Facts about Evinrude/Johnson racing outboards made my OMC

[lars strom]

Idroscalo, Italy 1983.

#18 Renato in his Martini/Molinari (wood)/Evinrude F1-V8.
Thanks Paolo Moro.

[lars strom]

Idroscalo, Italy 1983.

I like to ad..by far the best race site in Italy (in my opinion)
A two point race track three km long. (Second picture).
Next to the Linate Airport and a pit full of beautiful Italian girls..

#9 Roger Jenkins Carlsberg/Burgess/Evinrude F1-V8.
Thanks Paolo Moro.

[Instigator]

Lars, I just remembered that the Toledo Ohio F-1 race I attended in 88/89’, we went in the local boat dealer there, at the site, and they had a F-1 boat on their floor, for sale!

I wish I remembered the price.

[lars strom]

More UIM F1-V8 racing from Idroscalo, Italy 1983. The perfect place for boat racing.

Yes, thats me standing up in the #8 Aspen/Burgess/Evinrude V8.
Dont remember exactly why the other boat is upside down..looks like Renato Molinari but not sure.
My guess is a collision with another boat. Not me but if I remember right Rick had some damage to his beautiful black #6 Burgess.
One more thing..this was also the race when I got my first heat win in F1-V8 racing.
I am getting to that..
Thank you so much to Paolo Moro for the pictures..(I have more unseen pictures)

[Lake X Kid]

Idroscalo, Italy 1983.

I like to ad..by far the best race site in Italy (in my opinion)
A two point race track three km long. (Second picture).
Next to the Linate Airport and a pit full of beautiful Italian girls..

I think good a contender (and a scenic lake site) best picturesque race location in Italy is Auronzo Lake.

BTW Renato later won the race beating his cousin Scotti.

[Lake X Kid]

Hard to do the visualizations in boat racing as the track keeps changing I would of thought, perhaps lead lap from pole in a tunnel on flat water is different?
I certainly did that in slalom races in snow skiing, works for sure.

PB, the snow/ice surface changes a little too. When other skiers, before your runs, dig into the corners going around the pins changing the surfaces by plowing.

[lars strom]

@Lake X Kid

Yes I have been to Auronzo, Italy a few times for boat racing.
Beautiful place but in the middle of nowhere and no good looking Italian girls in the pit.
Also high up in the mountains and need special set up.
A distant second for me.
BTW..thanks for posting..

[lars strom]

More UIM F1-V8 racing from Idroscalo, Italy 1983. The perfect place for boat racing.

Yes, thats me standing up in the #8 Aspen/Burgess/Evinrude V8.
Dont remember exactly why the other boat is upside down..looks like Renato Molinari but not sure.
My guess is a collision with another boat. Not me but if I remember right Rick had some damage to his beautiful black #6 Burgess.
One more thing..this was also the race when I got my first heat win in F1-V8 racing.
I am getting to that..
Thank you so much to Paolo Moro for the pictures..(I have more unseen pictures)

Well..It took me all summer to get to this point but it finally happened at Idroscalo 1983. I got my first heat victory. Back then in Europe you raced 3 heat races and all 3 counted in the F1-V8 series.

From Powerboat & Waterskiing.

Lasse Strom drove the #8 Aspen Burgess to his first Formula I heat victory.

“He could barely believe it, at last his undisputed ability was there for all to
see – he had lost his anti-torque steering four laps from home – and it had looked
like it – but he made it anyway.
Jenkins held onto second slot and Percival who managed to negotiate Enrico Vidoli took
third place”.

First picture is the #8 Aspen/Burgess/Evinrude V8 first to the checkered flag..A great end to a very tough season for me.
All the rest is from Idroscalo, Italy 1983

[lars strom]

Idroscalo, Italy 1983. The last UIM F1-V8 race for the season.

One more picture of the #8 Aspen/Burgess/Evinrude F1-V8 on the way to the first heat victory.
Absolute perfect racing conditions. Calm flat water..a 3 km long 2 point race course.
The way I love it.

[lars strom]

More UIM F1-V8 racing from Idroscalo, Italy 1983. The perfect place for boat racing.

Yes, thats me standing up in the #8 Aspen/Burgess/Evinrude V8.
Dont remember exactly why the other boat is upside down..looks like Renato Molinari but not sure.
My guess is a collision with another boat. Not me but if I remember right Rick had some damage to his beautiful black #6 Burgess.
One more thing..this was also the race when I got my first heat win in F1-V8 racing.
I am getting to that..
Thank you so much to Paolo Moro for the pictures..(I have more unseen pictures)

It is #11 Bob Spalding in the third Martini/Evinrude boat for Team Molinari. Bob took over after Mark Wilson left.
Bob is helping the rescue team save his boat with a hole in the side.
This info is from Fabio Porta..Renato's best team worker. He remembers everything.
Thank you.

EDIT..Here is a picture of the #11 Martini/Molinari at Idroscalo 1983 before Bob Spalding took a swim with the beautiful boat.

[lars strom]

Canadian Mark Rotharmel's #15 Molinari/Evinrude V8 is in for "service" at Renato's boat factory in Como, Italy.
Getting ready for the race at Idroscalo, Italy 1984.
Thanks for the picture Mark R.
PS..Pretty sure its Fabio Porta under Mark's boat.
The second picture is the #15 boat in the race pit at Idroscalo.

[lars strom]

Continue with F1-V8 racing from Idroscalo, Italy 1983.
...by far the best race site in Italy..(maybe in south Europe)
A two point race track three km long. Next to the Linate Airport and a pit full of beautiful Italian girls..!!..
This black #6 beauty belongs Rick Frost. Trimite/Burgess/Johnson
We raced both OE/F3 & F1-V8 at the same time..Rick was a very good driver..never showed his emotions..just a strong tough friend/driver.
Thanks Paolo Moro for the picture.

[Bob V]

Lars...One of the things that makes your thread so great is that you include so much history with the pictures. Including the time period, the location, driver's name and names of others that appear in the pictures, brand of hull and details of the power plant make your pictures so much more meaningful.

Glad to see you posting again...

[lars strom]

Thanks @Bob V

Idroscalo 1983 and Cees Van Der Velden in his #1 Velden Racing/Johnson V8.

Cees was an interesting racing friend..you never know whats going to happen if you hang around him.
At the F1-V8 & F3/OE race in Vichy, France 1981 I could have won the World F3/OE title with enough points finish third or better in that race.
Instead of being smart I went for the win in the race.. but when I was leading the race I was getting ready to lap one of Cees F3/OE boats driven by a girl I cant remember the name of her right now.. She got scared..made a strange turn around the turning point..I could not avoid her..crashed in to her Johnson engine..the transom broke off her Velden boat..one of my pickle forks on the red AKAI/Burgess was completely gone..I did get back to the pit on my own..
Cees came running at the dock and screaming at me...That was stupid Lars..you destroyed my boat..!!
Well..Cees..I am sorry..I made a mistake..was my short answer..
Next heat was the F1-V8 race and I was watching Cees make a mistake in the first turn..he ran in to another boat..broke off his pickle fork and came limping in to the pit..
I walked up to Cees and said something like "what did you tell me 30 minutes ago Cees"..He looked at me and said..
F*ck you Lars..with a big smile..then we shook hands..

Thanks Paolo Moro for the picture.

We lost Cees in December of 2006.

R.I.P my friend.

[lars strom]

My friends overseas told me today the girls name racing F3/OE for Team Velden 1981 was Marleen de Bruyne from Holland.
With my sense of humor you could use Danica Patricks quote after a Nascar race in Talladega...
" I got drilled from behind"..and hit the wall.
I guess Marleen de Bruyne can say " I got drilled from behind"..by a Swede in Vichy, France..!!..


Marleen raced OE in Paris 6 Hours 1981..Boat #42