Originally Posted by
Lars Strom
Hi again,
Well, 1977 was a year when OMC Racing had the first setback from Japanese outboards slowly taking over
in Europe.
The year before, OMC told all the distributors in most countries in Europe that OMC is going to
take over.
For example, Evinrude in Sweden was imported by Huzells, and I had a very good relationship with Huzells
and they gave me lots of money to race Evinrude Outboards.
Johnson had AGB in Sweden and they where good for drivers using Johnson outboards.
This is in my opinion the first really big mistake OMC made, and was the start for lots of bad mistakes,
that sadly put the them out of business later, as we all know.
Huzells owner Bill Huzell was really upset with OMC taking his business away after 10 years of hard work to distribute
Evinrude in Sweden, so he went to Japan and took over Suzuki outboards for Sweden.
His old Evinrude dealers in Sweden liked Billy, and they all signed up to have Suzuki as a second
brand.
AGB did the same thing, and grabbed the Mariner Brand for Sweden.
I can still not understand that OMC did not think better, Billy Huzell was a rich smart business man and his
top priority was to make Suzuki Outboards very strong in Sweden now, and that's how the price war
started in Europe.
Remember, OMC did the same thing in most countries overseas.
I was loyal OMC, and stayed as an exclusive Evinrude dealer, but 90 % of the Evinrude dealers
was now Evinrude/Suzuki and on the Johnson side Johnson/Mariner.
Back to Racing,
1977 was now the first year Evinrude/Johnson was distributed in Sweden by OMC Sweden and the policy
was, NO RACING and everything had to go true Paul Kalb at OMC's European headquarter in Brugge, Belgium,
and his budget was cut in half.
My relationship with Paul Kalb (Racing boss Europe) was not so good, he had his favorite drivers and I always won over them.
1977 was also the year when Molinari started Racing for OMC, but Renatos deal was with OMC USA,
not Belgium.
I had a brand new Mod 50/F3 Molinari Boat on order and an Evinrude engine for that boat, but after a meeting
with the BIG man at Volvo Penta, Sweden we made a deal and I got my biggest check ever (at that time) to
Race Volvo Penta/Konig in Mod 50/F3 1977.
I went to Como, to pick up my new boat, and to Clerici to pick up a second boat if the Molinari Boat
did not work with the Volvo.
Direct to Dieter Konig, West Berlin to install engines and after that Uppsala, Sweden where
the Volvo Penta outboard factory was located, and Gert Lowisin was living next door.
My deal with Volvo was to have Gert Lowisin 24/7 to help me that year in racing, and Gert was a very
good man to have on your side.
This was a very interesting year for me in Racing, and I raced more or less every weekend somewhere
in Europe, and when "that thing" on the transom stayed together I Won, but most of the times it came a part.
Believe it or not, but I raced Paris 6 hours with a Konig..... and was leading with many laps after
4 hours, when I hit something and sank.... not the engine this time.
We used 50/50 Gasoline/Methanol and it did not take away to many horsepower.
The Sprint World Champion Ship OE that year was in Brodenbach, and OMC was not very happy
with Lars racing a Volvo and Jenkins Racing a Archimedes. (Same thing)
Michael Werner was the home favorite with Mercury's secret OE engine with the EFI box.
OMC at that time did not have the speed, and where using the "Gas in a bottle" ( laughing gas), to make it better,
but the officials of the Race said it was not legal, so OMC never raced and filed a protest.
I was fighting hard with Werner and won one heat, he the next etc. and it was down to the final heat
I had to win on a better time and I did, but then the Race officials said that my heat was 2/10 of a second
slower than Werner's so he was now the World Champ. (at that time they used stop watches)
I don't now if it was right or wrong, but a week later UIM made a decision about the OMC protest and the Race
was not a official World Championship Race anymore.
There is many stories about my year with Volvo/Konig and I can go back to that later.
When it comes to money, it was a very good year but I did not get the Trophy's I wanted so after Paris
6 Hours I told Volvo that, I am out.
Volvo did not have a problem with that and late 1978, the Volvo Penta outboards
was history.
Not many people know that, but Volvo Penta Outboards was the first one the Japanese Outboards
put out of business.
Well, maybe they killed them self with poorly designed production outboards.....
One more thing,
My real name is Lars Strom, in Sweden your nick name for Lars is Lasse, but over here Lassie is a dog,
so my name is now Lars.....
Sorry, one more thing.
I am going to stick with my plan to tell my Racing Story's year by year, that is the only way to remember
correct, so next time I am back to Lappenranta, Finland 1973.