Facts about Evinrude/Johnson racing outboards made my OMC

**lars strom** · 07-04-2023, 10:58 AM

Happy 4th!

**WaterZebra** · 07-04-2023, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by lars strom

Ken Stevenson & Bob Spalding.

Ken Stevenson also oone of the only drivers to play both sides of the fence (OMC and Merc). Sadly, Ken did not live to see the opportunity to drive an OMC V8 as he surely would have.

**lars strom** · 07-04-2023, 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by WaterZebra

Ken Stevenson also oone of the only drivers to play both sides of the fence (OMC and Merc). Sadly, Ken did not live to see the opportunity to drive an OMC V8 as he surely would have.

#74 Ken Stevenson in the Sacramento F1-V8 race 1983.
Yes, its a Hodges with a wing in the front.

**lars strom** · 07-04-2023, 11:37 AM

Lars Strom

Ken Stevenson in his #74 Hodges F1-V8 boat with Johnson power.

I think this is Chattanooga 1983

R.I.P my friend

**WaterZebra** · 07-04-2023, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by lars strom

Lars Strom

Ken Stevenson in his #74 Hodges F1-V8 boat with Johnson power.

I think this is Chattanooga 1983

R.I.P my friend

That's right! There was that brief 2-3 years where OMC was doing the V8 tour and Merc was off in a corner trying to make their Champ boat program survive. If I remember correctly, Ken was killed in a blow over accident at some wierd Champ boat event in the Bahamas (Merc). Safety cockpits wouldn't really take place until 1985-1986?

**lars strom** · 07-04-2023, 06:29 PM

...

**lars strom** · 07-05-2023, 08:42 AM

#7 Jan de Vreng, UIM
F4/S850 European Championship 1987.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Sorry for not in English.

**Lake X Kid** · 07-05-2023, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by lars strom

If I remember correct Bob Spalding raced Johnson Stinger V4 1970 and left for Mercury 1971..
He stayed with Mercury Racing to the end of 1978.
1979 the new era for Bob Spalding started racing the Johnson RS V6 3 liter. I also remember Spalding racing the OE class in Sweden 1979 with a Velden/Johnson RS 3 cyl.
Spalding raced OMC only up the the end of 1985 when he won the UIM F1 V8 series in his Hodges/Evinrude V8 fuel injection.

https://svera.se/blogg/bob-spalding/

Tom Percival also, was driving an OMC powered race boat in 1970. Tom later joined the Mercury team in 1971 also, after Bob Spalding put a good word in with Roy Ridgell (Mercury European Race Manager) regarding his pal Tom.

**lars strom** · 07-05-2023, 03:15 PM

Thanks @Lake X Kid

A great racing memory from the F1-V8 race in Paris 1984.

#10 Tom Percival/Hodges/Evinrude and me Lars Strom #8 Burgess/Evinrude was racing for ITC "International Travel Card"

I finally found a picture of my ITC/ Burgess (not very good) from the F1-V8 race in Paris 1984.
This is pretty special for me because Tom Percival and me raced for the same team sponsor "International Travel Card". Tom was such a nice friend and great racer. We did lots of promotions together that week in Paris.
This was also one of Toms last races. We lost Tom in a tragic racing accident in Liege, Belgium later same year.
R.I.P my friend.

**lars strom** · 07-06-2023, 09:53 AM

A couple of Johnson Stinger GP V4.

**lars strom** · 07-07-2023, 09:26 AM

Andy Bullen.

**lars strom** · 07-07-2023, 11:27 AM

Cathy McConnell

The Day that changed Our Lives…… 38 years ago….. July 6, 1985.

**Amberjack1234** · 07-07-2023, 01:09 PM

I’m looking at this Veldin boat with the way the inner the sponson’s on the deck on the boat is shaped to move the lift further back on the deck so the boat runs flatter. I think I was one of the first shape a boat like that back in 1975 on the Al Martin boat that I had built in Miami Florida to race with a Johnson, super strangler and then a mercury 1750 XS it was a copy of a pickle fork Molinary, but we worked on the bottom with a lot of different things. Double stepped it, and re-shaped the deck a couple of times most usually after I went on my head experimenting Amberjack

**Amberjack1234** · 07-07-2023, 01:20 PM

Don’t get me started on bombardier stopping the manufacture of Evinrude. I could spit nails when I had my boat shop back in the 70s. I sold Johnson mariner, Suzuki Zuki motorcycles. We did pretty damn good for a small shop and thanks dude our rep Mr. Burt Ross we were always taken care of by OMC. This is Zuki outboards were in line fours and threes at the time to Stokes of course and looked like Chryslers. They just came out with their two stroke. V6 when I closed up Ross we were always taken care of by OMC. This is Zuki outboards we’re in line fours and threes at the time to Stokes of course and looked like Chryslers. They just came out with their two-stroke. V6 when I closed up my shop. I had to buy a truckload of Mariners to get the dealership so we could get the service on mercury parts down in Homestead Florida to compete with an Old, Bernie Layson. Anyway, when I started this thread, almost forgot where I was going Suzuki, and made a deal with Johnson to make motors for them under the Johnson badge. Why in the blue Hell couldn’t those silly people at bombardier do the same thing for Evinrude no, they just quit entirely, so don’t get me started

**lars strom** · 07-07-2023, 02:21 PM

Will Wood

Evinrude still going strong. Racing on Windermere this Saturday from Midday at Windermere Motor Boat Racing Club.

E-TEC 150HO/ Phantom 18. Winning combo