Facts about Evinrude/Johnson racing outboards made my OMC

[lars strom]

How did OMC decide who was going to run what brand? Some of the answers are easy and some are puzzling.

Rick Frost - Johnson
Velden Team - Johnson
Bob Spalding - Evinrude
Molinari - Exclusively Evinrude
Woods - Evinrude
Robertson - Johnson
Bullen - Evinrude
Strom - Evinrude
McConnell - Evinrude
Salabert - Evinrude

Well..not so sure OMC did that..

Some drivers was connected to a dealer..example Abilene Marine was a Johnson dealer in Texas so the drivers involved with Abeline Marine used Johnson. Tom Posey-Johnny Sanders etc.

Back in Europe OMC did use different distributors in each country for Johnson and Evinrude.
Example..in Italy it was Ital-Marine Inc for Evinrude and Motomar Inc for Johnson.
Ital-Marine was more interested in spending money on racing and a good reason for Renato and Scotti to pick Evinrude.
In Sweden Huzells for Evinrude and AGB for Johnson. Both companies spent lots of money in the outboard racing.
Same thing in England and Holland.

[lars strom]

EP Barrus was the distributor for Johnson in UK and loved outboard racing



Same with Italmarine in Italy.



Huzells in Sweden was by far my best supporter/bank..

[Amberjack1234]

Who and what

Well..not so sure OMC did that..

Some drivers was connected to a dealer..example Abilene Marine was a Johnson dealer in Texas so the drivers involved with Abeline Marine used Johnson. Tom Posey-Johnny Sanders etc.

Back in Europe OMC did use different distributors in each country for Johnson and Evinrude.
Example..in Italy it was Ital-Marine Inc for Evinrude and Motomar Inc for Johnson.
Ital-Marine was more interested in spending money on racing and a good reason for Renato and Scotti to pick Evinrude.
In Sweden Huzells for Evinrude and AGB for Johnson. Both companies spent lots of money in the outboard racing.
Same thing in England and Holland.

Great explanation Lars on the funds in politics Needed to go racing It was a simpler time back then Funding racing in the present day has become beyond the means of the average racer unless you are a well organized team. If it wasn’t for my dealership Johnson/Mariner I would not have been able to fund my racing hobbies Not to mention the Beer money Also.PERNOD funded two yearsPERNOD funded two years grand national boat racing and Canadian club another year.

[lars strom]

Here you can see clearly why Renato was racing Evinrude with help from Italmarine..the Evinrude distributor for Italy.
Motomar the Johnson distributor in Italy did spent money on outboard racing but not like Italmarine.

I remember visiting Italmarine in Milan and still remember his name..Mr. Cerotti..

[lars strom]

Well..not so sure OMC did that..

Some drivers was connected to a dealer..example Abilene Marine was a Johnson dealer in Texas so the drivers involved with Abeline Marine used Johnson. Tom Posey-Johnny Sanders etc.

Back in Europe OMC did use different distributors in each country for Johnson and Evinrude.
Example..in Italy it was Ital-Marine Inc for Evinrude and Motomar Inc for Johnson.
Ital-Marine was more interested in spending money on racing and a good reason for Renato and Scotti to pick Evinrude.
In Sweden Huzells for Evinrude and AGB for Johnson. Both companies spent lots of money in the outboard racing.
Same thing in England and Holland.

Tom Posey 1984

Abilene Marine/Johnson dealer.

[Rotary John]

Well..not so sure OMC did that..

Some drivers was connected to a dealer..example Abilene Marine was a Johnson dealer in Texas so the drivers involved with Abeline Marine used Johnson. Tom Posey-Johnny Sanders etc.

Back in Europe OMC did use different distributors in each country for Johnson and Evinrude.
Example..in Italy it was Ital-Marine Inc for Evinrude and Motomar Inc for Johnson.
Ital-Marine was more interested in spending money on racing and a good reason for Renato and Scotti to pick Evinrude.
In Sweden Huzells for Evinrude and AGB for Johnson. Both companies spent lots of money in the outboard racing.
Same thing in England and Holland.

I believe Johnnie Sanders was associated with Mcune out of Denver; also a Johnson Dealer. He married McCune's daughter. Bobby Witt and Posey were with Alen Yah out of Abeline Marine.

[John Schubert]

I believe Johnnie Sanders was associated with Mcune out of Denver; also a Johnson Dealer. He married McCune's daughter. Bobby Witt and Posey were with Alen Yah out of Abeline Marine.

John,
Bob Witt drove for his own dealership, Witt Marine in Baytown, TX, as did his son in SST60. Johnson dealership.

[lars strom]

A few pictures of the Mercury Wizard in the Cincinnati GP 1984.

The Merc Wizard raced by Johnny Sanders in Cincinnati GP 1984…

Mercury T-4 racing vs OMC V-8 racing..Cincinnati GP 1984.

Much more interesting stuff about the race here..

https://svera.se/blogg/mercury-t-4-racing-vs-omc-v-8-racing-cincinnati-gp-1984/

After a summer-long legal battle, Mercury and OMC reached an out-of-court settlement a month before the Cincinnati GP which allowed the Merc T-4s to compete against the V-8s on a one race, experimental basis.

Here is the full story..if you don’t want the read the full Powerboat story I can make it pretty short.
Mercury lost big time using the T-4 and the Wizard..(with twin Merc V6 powerheads)
Ben Robertson won in his #57 Burgess/Johnson V8. Barry Woods second in his #35 Molinari/Evinrude V8
After the race one of the OMC’s corporate executives couldn’t help but mutter under his breath after watching
the T-4’s self-destruct:
“They (Mercury) have been suing us all summer” he said in hushed tones, ” do you think we could bring a case against them for fraud?”

Thanks Mark Spencer

[Rotary John]

The one and only time I ever saw Bobby drive was in Galveston with a rotary. He came with Allen Yah so I assumed he drove for Allen's dealership.

[lars strom]

Here it is..I guess he flipped after the race..??

@Rotary John

https://svera.se/blogg/round-two-to-...-classic-1973/

[lars strom]

Saturday Farmers Market.
Not really my “cup of tea” but Carina Strom loves it..❤️

[Lake X Kid]

Who and what
Great explanation Lars on the funds in politics Needed to go racing It was a simpler time back then Funding racing in the present day has become beyond the means of the average racer unless you are a well organized team. If it wasn’t for my dealership Johnson/Mariner I would not have been able to fund my racing hobbies Not to mention the Beer money Also.PERNOD funded two yearsPERNOD funded two years grand national boat racing and Canadian club another year.

Marine Dealership money is how both my Granddad and Dad got started and were financed by in the 1950s.

[lars strom]

This #66 is a UIM SE class Gardin tunnel. Built in Italy.
Of course with an OMC/Johnson.
One of few European boats I never drove.

[lars strom]

My friend Bo Nilsson drove a Scafo Primo Gardin in the UIM OE class 1977.
Of course with a Johnson RS
This Gardin tunnel was purchased by Paul Kalb..the OMC racing boss in Europe.

[lars strom]

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