Facts about Evinrude/Johnson racing outboards made my OMC

[lars strom]

I got a "new" picture of the #8 Burgess/Aspen/Evinrude today from Glen Cushion. (Thanks)
This one is From London GP 1983

I also got a few pictures from Bristol and Nottingham 1982. (F3)
Coming soon..

[peterse90]

One more picture from Milan 1985.
Renato ended his circuit boat racing career after this race.

Attachment 464497

Got to love the Gentex jacket. Got to believe Renato just wore it for so long and was comfortable with even though would that not be a boat with safety cell where you really do not want all that flotation in case you are upside down and you need to go down before you come up!

[lars strom]

Got to love the Gentex jacket. Got to believe Renato just wore it for so long and was comfortable with even though would that not be a boat with safety cell where you really do not want all that flotation in case you are upside down and you need to go down before you come up!

Renato did not like to drive strapped in a safety cell.
I think that was part of the reason for him to retire.
He did not develop a good safety cell for his boats. I remember he built a few but not really a good safe design. The Dole boat he drove in his last race in Milan 1985 did not have a safety cell.

[peterse90]

Lars, in 1985 were you strapped into a safety cell. Pretty sure all the Hodges by 1985 had cells?

[lars strom]

Lars, in 1985 were you strapped into a safety cell. Pretty sure all the Hodges by 1985 had cells?

My first and only F1-V8 race in a new Velden safety cockpit boat 1985.

Out of retirement..!!
In the middle of the 1985 F1-V8 World series I dusted of my fast Burgess without safety cockpit..charged the batteries..updated the Evinrude V8..took it to the London GP to be part of the “mega money” series now promoted by Pro-One.
OMC gave Pro One a ton of money 1985 to get the series going again after all the set backs 1984.
I did not have the latest Evinrude V8 with the fuel injection and the 6 inch mid section, but my 1984 Evinrude V8 had plenty of power.
The Burgess was extremely fast on smooth water..but London Victoria Docks was always rough
Realized after a few laps in London..this is still crazy.. no more racing for me without safety cell.
Hodges and Velden was now building new F1-V8 boats with safety cells and Pro One offered me to drive one of Team Veldens boats with safety cell in the Antwerpen, Belgium race.
Jumped in an airplane, heading for Antwerpen and started practice driving strapped in..a very different feeling. The new silver painted Velden boat was very nice built.
We worked on the cockpit seat to make it fit my body better, but run out of time to get it 100% right before the race.
A very different and interesting race and maybe time to go back to full time F1-V8 racing 1986..
Well..went to the last race in Sevilla, Spain and was standing in the pit watching the 1985 F1-V8 World Champ Bob Spalding barrel roll in the turn..a very sad incident.
A few weeks later OMC pulled the plug on European F1-V8 racing after Pro One spent the 3 years promotion budget in one season..
I think over 4 close to 5 Million dollars..!!
The F1-V8 series went full time racing in the USA and that was the end for my F1-V8 racing.
Went back to drive F-3 racing and some Offshore.

[Lake X Kid]

My first and only F1-V8 race in a new Velden safety cockpit boat 1985.

Out of retirement..!!
In the middle of the 1985 F1-V8 World series I dusted of my fast Burgess without safety cockpit..charged the batteries..updated the Evinrude V8..took it to the London GP to be part of the “mega money” series now promoted by Pro-One.

The Burgess was extremely fast on smooth water..but London Victoria Docks was always rough
Realized after a few laps in London..this is still crazy.. no more racing for me without safety cell.
Hodges and Velden was now building new F1-V8 boats with safety cells and Pro One offered me to drive one of Team Veldens boats with safety cell in the Antwerpen, Belgium race.
Jumped in an airplane, heading for Antwerpen and started practice driving strapped in..a very different feeling. The new silver painted Velden boat was very nice built.

A very different and interesting race and maybe time to go back to full time F1-V8 racing 1986..
Well..went to the last race in Sevilla, Spain and was standing in the pit watching the 1985 F1-V8 World Champ Bob Spalding barrel roll in the turn..a very sad incident.

Lars how did the safety cell feel? Did you have a canopy that blocked out a lot of wind noise?

Did Spalding get hurt badly in the Sevilla race? If he did what kind of injuries did he obtain in the race?

[Lake X Kid]

The 1985 Milano F1-V8 race ended Renato Molinari’s enormous successes in tunnel boat racing.

Yes this is from Renatos final F1-V8 race 1985. He left the F1-V8 series for Offshore racing 1986.

I had heard that Renato's offshore racing was not to successful. And one problem was in did not want to transfer the throttles to another guy (throttleman), whilst he is steering. He wanted to be in a 100 percent of control.

[lars strom]

Lars how did the safety cell feel? Did you have a canopy that blocked out a lot of wind noise?

The Velden saftey cell boat I drove in 1985 did not have a canopy. I was not at all comfortable driving strapped in. I was used to move around a bit when driving. I think its easier to be good at driving strapped in if you never raced the old way.
Later I drove F3 strapped in (1990) with a canopy. Did not like that at all and could not get the right feeling to fly the boat.
In my opinion the feeling/balance is in your butt driving on the edge and all that changed with safety cells/canopy.
Not for me and i stopped racing.
I answer about Sevilla in next post.

A picture of one of the two Burgess boats in my brother Lennart and my F3 team 1990.
Second picture is me and my brother Lennart. He was much better racing strapped in and a canopy.

[lars strom]

Did Spalding get hurt badly in the Sevilla race? If he did what kind of injuries did he obtain in the race?

The last race of the F1-V8 series 1985 was Sevilla, Spain. I was there as a spectator and don't remember if it was during practice or in the race..Bob Spalding rolled and he was upside down for a very long time. No rescue boats to get him out of the safety cell. Not sure if he was passed out or just could not get out of his own. It was terrible to be standing there watching a boat racing friend get hurt from being strapped in and drowning in front of you. This was a 100% screw up from the Spanish race organization.

[lars strom]

I can also ad..when I was watching Bob Spaldings sad incident..I made up my mind about future racing.. Safety cells is probably the right thing..but you survive the crash but die from not getting help to get out of the boat. It took the boat racing business many years to figure out a way to save drivers from drowning after an accident.
Not my way of life..depending on others..did not want to be a guinea pig.

[Vulture27]

I never had a problem being strapped in, it was when I tried driving with the canopy when I quit. I couldn't see worth a damn.

[lars strom]

I had heard that Renato's offshore racing was not to successful. And one problem was in did not want to transfer the throttles to another guy (throttleman), whilst he is steering. He wanted to be in a 100 percent of control.

I think Renato was 100% correct rigging boats when the driver was in control of everything.
Renato did not do so good in Offshore racing.
To much untested power. He won a few races but his choice of engines was based on sponsors. I remember one boat with four engines and not very dependable. Did not last to the checkered flag
I rigged my very fast Skater 32 with 3 X Evinrude Hi Perf V8 engines for driver control only..
No way I would let anyone else throttle..!!..

[Lake X Kid]

The last race of the F1-V8 series 1985 was Sevilla, Spain. I was there as a spectator and don't remember if it was during practice or in the race..Bob Spalding rolled and he was upside down for a very long time. No rescue boats to get him out of the safety cell. Not sure if he was passed out or just could not get out of his own. It was terrible to be standing there watching a boat racing friend get hurt from being strapped in and drowning in front of you. This was a 100% screw up from the Spanish race organization.

I have experienced the helpless scenario too. Another Mediterranean (not Spain) I have witnessed very slow reaction times from the rescue teams. First responders are a primary component in safe racing, and Nascar & Indy Cars organizations do a superb job, second to none. F1 car racing could up their safety response procedures, if they want to equal Nascar & Indy.

Back to boat racing. In said (or not fully disclosed) country above, I observed what was probably a volunteer staff manning the safety boats. After already being disappointed in the safety crews slow recovery times to crash sites in that country, I reacted one time. I do not remember which race it was, but a blow over occurred, and the safety crew just looked at the scene like any of us spectators.

So I yelled (in English) looking at them offshore, and got their attention. Then I pointed to the crash scene, G0!, as if I was their supervisor. In my commanding gesture, the safety crew proceeded to the overturn boat and wet driver. The safety guys were of good intention, but they just needed supervision. And the driver & flipped boat was not affiliated with the Mercury Team.

[lars strom]

In Stockholm, Sweden 2003 there was a really bad incident. A friend of mine Jari Honkala crashed his Formula 2000 boat.
He was strapped in and the rescue team could not get him out in the upside down boat.
Jari was under water for over 5 minutes..he was lucky tho survive but have not fully recovered.
Leif Ahlborg was the Officer of the Day for the race and he was so depressed he did not come to my birthday party the week after.
(Over 100 old racing boats friends was at the party)
At that time we did not know if Jari was going to make it or not.
Headlines in the Swedish media.
Sorry for Swedish only.

Nu kämpar svenske båtracingstjärnan Jari Honkala, 44, för sitt liv.



https://www.aftonbladet.se/sportblad...r-for-sitt-liv

[lars strom]

#9 Roger Jenkins switching from Burgess to Hodges in 1984. Evinrude F1-V8 power.

This was probably the last F1-V8 tunnel Chris Hodges built before switching to safety cells in 1985.