Category Archives: General News

I think this one could fit perfect in my history book.
Not sure when he was born but in absolutely perfect condition.

The reason was no more OZ class 1981 and no more factory OMC racing.
Ken Stevenson/Bob Spalding won the 1980 Paris 6 Hour race driving the #12 OZ class Velden/Carlsberg/Johnson RS V6 3 liter looper.
First picture below.
OMC came out with the new V8 for the OZ class 1981 and Mercury pulled out of the OZ class.
The Paris 6 hour race organization made the decision to ban the OZ class ..(over 2 liter) with help from Mercury.
Only ON max 2 liter was now allowed in the 1981 Paris race.
Reality was that the OMC factory could not compete with the powerful 3.5 liter V8 in the race for the overall win and pulled out.
Last year for a factory feud between OMC and Merc was 1980
1984 OMC and a French boat race organization came together to run a race for the OZ F1-V8 class in Paris. This time with the pit in the famous Bois de Boulogne . Still racing on river Seine but far away from the famous Eiffel tower
I raced there with my #8 Burgess/Aspen/Evinrude V8 but not a great place.
Without a factory feud between OMC and Merc the famous Paris 6 hour race was no more
I know some people having a different opinion but I think this story is 100% right.

The last Paris 6 Hour race was run 1988..with very few..(if any) famous drivers and no factory teams.

The 1981 Race program/entry-list show few 2 liter ON class entry’s and most of the famous boat racers names are missing.

I got this picture from the pit just below the Eiffel tower at river Seine.
Interesting because the red #16 Molinari boat is using one of the first OMC 3 liter, looper V6 with fuel injection and Johnson RS cowling.
The drivers of the #16 is Johnny Sanders and Jimbo McConnell.
USA

Next blue #12 is a Molinari boat also using one of the first OMC 3 liter, looper V6 with fuel injection and Evinrude CCC cowling.
Drivers of the #12 is Renato Molinari and Tom Posey.
Italy/USA

The yellow/orange #15 Molinari/Bosch boat is powered with a Johnson RS 2.4 liter V6
The driver of the #15 boat is Erwin Zimmermann of Austria, I do not remember the second driver.

Next to Zimmermann is a boat you can only see the front and the bottom is covered up..
It is the #11 Molinari/Saffa boat powered by a Evinrude CCC 2.4 liter V6
Drivers are Angelo Vassena and Lars Strom.
Italy/Sweden.

This was for Vassena and me very interesting..Our first big race in the OZ class. We where very fast at testing but the OMC racing boss Jack Leek told us to use a way bigger pitch propeller to keep the RPM down. The reason was to make the race engine last six hours.
Well.. made the boat harder to drive but we made it to the end of the six hour race. Finished fourth overall..Second best OMC in the race.

Thanks again to Roberto Bigi

Angelo Vassena/Lars Strom in the #11 Molinari/Saffa/Evinrude V6.

The picture is from Tollare outside Stockholm, Sweden 1983.
This Burgess F1 boat built by David Burgess was brutal..
The boat it self was built from strong thin plywood, and the boat cowling was thin fiberglass. Empty boat before rigging was around 210 kg/463 lbs
Batteries, fuel tank, steering and seat around 50 kg/110 lbs
A total of 260 kg/573 lbs.
The Evinrude F1-V8 two stroke 3.5 liter 450 hp purpose built race engine including power trim/lift pump and prop. was around 250 kg / 551 lbs.
Complete ready to race without fuel 510 kg / 960 lbs.
There was none what so ever safety just a brutal race boat with a top speed over 140 MPH / 225 km/h.

Mercury’s top driver Bob Hering left Merc for OMC just before the race.
Bob Hering teamed up with Tom Posey and drove the #88 Johnson RS V6/ Molinari in the famous race.
Well..a hole in the boat ended the race early.
Again thanks to Roberto Bigi for this photo.