Facts about Evinrude/Johnson racing outboards made my OMC

[WaterZebra]

My experience with cooling water for the 75HP Evinrude.
Long story..

European Champion for the third consecutive year 1975

After the Nordic Championship race in Forsaa, Finland and my enormous success in the SE class the
past 3 years winning over 50 races rumors was circulating that I had a special engine from OMC.

Well, I DID NOT and the engine I used on my own Clerici SE boat 1975 was a stock short leg 75 Hp Evinrude from my inventory at my dealership.
A legal higher compression cylinder head was the only change, and the race power trim and stiff rubber mount.
I can tell the truth now, and the speed advantage was from the boat and the set up and my driving style.
The way to get the better top speed was to raise the engine up much higher than normal race set up.
The stock gear case was like a brake, and I was 2-3″ above everybody else, BUT that made it very difficult to drive/handle the boat.
The prop lost the grip, and the engine lost the cooling water but the trick was to just before the prop lost the grip to use power trim and throttle/steering to avoid that to happen.
I tested for many days and weeks how far you could drive before the engine started to
overheat and that was around 900 meters.
I lost many powerheads before I found out a way to back of just a little to pick up enough water to cool the engine on the straight a way before the turn.
On top of that you have to use the power trim in and out in a special way to make the “air bag” under the tunnel to lift the boat and I have to say that was my best
advantage.
The European Championship race this year was in Sabaudia Italy.
(Remember..in the UIM SE class this was the biggest most important race you could win. UIM did not have a World Championship title in the SE class in the seventies).
I called friends in Italy to find out about this new place for the race and was told that it is in a Lagoon, shallow water and flat water.
That was for me great news, and I worked on raising the engine even higher on the transom and picked up a few more MPH.
Stockholm GP was the weekend before the big one in Italy. I used the Stockholm GP race as a test.
Bad news..I screwed up.. hooked and rolled..but did not hurt myself.
There was plenty of damage the my #1 Clerici boat, a few days after I told Paul Kalb that I preferred
to race my own boat instead of the factory SE boat.
I got help from a local boat builder to repair my boat just in time to make it to Italy.
Did use spray can paint to the repaired wood on the boat at different rest areas on the Autobahn.
Normally I was hiding everything I was doing, (learned from Molinari) but for this big important race I changed that.
Parked the boat in the pit so everybody could see my set up and prop.
I told the Race officials that I want my engine inspected before the
race to put an end to “the special engine”rumor.
They said No, but told me that my engine is going to be inspected very seriously after the race if I was the winner.
I have never felt so ready to win a race and now all the good things started to happen.
Around 35 boats was at the race, and most drivers looked at my race set up and started to raise up there engines higher. That was my plan…
Mercury had maybe 10 drivers using the 650 XS.
4 heat, 3 counts and clock start and I was pretty good at them and took the start and turned first.
Then just pulled away on the long two turn race course.
Many drivers was hooking left and right, because they could not
drive with the engine that high.
This race was for me a perfect one. I won 3 heat in a row and did not race the last one.
I asked the officials to start taking my engine apart and they did.
The power head, mid section even the gear case to check gears and impeller and everybody could now see it was a stock 75 hp Evinrude.
Never worked on the ports or pistons.
Just standard.
Lots of disappointed people when my engine was cleared, but
Lars was happy and the European Champion for the third consecutive year.

This is an excellent example where determination in testing and evaluating the results paid off. Other racers simply don't put forth this kind of effort and then bitch that you were cheating with a "special" engine. I wanted to experiment with exhaust tuners and was willing to give up my race heat points in advance and use the race as a test session and one guy still bitched. That's the point where I started to leave my outfit parked in the driveway.

[powerabout]

I love it when the guy with the illegal engine gets beaten by someone that spent the time and effort on other things.

[lars strom]

The "sport classes" were supposed to be powered by "stock" engines available thru any dealer. What was a factory support truck doing with "stock" powerheads in the first place"?! Sport classes were intended to prevent racers with deep pockets from dominating? One of the most powerful rules we had to prevent this kind of behavior was the "engine claimer" rule. Loosing racers had the option of "claiming" the winner's engine if the winner appeared to be dominating the race events.

Well..not in Europe..

The UIM SE class was by far the largest racing class in the seventies. Some races could have 40 SE boats at the races.
One reason was OMC and distributors in most country's supported the class with low price new engines and parts.
1975 I was hired by OMC for a few races. I won Rouen 24 hours in a factory owned boat but also won SE races with my own boat and engines from my dealership.

Our SE class Victory in the Rouen 24 hours 1975

This was my first race as an Evinrude factory driver for OMC 1975

https://svera.se/blogg/racing-histor...24-hours-1975/


The Amsterdam 3 hours victory was in my own Clerici/Evinrude Hustler.

https://svera.se/blogg/racing-historier/bo-and-i-team-up-for-our-first-trip-to-england-later-1975/

[lars strom]

UIM OE/F3 class.
No more info.

Jean-Luc Izard

Boat is a Gardin early 80’ - by Primo Gardin from Lignano (Italia).
Light and fast for formula 3.

[2us70]

I raced other classes but always considered myself a SE Class guy.

[lars strom]

g2.

[lars strom]

Argo Cat/Johnson V8 300 GT

[lars strom]

Lasse Ström is with Olle Magnusson and Roland Rosenholtz.

From the dry F1-V8 pit Stockholm GP 1983.

[lars strom]

#21 Lennart Ström Burgess/Evinrude CC is "ready to fly" in London GP 1983

[lars strom]

Renato Molinari 1989.

[lars strom]

The Tom & Bob Event.

[lars strom]

#12 Francois Salabert
Benson and Hedges/Molinari/Johnson F1-V8.

[lars strom]

Little die casts BRP gave out to employees.

[lars strom]

Not many people know this but around 1992 OMC sold a Cobra Stern Drive Diesel. The engine was made by Steyr in Austria and a few was sold in Sweden.
It did use the Cone Clutch King Cobra drive.

[lars strom]

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