General News

The “green flag” was dropped 50 years ago today.

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Hard for me to believe but the phone call I got from Hans Holmen and Huzells is 50 years ago today March 1 1973.

This phone call was the start of my dream being reality and below is the story.

Sadly Hans Holmen left us late last year but my memories are forever..❤️

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“After a few years in the Sport, a big possibility opened up in the winter 1972/73. Hans Holmen who worked for Evinrude Sweden called me and said that Huzells and Evinrude has picked me and one other Swede to get the new Evinrude 65 SS ( for free) that was designed to be a winner in the UIM SE class.

One condition, I have to buy a new SE Cat from Italy. There was two choices, Abbate or Clerici and I picked Clerici without really a good reason.

We where late to order, but Clerici promise to have the boat ready in June that summer, but that was OK because OMC was late with the new 65 SS also.

I friend of mine lent me and older Schultze cat and I used my stock Evinrude 65 hp. At the Swedish Championship in Torsby, Varmland, I ended up around fifth.

Me and my dad Roland took the Coffee delivery truck and headed to Cremona, Italy with a big bag full of Lire (Italian Cash) to pick up the new very good looking cat.

Back to Sweden to install the brand new 65 SS Evinrude, that had just arrived.

There was one big problem, this engine was using left hand props, and there was not many around. I found one 2 blade prop used for the Mercury BP’s, but not very fast at testing.

The big race of the year was the European Championship in Lappeenranta Finland and OMC’s Racing boss Jim Wagner had a lay over in Stockholm, on his way to Finland with Roger Jenkins #56 Clerici/Evinrude boat (last picture). I got the opportunity to test factory driver Roger Jenkins propellers in Sweden and my boat was flying.

This was a 3 blade cleaver left hand rotation and Jim Wagner promised me that if I showed up in Finland he was going to let me use Roger Jenkins spare prop.

Me, Holmen and friend Curre took the ferry to Finland and when we arrived at the race there was 45 boats with Mercury, Carniti, Konigs, Evinrude and Johnson engines, but Roger Jenkins refused to let me borrow any of his/OMC’s propellers.

I was very disappointed and was walking around in the pit, when I ran in to Tor Smith Ingebrittsen from Norway. He had an older home built boat, and he showed me his prop that looked like the one Jenkins used. We made a deal and exchanged props with a handshake.

There was no time for testing and when they dropped the green flag I was flying through the field and after a few laps I lead the race and pulled away. I won the heat with half a lap, and everybody went crazy regarding my prop. Many drivers offered my new friend from Norway lots of money for his prop, that he lent me but he was cool and said it belongs to Lars. Next heat the Italian drivers was trying to run me over in the start, and later pushed me up on one of the turning buoys and I was disqualified and had some damage to the boat but we fixed that overnight.

I do not remember the third heat, but I had to win the last one, and I did.

I was now declared the winner and the new 1973 European Champion, and Jim Wagner was forced to come over to my boat and congratulate me. Lars and his friends had the biggest after race party they have ever seen in Lappeenranta. (Roger Jenkins left early for the airport)

This was the beginning of my professional boat racing carrier and my Outboard Business success.

Thanks to everybody helping me”

Well..today was the day we drove the car and trailer on the ferry from Stockholm to Finland. Final destination was beautiful Laappenranta..🥰