Facts about Evinrude/Johnson racing outboards made my OMC

[lars strom]

Today I received this fantastic picture..!!

Wow..I have to go Off Topic..

As many already know...late 1976 I did have a major fall out with OMC and the European racing boss..and switched to Volvo Penta racing built by Dieter Konig 1977 in the UIM OE class.

Well..I have been asked many times about the OMC fall out 1976..

Huzells – OMC..My fall out with OMC late 1976.


Here is part one.

This is a long story and we must go back to early 1971 when my racing relationship with Evinrude and Huzells started.
Huzells was a great company and the main business was supplying parts, tools and shop equipment for car dealers in Scandinavia based out of Karlstad, Sweden.
The owner Billy Huzell was a very active owner and he hired Bengt Nilsson to run Huzells Marine division in Stockholm.
Huzells Marine division was the distributor for Evinrude in Sweden.

1971


Huzells was getting involved in outboard racing mainly in Sweden and sponsored some races and drivers.
They did have a program for race drivers..to purchase Evinrude outboards and parts for a very good deal.


1972


I signed up for this program and got a brand new Evinrude 65HP including racing propellers and parts.
See Huzells 1972 ad.



Turned out great I won the UIM E class Swedish Championship 1972 and Huzells invited me to the yearly Evinrude dealer meeting in Spain.

1973


I got the call from Huzells about the new Evinrude 65SS for the UIM SE class and Huzells was going to give me one as a loaner but I must purchase a new tunnelboat from Italy. I did and the rest is history I won the biggest UIM SE class race in Finland over OMC's factory drivers. OMC racing in Belgium did not even let me use a propeller as the European racing boss promised me if I came to the race in Finland.
After the 1973 success Billy Huzell told Bengt Nilsson the man in charge for Huzells marine division to pay me for my boats, travel expenses and a big bonus for 1973. I was so happy with Huzells.


1974


Same thing..Huzells took really good care of me, purchased new race boats, free outboards etc etc. Very generous with my travel expenses and of course a large bonus after the season. I won at last 30 races and repeated my UIM SE class European Champion title in Evian, France. (There was no UIM SE class World Title)
The Swedish market was huge back then in new outboard sales (third in Europe) and Huzells was doing extremely well.

Huzells/Evinrude did have 35-40% of the market..It was only Evinrude/Johnson/Merc/Penta at that time. A few Chrysler, Yamaha and Seagull.
Huzells promoted Evinrude very well..Involved ABBA with Evinrude and my racing. Billy Huzell came to races to help and support me and other Evinrude racers.

All the Evinrude dealers in Sweden was happy. You could always tell that at the yearly dealer meeting in Spain. Canary Islands is more correct. Yes I was there.
Billy Huzell told me late 1974 to start looking for a location in Nacka to get my own Evinrude dealership.



1975
Same thing..Huzells backed my racing up even better..and I won tons of races. Kept my UIM SE class European title by winning in Sabaudia, Italy. I also drove for OMC racing in Brygge, Belgium.
Won the Rouen 24 hours in the factory owned SE class boat.
One sad incident..I crashed bad and hurt myself testing a new UIM OE class Burgess owned by OMC racing in Brugge.
I was not happy the way I was told to do the testing.
Late 1975 Utbordarspecialisten Lasse Ström Marin opened the doors in Nacka.
Huzells backed me up with lots of stuff.
Great credit..Huzells paid for lots of stuff to promote my exclusive Evinrude dealership located at my home turf.
At that time the local media loved doing stories of my racing and dealership.

Picture: Billy at the races and Billy and me at his birthday..(50 Years)




1976


Same thing..Huzells backed my racing up even better than 1975....but...I could tell something was not right..I asked Billy and Bengt Nilsson but no answer.
1976 was also the best year ever for new outboard sales in Sweden..around 50 000 new outboards was sold..a big big part of that was Evinrude..I did extremely good in my first full year as a dealer..sold a few hundred mainly larger outboards.
The 1976 UIM SE class European Championship race was this year in Sweden and guess who won..!!
I got the UIM SE class title four years in a row..newer done before or after in this very popular SE class..but...
now I was 100% sure something big was wrong between Huzells and OMC..because Billy Huzell did not come to the race I won in Nora, Sweden..
Pictures..my outboard business ads.



Part two next

[lars strom]

Part 2

My OMC fall out 1976.


..so a few days later I was finally told the facts but very secret..because legal action was going on from mostly Huzells side.

In the fall of 1976 OMC invited all Swedish Evinrude dealers (around 200) to a meeting at Malmen Hotel in Stockholm.
OMC introduced a British expert in how to stop Japanese companies taking over market shares from US and European companies in Europe..
All the dealers was thinking the same thing..WOW..British..??..they did really poorly saving Norton, Triumph etc in the British motorcycle business..they where already gone 1976..
OMC was told by this British company to kick out the distributors like Huzells and AGB..(Johnson) and open up OMC controlled subsidiary/ daughter companies in most of the European counties. This was the future.
As of January 1 1977 OMS Sweden was now going to run Evinrude/Johnson in Sweden.
Only good thing in my opinion was a few weeks later OMC told us my friend Bengt Nilsson from Huzells Marin was going to be the CEO for OMS Sweden.
As a dealer we got plenty of mail regarding OMS Sweden policies etc.
The new OMC Europe racing policy was everything must be run by the European racing boss in Brygge..OMS Sweden could not support racing..This was it for me...!!
A few days later I met up with my old friend Rutger Friberg..he was in charge of Volvo Penta outboards based in Gotenburg. Roger Jenkins was already running Volvo Penta/Konig in the UIM OE class and did great.
Rutger was a powerful man within Volvo and a yacht sailing friend with Per Gyllenhammar the CEO for Volvo Cars.
A few weeks later I signed a great deal with Volvo Penta of Sweden..a few steps better than the ones I use to have with Huzells.

Racing International and local in the UIM OE/F3 class with full support from Gert Lowisin & Dieter König.

I told my friend Bengt Nilsson the CEO for the just started OMS Sweden..He was disappointed and said its going to hurt your Evinrude sales.
Well..what Bengt and OMC did not know was...
Billy Huzell.. a very smart pissed off business man..he was not going to roll over and play dead..
Billy traveled to Japan..signed a deal with Suzuki outboards to be the distributor not only for Suzuki outboards but also Suzuki motorcycles starting early 1977.
AGB..the former Johnson distributor signed a deal with Brunswick to be the distributor for Mariner in Sweden.
The same thing happened in most European countries..
OMC got what they wanted but opened the door big time for the Japanese outboards..
For sure this big OMC mistake was in my opinion the start for OMC's down spiral..

First picture is Rutger Friberg and me.
Second: Rutger and Per Gyllenhammar

[lars strom]

Here is the letter from OMC Racing in Brygge, Belgium January, 1977.
Says it all..
The OMC sales department in Belgium was helpful but not the racing department.

[BLisBack!]

More from the home of Dieter König..I think this is from Lake Tegel, (West) Berlin 1977.
A beautiful lake for boat racing.
Again my black UIM F3/OE Molinari #40 with the powerful König in Volvo Penta colors.
This weekend stared great but ended bad..for me..

Thanks Carl Lowisin for the pictures..PS..More is coming.

Man those are some smoking vintage German chicks!

-BL

[lars strom]

This is from Lake Tegel in Berlin a few weeks before Paris 6 hours 1977. With help from Dieter Konig the black #40 Molinari was even faster now. If I remember correct it was a four heat race.
Dieters sister's son Joachim Mareth was using the 6 cylinder Konig and remember winning a heat over him.
Long story short..I only needed a third or so to win the race in the last heat ..but was pushing hard leading way up front over Michael Werner, Becker and others.
Lake Tegel is a pretty large lake with open water..I did not see the swell and took off...wide open at the end of the straight away..
Everyone who have flipped know the silence up in the air..but you know big pain is coming your way..and it did..
Remember "hanging in my life jacket in the water" when ADAC safety arrived..but I could not breath..very scary..ADAC got me up in the rescue boat.. no ribs was broken and I finally was able to breath on my own again..

[lars strom]

A Volvo Penta/König outboard in Paris Six Hours 1977.

After a really tough racing season 1977 Dieter Konig asked me if I was ready for the biggest race of the year..
I said yes and asked Dieter Konigs sisters son Joachim Mareth to be my co-pilot.

Well..A König engine in a Six Hour race does not make sense for any one that knows about boat racing.!!

Dieter was ready to make a special engine and we must use a 50/50 mix of racing fuel and methanol. The engine was using to much of 100% methanol.
We did a lot of testing and kept the good top speed with the 50/50 fuel and a marathon set up.
Finally Dieter also agree to install a electric fuel pump instead of the pressure fuel tank..

We where heading to Paris with my Chevy Van and the French Customs stopped us at the border in to France.
The Officer checked the van and asked about the 75 gallons of Methanol..
My answer: its our fuel was for racing 6 hours in Paris.!!.
He did not like my answer..
The Officer checked the book and it said Methanol was Alcohol. We where now heading for jail.
After a big fine we where going again.

Lots of attention in the Paris Six Hour pit..a Molinari with a König outboard covered up by a Volvo engine cover in a six hour race..!!
Most people was shaking the heads..They are not going to last long..

This year the Paris race was where rough and windy..I took the start and we kept the lead after the refueling and driver change.
You can see the #68 Molinari in this video picture of the start.






Angelo Vassena of Italy was the only OE boat that could keep up with our speed.
I was ahead of Angelo after four hours when I hit some debris in the river Seine and sank.
I could not believe it..now the König engine was holding up and the Molinari boat sank..end of story.

In the first picture below you can see Dieter..(red arrow) and Joachim Mareth (blue arrow)..
Well my racing suit looks to big..the other one was damaged in a crash a few weeks before the Paris 6 Hour race..




More from the pit..Paris 6 hours 1977.
To the left of me.. is Bertil Wik (white arrow) and to the right..Dieter Konig (red arrow)..

[2us70]

That " O ****" moment when the prop clears the water is the same for all of us.

This is from Lake Tegel in Berlin a few weeks before Paris 6 hours 1977. With help from Dieter Konig the black #40 Molinari was even faster now. If I remember correct it was a four heat race.
Dieters sister's son Joachim Mareth was using the 6 cylinder Konig and remember winning a heat over him.
Long story short..I only needed a third or so to win the race in the last heat ..but was pushing hard leading way up front over Michael Werner, Becker and others.
Lake Tegel is a pretty large lake with open water..I did not see the swell and took off...wide open at the end of the straight away..
Everyone who have flipped know the silence up in the air..but you know big pain is coming your way..and it did..
Remember "hanging in my life jacket in the water" when ADAC safety arrived..but I could not breath..very scary..ADAC got me up in the rescue boat.. no ribs was broken and I finally was able to breath on my own again..

[BLisBack!]

So what did OMC do that eventually pushed them ahead of Konig's design?

-BL

[John Schubert]

So what did OMC do that eventually pushed them ahead of Konig's design?

-BL

Jim Nerstrom went to work refining the OE/Mod 50. It was fast, looped & naturally tuned exhaust. Besides, the Konigs didn’t have durability. Even their circle race motors were limited to a specific amount of time before the crank pins & bearings needed replacement.

[BLisBack!]

So the Konig was a crossflow design?

-BL

[lars strom]

Well..I dont have a good picture of the Konig rotary valve UIM OE class 3 cylinder engine.
I have the close up pictures of the belt for the rotary valve.

I can tell you this..when Dieter Konig and Gert Lowisin finally got the big HP out of my engine..the black #40 Molinari was extremely fast.
100 Knots at testing under good condition..(115 MPH)..1977

@BLisBack! ..

The Volvo Penta Konig UIM OE class 3 cylinder was a very advanced powerful looper with a rotary valve.
König's 6 cylinder UIM OE class engine was one snap better.
Than the killer..König's 8 cylinder UIM OE class engine was developed..picture coming..
I could beat the König 6 cylinder with my OMC 1981 and 1982..but when Konig came with the 8 cylinder for sprint racing....
..UIM banned Methanol.. and the UIM OE/F3 World series made longer races to keep Konig out.

[lars strom]

Here it is..!!

Ulrich Rochel and his Burgess UIM OE/F3 class 8-cylinder König...lots of power and speed.

[BLisBack!]

Ah! That explains the belt! Interesting induction on the V8, looks like carbs with an additional gate like air intake to the side. No belt though? Internal actuation of the valves?

-BL

[lars strom]

Ah! That explains the belt! Interesting induction on the V8, looks like carbs with an additional gate like air intake to the side. No belt though? Internal actuation of the valves?

-BL

It was a boxer 8 cylinder..not a V8..I really don't know details about König engines after I left König - Volvo Penta but I am going to tell the story in details why I went back to OMC after the 1977 season.
Again..thanks for following this thread..very few overhere in the US does know what was going on in the UIM OE-F3 class but it was an extremely popular class..
Probably I am the only one alive today who was involved with the UIM OE class from the very beginning 1974 all the way up the the FR-31M engine and the end of the class.
Yes..best racing class ever..

[BLisBack!]

No! Thank you for all the incredibly interesting history. You were very fortunate to be a part of an amazing era. Most of us had never heard and probably never would’ve heard of all that was going on in Europe at the time. Simply amazing. Thank you for sharing.

-BL