Author Archives: Lars Strom

General News

Volvo Penta should also purchase the Evinrude division from BRP.

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Volvo Penta should also purchase the Evinrude division from BRP.
Merge Seven Marine and Evinrude into one outboard brand.
Figure out the smartest and best name and Volvo Penta have a complete outboard lineup..
From 5 HP up to 627 HP and soon diesels.
I should get some commission out of this..!!

Volvo Penta becomes majority owner of innovative outboard motor manufacturer Seven Marine.

http://www.volvopenta.com/brand/en-en/news/2017/jul/volvo-penta-becomes-majority-owner-of-innovative-outboard-motor-.html

General News

Facts about larger racing engines made by OMC in the seventies and eighties.

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Facts about larger racing engines made by OMC in the seventies and eighties.
This is a short history about all the amazing racing outboards OMC built during the prime time of tunnel boat racing.
Most of the OMC racing was done for the UIM ON  and OZ class.
ON was max 2 liter and OZ was over 2 liter..No limit to the size of cylinder volume.
1973 was the magic year when both OMC and Mercury introduced the V6 in the famous Paris race for the ON class
OMC purpose built this new two liter V6 from scratch. It was a cross flow design
and because of the two liter limit OMC could not just add two more cylinders to the famous Super Strangler/Stinger GP V4.
The Paris 6 hour race 1973  was a enormous success and OMC was first and second in the race.
The headlines was brutal for Team Mercury..
“Mercury annihilated”
https://svera.se/blogg/paris-6-hours/my-first-paris-6-hours-1973-was-a-disaster/
Not sure how many 2 liter cross flow V6 engines OMC made but Scotti won the Bristol race 1974 with the same type of engine. Scotti below in his #7 Scotti/Evinrude V6
1975: Next engine was the new 2 liter looper V6  developed by OMC for the ON World Championship in Cardiff..
Cees van der Velden drove his new #1 Marlboro boat with the Johnson V6 to victory.
 
1976 OMC released the new V6 CCC This was a 2.448 liter cross flow engine and was based on the production powerhead with the same 2.448 liter
Renato Molinari and Bob Hering drove this engine to victory in Parker 9 hours 1977.
I raced this engine in Paris 1978
1978 OMC introduced the brand new purpose built 3 liter looper V6 with fuel injection.
This engine was also called CCC but a completely different animal from the first CCC
Cees van der Velden won the Paris 6 hour race with this engine 1979. Beating the Merc T4
 
Renato in the 165 OZ class Evinrude 3 liter V6 looper Fuel injection above.
 ..
1981.. OMC introduced the baddest of them all in Brodenbach, Germany. The new
purpose built 3.5 liter V8 looper.
No..it was not two more cylinders on top of the 3 liter above, then it should have been a 4 liter but the V8 was 3.5 liter.
There is much more coming about OMC race engines when I have time.
I did not bring up the Rotary this time..That engine was perfect for the OZ class but racing politics from Mercury wanted something else..
The most popular OMC race engine is the SST-45. At one point there was more than 500 SST-45 ready to race boats around.
Windermere 3 Hours GP 1973
Mike Downard/Tom Posey the overall winner in the #22 OZ class Scotti/Johnson Rotary.
Averaged speed close to 70 MPH over 3 hours including refueling and driver change.
Amsterdam 3 hours 1976
Alf Bullen the overall winner in his #6 OZ class Burgess/Johnson RS V6 2.448 liter Cross-flow.
Bristol 1972
James Beard the overall winner in his #6 ON class Cougar/Evinrude V4 1.632 liter cross-flow.

     

       Milan, Italy 1 Hour GP 1974 Peter Thorneywork the overall winner in the #8 ON class Milesmaster/Johnson V6 2 liter cross-flow.

 

 

 

Chasewater 1979. The OZ class UIM European Championship race.

This was an interesting race (I was there racing OE) and Billy Seebold was not allowed to race his Seebold/Long John/Merc T4.
Not because he was an American but Billy did not have a UIM license.
(A feud between APBA and UIM)
So Team Mercury put Roger Jenkins in the big bore Merc T4 Seebold-boat and race number 9 instead of 7.
Tom Percival drove the other Seebold/Long John/Merc T4.
At the end of the weekend Bob Spalding in his #11 Velden/Carlsberg/Johnson V6 RS
3 liter looper fuel injection was the big winner.
Beating the big bore Merc T4 and Team OMC was extremely happy.
This is another fact the Merc boys don’t remember..but this little Swede does..

Bristol 1980 was another big setback for Team Mercury and the T4 racing.

This is the headline:
No Gold at Mercury’s Final Rally.. Evinrude/Molinari wins in Bristol 1980
Seebold breaks down in last lap forfeiting win to Molinari.

Many Merc supporters always bring up Bristol 1982 when Billy Seebold won the OZ class with a smaller Merc V6 over the V8 drivers.
As always I was there and Renato Molinari was leading by a lot over Billy Seebold but broke down at the end and Seebold won..Yes I know you must finish to win..

Back to Bristol 1980 and Billy Seebold was leading the OZ class with the big bore T4 but broke down and Renato Molinari ended up winning the race with the smaller 3 liter looper fuel injection. So please remember this Merc fans when bringing up Bristol 1982.
Bristol 1980 was also Team Mercury’s last race for the T4 in the OZ class at that time. I am 100% sure the reason for Team Mercury to pull the plug on the T4 racing was the rumors was already out about OMC introducing the new V8 for the OZ class 1981. Team Mercury was now going to race ON max 2 liter and call the ON class Formula One.
(Merc came back with a modified T4 in the OZ class 1984)

Here is a link to exactly what happen in Bristol 1980 and the OMC advertising after the race. “Evinrude staying-power wins Embassy Grand Prix” Pretty funny..!!

https://svera.se/blogg/no-gold-at-mer…-bristol-1980/


Parker Enduro 1980
Another setback for Team Mercury.
Bob Spalding and Ken Stevenson drove the #201 OZ class Velden/Johnson V6 3 liter looper to victory. Beating the Merc/Mariner big bore T4.
Another victory for Team OMC with poor enginering according the Mercury supporters.

General News

Paris 6 Hours 1978 was a very “big deal”.

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Paris 6 Hours 1978 was a very “big deal”.
Racing the brutal & mean Formula One OZ class in Paris 6 Hours was every race drivers dream.
Very few drivers have done this..
1978 was the year I got the opportunity.
Renato Molinari wanted Angelo Vassena of Italy and me to race his second Molinari/Saffa/Evinrude V6 CCC team boat in probably the toughest marathon race of them all.
Here is a link to this story..https://svera.se/blogg/paris-6-hours/paris-6-hours-1978-started-in-finland-for-me/
The missing part from this race was good pictures of our #11 Molinari/Saffa/Evinrude V6 CCC.
Well.. I was scrolling around on Facebook a few month ago and there it was. Our #11 Molinari/Saffa/Evinrude V6 CCC boat on the cover of a German book.
Simone Schuft and Roman Chudo helped me out with copies and Roman mailed me the book.

Thank you very much.

The pictures are so good and you can clearly see the driver using a Swedish Öberg safety jacket and my Boeri helmet. After 39 years I finally found good pictures of me driving Formula One in the 1978 Paris race.
Another picture in this book shows me driving the #11 boat passing Erwin Zimmermann of Austria in his yellow/red Molinari/Johnson V6 RS entry on the inside.
This race was for me a very big thing.
Well..you can also see Angelo Vassena standing on our #11 Molinari/Saffa boat in the line up for the start of the race. (last picture)
R.I.P. my friend.