Mark75H
03-30-2003, 09:25 PM
Sad news from Sarasota, Florida. O. F. Christner died Saturday morning 3/29/03.
Mr. Christner became a Merc dealer out of his garage in 1946 and began racing in 1947. In 1950 he began internally modifying Mercs to race in the alcohol classes; by the end of the 50's modifications included tuned exhaust stacks. Through the early 60's the modifications grew to include reduced volume crankcases and "converging" stacks ... the now familiar 2 into 1, 4 into 2 and 6 into 3 stacks still used in the modified racing outboard classes. These mods put Merc firmly on the track as a "racing outboard" and pretty well obsoleted the 1930's OMC products which had enjoyed a strangle hold on the racing market from 1930 until the mid 1950's. By 1963 all these modifications were not enough to keep up with the loop charged British Anzani and new model loop charged German made König motors. The very clever close spacing of the Merc cylinders prevented altering a Merc block to loop charging. Instead, Christner - "Chris" to his racing friends - used the Merc crankshaft and cast his own blocks in beginning in 1964. These special blocks used a split exhaust port ... one half going out the right side of the block and one going out the left. These were the famous "Quincy Looper" motors, conspicious by their tuned exhaust megaphones on both sides of the motor. These motors kept Merc fans and American pride in the hunt for the winner's circle until the rotary valve König motors obsoleted them in the late 1960's. From 1970 until 1975 Christner worked for Mercury at Lake X and did no further development on the Looper alky racers. In the late 70's Christner released an entirely new and different series of alky racer: single cylinders, twins and triples all based on the same modular components. These motors faired well in the APBA PRO racing classes, setting records in the old 125cc "M" class and the 500cc triple boasted 125hp. Just the same Mr. Christner retired and sold the racing tooling to Jack Kulger at Great Lakes Boats in 1984.
Mr. Christner became a Merc dealer out of his garage in 1946 and began racing in 1947. In 1950 he began internally modifying Mercs to race in the alcohol classes; by the end of the 50's modifications included tuned exhaust stacks. Through the early 60's the modifications grew to include reduced volume crankcases and "converging" stacks ... the now familiar 2 into 1, 4 into 2 and 6 into 3 stacks still used in the modified racing outboard classes. These mods put Merc firmly on the track as a "racing outboard" and pretty well obsoleted the 1930's OMC products which had enjoyed a strangle hold on the racing market from 1930 until the mid 1950's. By 1963 all these modifications were not enough to keep up with the loop charged British Anzani and new model loop charged German made König motors. The very clever close spacing of the Merc cylinders prevented altering a Merc block to loop charging. Instead, Christner - "Chris" to his racing friends - used the Merc crankshaft and cast his own blocks in beginning in 1964. These special blocks used a split exhaust port ... one half going out the right side of the block and one going out the left. These were the famous "Quincy Looper" motors, conspicious by their tuned exhaust megaphones on both sides of the motor. These motors kept Merc fans and American pride in the hunt for the winner's circle until the rotary valve König motors obsoleted them in the late 1960's. From 1970 until 1975 Christner worked for Mercury at Lake X and did no further development on the Looper alky racers. In the late 70's Christner released an entirely new and different series of alky racer: single cylinders, twins and triples all based on the same modular components. These motors faired well in the APBA PRO racing classes, setting records in the old 125cc "M" class and the 500cc triple boasted 125hp. Just the same Mr. Christner retired and sold the racing tooling to Jack Kulger at Great Lakes Boats in 1984.