Facts about Evinrude/Johnson racing outboards made my OMC

[Rotary John]

David's own..(I wish I had one)

His dad Clarence Blanchard designed this. Clarance was also responsible for the latest gearcase shape and was a masterful carver of duck decoys.

[lars strom]

A French racing poster from the late seventies.

[lars strom]

Paris 6 Hours 1979 and the brutal UIM OZ class.

#3 Renato & Barry Woods. I think Barry is driving in this picture.

[lars strom]

Paris 6 Hours 1979.

Mercury Marine did have three OZ class boats with the T-4 3.4 liter V6 power in the race.
You see them here at the start.





#12 was Billy Seebold & Earl Bentz.

[lars strom]

Paris 6 Hours 1979.

OMC's Jimbo McConnell had a very bad day in the OZ class.

[lars strom]

Paris 6 Hours 1979.

I raced the OE class 1979 and still remember how rough the race was that year.
Lots of crashes and incidents on the very long course.

After half the race..lots of boats was gone. Here is a short story from Powerboat And Waterskiing.

[lars strom]

Paris 6 Hours 1979.

Cees and Tom Posey in the #4

Renato and Barry Woods #3

[lars strom]

Paris 6 Hours 1979 Result.

[lars strom]

Paris 6 Hours 1979.

OMC's Jimbo McConnell had a very bad day in the OZ class.

Paris 6 Hours 1979.

I just got this from Cathy McConnell..#2 Jimbo McConnell.

Cathy McConnell

This was Jimbo in the Paris race, about 3 minutes in……..

[techteam]

Ive messaged Craig as I happen to have 1 to get rid of.

[WaterZebra]

Paris 6 Hours 1979.

Mercury Marine did have three OZ class boats with the T-4 3.4 liter V6 power in the race.
You see them here at the start.





#12 was Billy Seebold & Earl Bentz.

I can't recall OMC and Mercury going head to head with their big V6 stuff other than the 1979 Paris 6 Hour event? They definitely didn't have any short course sprint events together?

[lars strom]

@WaterZebra

OMC and Mercury in the UIM OZ class 1979..

This is from another S&F thread..

My memories of the Merc T-4

The Merc T-4 was introduced in Bristol/Embassy GP 1979.

I traveled to Bristol as a spectator to meet people about my future OZ class racing. Raced the OZ class with one of Renato Molinari's Saffa boats in the last race 1978. (Paris).
Remember asking Jack Leek about the new Merc in Bristol..is it a V8 or a large V6..??
Jack was not sure and asked me to try to found out more about the T-4.
I was standing next to Seebold's boat for a long time watching Team Mercury work on the boat.
I did see parts of the fuel injection and could count the small clear hoses. Only six, not eight and I did see this a few times.
(Team Mercury was covering everything up with a tarp)
Went back to Jack Leek and told him I was 100% sure it was a large V6, not a V8.
Billy Seebold and Earl Benz dominated the Bristol race 1979.
I was at many European races 1979 when Mercury raced the T-4.
Chasewater, Milan and Paris to name a few.
I can also tell that Roger Jenkins raced a T-4 with Mariner colors. Remember him or maybe Tom Percival complaining that they got the carburetor model..not the fuel injected T-4. Not sure if this was true or not.
I was also in Bristol 1980 for the last race of the Mercury T-4 in the tunnel boat racing.
Well..later I guess 1984 the Merc T-4 was back again to try to race the OMC V8.
I have many stories about that on my own thread here at S&F.

[lars strom]

Bristol/Embassy GP 1979 UIM OZ class.

Renato in the cockpit and his brother Giorgio standing next to the Molinari/Saffa/Evinrude V6 CCC 3 liter looper.

[lars strom]

Bristol/Embassy GP 1979 UIM OZ class.

[lars strom]

JPS/OMC/Veldens 2 seater from 1981.