Facts about Evinrude/Johnson racing outboards made my OMC

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Huzells was a pretty large company in Sweden and also big in automotive parts.
Here is Billy Huzell in my red racing t-shirt. He was a very active CEO and visited my dealership many times. He also came to a few races to support Evinrude drivers
A great man and I must always be thankful to him for all the things he did for me.

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Bengt Nilsson was in charge for Evinrude & the marine division at Huzells. Also a great man and helped me a lot in racing/starting my business. Here we are at a race in Denmark. I guess I did good.

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In the summer of 1976 I was visiting Huzells headquarter and could tell something was not right..I asked both Billy and Bengt but did not get a straight answer..I also had a deal with OMC racing in Brugge/Belgium and started to add up strange thing I heard..

Finally my biggest fear was out..
OMC was kicking Huzells out as the Swedish distributor for Evinrude and OMC Sweden was going to take over January 1 1977.
Same thing on the Johnson side. AGB was the distributor for Johnson.
I could see both sides..but at this time Evinrude/Johnson was extremely strong in Sweden. Way over 60% of the new outboard sales.
Only Yamaha, Merc and Honda was the competition. Mercury was not strong at all but Yamaha was doing very good.

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In the late fall of 1976 OMC invited every Evinrude/Johnson dealer in Sweden to a meeting at Hotel Malmen in Stockholm.
All the big wheels from OMC was there including a marketing company OMC hired.
All dealers was informed that open up OMC Sweden was the right way to stop the Japanese outboards entering the Swedish and European market.
I was not sure about this and I lost my absolutely best racing supporter Huzells.
Now I have to deal with OMC racing in Belgium and Paul Kalb was in charge there.
Mr. Kalb was not happy because OMC-USA cut his racing budget in half and gave the money to Renato Molinari in Italy OMC just hired.

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I did fly down to Auronzo, Italy just to watch the OE World Championship. The ON World Championship was at the same time.
Paul Kalb was not happy to see me there and Roger Jenkins was upset with Paul Kalb to, so Roger Jenkins was racing the Volvo Penta/Konig at this race.
This was the first time the Volvo was doing really good and Roger Jenkins was leading the race when something went wrong.
Well, my brain started to spin: Me – Volvo – Sweden – Problem with Paul Kalb – OMC kicking out Billy Huzell who really was behind my success in racing..!!

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1977 was the year of big changes for me in racing.
OMC did many things I disagree with, like kicking out the Swedish Evinrude distributor Huzells.
My relationship with Paul Kalb, the OMC European Racing boss was not so good.
Many people was sick and tired of me winning more or less everything for 4 years in the SE class and most drivers wanted to switch to OE instead of SE.
Paul Kalb called me and offered me a free Evinrude OE engine including parts and service at the races. All the travel cost was also part of the offer.
Well, my old racing deal with Huzells use to be way better and I made money the last three
years from racing.
At that point I run across Rutger Friberg, an old friend of mine.
Rutger was in charge of Volvo Penta Outboards and some other Volvo Divisions. I told him to make me a good offer to race the Volvo Penta König. After a few days Rutger
got back to me with something really good.
Lots of up front money, paying for boats and racing trucks and a nice budget for travel cost etc.
and to be the number one Volvo Penta-Konig driver.
Access to Gert Lowisin full time for the race season.
Gert was really smart and good with props and getting horsepower out of engines. OE was a no restriction class and I signed the deal with Volvo the next day.
I also included a Offshore deal to have free equipment to have a shot at the over all winner of Roslagsloppet. A very big Offshore race back then in Sweden.The first thing I did after signing the Volvo deal was to contact Bengt Nilsson.
Bengt was the CEO for the new company, OMC Sweden. Bengt use to be the CEO for Huzells Marine Division and he got the job for the new OMC set up in Sweden. I told Bengt this is maybe no good for my Evinrude dealership, but racing was a big part of
my life and the Volvo deal was to good to turn down.
Now my next big dilemma happened.
A few days later Billy Huzell came to my dealership with the Sales manager for Suzuki outboards. Huzells was now the distributor for Suzuki in Sweden.
Huzells offered me very good net pricing, if I signed up to be a Suzuki dealer!!!.
Way better conditions then OMC.
After a long discussion I ordered 150 Suzuki outboards.
The best part was 1 year credit and no interest.
A few days later Bengt Nilsson called me and asked if the Suzuki rumors was true…..
I said yes, and felt really bad…..
The next day I called Huzells and canceled the Suzuki deal and asked them to pick up all
the 150 outboards A.S.A.P..!!!!

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The Broward County Sheriff/Intrepid/2 X Evinrude G2
Thanks Rickard Rille Andreasson — with Intrepid Powerboats, Broward Sheriff's Office and Evinrude.

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Old Johnson OB Factory tour video w- race footage.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tXSpYvV17Qg

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Torque marine

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Old Johnson OB Factory tour video w- race footage.

Lots of interesting stuff in this video

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Lars Strom in his #1 Burgess/AKAI/Evinrude CC
1981.
Thanks Fast On Water.

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Bo Oldenburg in his Smuggler boat winning the inboard class with 2 X Evinrude/OMC V4 2 stroke inboards.
Thanks Niclas Lundgren

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Jack Aylsworth


ACTOR GARY COOPER – While on location in Florida, Gary Cooper, star of the 1952 movie, “Distant Drums,” commuted to the Everglades with a Johnson Sea Horse 25.