started the day after the Shootout last year. We want to break our own record, but also do it in a way that's never been done before with a purposely-built hulled raceboat with the proper safety capsule and all the safety that we need to go really fast in the future as we continue to expand the power, battery range, and all the other things that are coming, so that we can continue to push the record forward in more ways than one," said Torrente.
"The morning of the Shootout was a big nerve-wracking, because when you are racing, and you have a really good boat, and you know you have a winning boat, you don't want to mess it up. You're just hoping something doesn't break, something doesn't fail. So in my Formula 1 racing, when I've got pole position, you're thinking 'I've got the best boat, I've got the best line, I just need to go out and to it 15 more times.' Setting the record was like that."
There's no word yet on what Vision Marine will be bringing to this year's Shootout, but attendees can expect another improvement in the company's burgeoning technology.
You can check out the behind-the-scenes documentary of their epic run in the video below:
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