September 2016 – Outboard Racing

1981 racing season started with a brand new red & white F3 Burgess and AKAI Hi-Fi Video as my main sponsor. Evinrude Racing support with best possible F3 race engines from the OMC factory in Waukegan, Illinois.
The Formula 3 World Series was created with Aspen Wear as the main sponsor.
Ten races was part of the series and some really good price money at every event.
Also a trip to Paris to collect the check for the World Champion after the season for the overall winner.
First race was Brodenbach, Germany and the price I payed for not knowing the difference between a US gallon and English imperial gallon.
I asked John Hill about the fuel use for the new engine. He told me the correct use in imperial gallon (4.5liter). I calculated over to liter thinking a gallon is a gallon. A US gallon is 3.8 liter.
38 liters was not enough… I was leading the race and run out of fuel in the last turn…!!!
The good news was my lead was half a lap and only two drivers past me when I slowly crossed the finish line.
To make a long fun season shorter I won many races Nottingham, Drammen and in Italy and could have won the title in the next to last race in Vishy, France but screwed up and crashed in to a back marker when I was lapping her.
Broke the left pickle off the fast Burgess boat but thanks to Sture Sjoberg the boat had a new pickle for the last race in Den Bosch, Holland the next weekend.
I needed to beat John Hill and did so Saturday and the World Title was mine.
A great feeling and I called Sweden to tell my family. Well..I got big news back home also..Richard my second son was born the same day.

A mix of pictures from 1981. My #1 F-3 Burgess/AKAI/Evinrude CC.

Richard my son in the mid eighties.

Paris November 1981 and the proud F3 World Champ.

Nottingham 1981

The FT-19s engine was released in late July 1976 three months delayed
This engine was developed by OMC the beat the Merc 650 XS in the UIM SE class and it did.
New larger pistons, rods, exhaust and three dual port carburetors.
The only way to tell a FT-19s from a stock engine was the little sticker on the rear of the cowling saying FT-19s.
There was also a cooling water hose coming out of the lower cowling
I got the first Evinrude and Bo Nilsson the first Johnson.
We sold many FT-19s from my dealership in Stockholm.
The largest problem was the exhaust bridges in the cylinders. They got hot and sometimes cracked. A new block was expensive and after three / four years OMC stopped building them.