A Volvo Penta/Konig outboard in Paris Six Hours 1977.

A Volvo Penta-König outboard in Paris Six Hours 1977.

After a really tough racing season 1977 Dieter Konig asked me if I was ready for the biggest race of the year..
I said yes and asked Dieter Konigs sisters son Joachim Mareth to be my co-pilot.

Well..A König engine in a Six Hour race does not make sense for any one that knows about boat racing.!!

Dieter was ready to make a special engine and we must use a 50/50 mix of racing fuel and methanol. The engine was using to much of 100% methanol.
We did a lot of testing and kept the good top speed with the 50/50 fuel and a marathon set up.
Finally Dieter also agree to install a electric fuel pump instead of the pressure fuel tank..
We where heading to Paris with my Chevy Van and the French Customs stopped us at the border in to France.
The Officer checked the van and asked about the 75 gallons of Methanol..
My answer: its our fuel was for racing 6 hours in Paris..He did not like my answer..
The Officer checked the book and it said Methanol was Alcohol. We where now heading for jail.
After a big fine we where going again.

Lots of attention in the Paris Six Hour pit..a Molinari with a König outboard covered up by a Volvo engine cover in a six hour race..!!
Most people was shaking the heads..They are not going to last long..
This year the race was where rough and windy..I took the start and we kept the lead after the refueling and driver change.
Angelo Vassena of Italy was the only OE boat that could keep up with our speed.
I was ahead of Angelo after four hours when I hit some debris in the river Seine and sank.
I could not believe it..now the König engine was holding up and the Molinari boat sank..end of story.

In the picture below you can see Dieter..(red arrow) and Joachim Mareth (blue arrow)..
Well my racing suit looks to big..the other one was damaged in a crash a few weeks before the Paris 6 Hour race..


 
More from the pit..Paris 6 hours 1977.
To the left of me.. is Bertil Wik (white arrow) and to the right..Dieter Konig (red arrow)..
 
 
 
 
The Molinari /Volvo Penta/Konig after the Paris race in Sweden. Picture by Marcus Weman.
 
 
 
 
The Molinari /Volvo Penta/Konig after the Paris race in Sweden. Picture by Marcus Weman.
 
 
The driver and his engine..!!
 

The Paris Six Hours 1978…I raced OZ that year with Angelo Vassena in a Saffa/Molinari/Evinrude V-6.  Here is the link to that story..https://svera.se/blogg/paris-6-hours/paris-6-hours-1978-started-in-finland-for-me/

 

 
 
 
 
 

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