4 Attachment(s)
Lars "Lasse" Strom the Story-teller!!
To Ron Hill,
Dear Ron,
Please help me put the 4 photos on Boat Racing Facts this time, next time I train my son.
Picture 1
My SE Boat from 1974, I won the European SE Championship 1973,74,75 and 76.
At that time there was no World title for the SE class.
Picture 2
Poster of my Aspen/Evinrude F1 V8 Boat 1983, Stockholm GP, very big race part of the world Championship that year downtown Stockholm, 250,000 spectators.
Picture 3
A little story and photo in Swedish about me, but very interesting so please put it in.
I Translate one day. (Maybe)
Picture 4
World famous Erik Eriksson and Lars, I think Marina Del Ray, CA
Erik Eriksson was a good friend of mine, and a close friend to Ron Hill.
He past away in a Helicopter crash a few years ago, and Ron asked me for a Picture of Erik
Regards
Lars[/QUOTE]
Lars, you are good to go. Look for an email from me about your password. Time to start bragging about all those races! :)
3 Attachment(s)
" A Swedish success, propped into racing by a Norwegian
After a few years in the Sport, a big possibility opened up in
the winter 1972/73.
Hans Holmen who worked for Evinrude Sweden called me and said that Huzells and Evinrude
has picked me and one other Swede to get the new Evinrude 65 SS, that was designed
to be a winner in the SE class.
One condition, I have to buy a new SE Cat from Italy. There was two choices, Abbate or Clerici and I picked
Clerici without really a good reason.
We where late to order, but Clerici promise to have the boat ready in June that summer, but that was OK
because OMC was late with the new 65 SS also.
I friend of mine lent me and older Schultze cat and I used my stock Evinrude 65 hp.
At the Swedish Championship in Torsby, Varmland, I ended up around fifth.
Me and my dad Roland took the Coffee delivery truck and headed to Cremona, Italy with a big bag full of
Lire (Italian Cash) to pick up the new very good looking cat.
Back to Sweden to install the brand new 65 SS Evinrude, that had just arrived.
There was one big problem, this engine was using left hand props, and there was not many around.
I found one 2 blade prop used for the Mercury BP's, but not very fast at testing.
The big Race was the European Championship in Lappenranta Finland and OMC's Racing Boss
Jim Wagner, had a lay over in Stockholm on his way to Finland and I got a chance to test factory driver
Roger Jenkins propellers and my boat was flying.
This was a 3 bladed cleaver left hand rotation and Jim Wagner promise me that if I showed up in Finland he was
going to let me use Rogers spare prop.
Me, Holmen and friend Curre took the ferry to Finland and when we arrived at the race there was 45 boats
with Mercury, Carniti, Konigs, Evinrude and Johnson engines, but now Jenkins refused to let me borrow any
of his props.
I was very disappointed and was walking around in the pit, when I ran in to Tor Smith Ingebrittsen from
Norway.
He had an older home built boat, and he showed me his prop that looked like the one Jenkins used.
We made a deal and exchanged props with a handshake.
There was no time for testing and when they dropped the green flag I was flying through the field and after a few
laps I lead the race and pulled away.
I won the heat with half a lap, and everybody went crazy regarding my prop.
Many drivers offered my new friend from Norway lots of money for his prop, that he lent me but he was cool and said it belongs to Lars.
Next heat the Italian drivers was trying to run me over in the start, and later pushed me up on one of the
turning buoys and I was disqualified and had some damage to the boat but we fixed that overnight.
I do not remember the third heat, but I had to win the last one, and I did.
I was now declared the winner and the new European Champion, and Jim Wagner was forced to come over to my boat
and congratulate me.
Roger Jenkins went strait to the Airport and Wales, and Lars and his friends had the biggest after race
party they have ever seen in Lappenranta.
This was the beginning of my professional boat racing carrier and my Outboard Business success.
EDIT...This is Tor Smith Ingebrittsen..from Norway.
He let me use his special race- propeller in Lappenranta, Finland..to Win..!!
Thanks again Tor Smith..
The second picture is me just after the race..and than my Clerici/Evinrude SS # 99 boat
The unbeatable Piraya 17'
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mintominto
Love the wings on the 2 seater offshore boat, almost looks like an early predecessor of the Scandinavian batboats.
Thank you,
I built the Piraya 17' myself 1972-73 and used it 5 years, and nobody could beat me in that boat.
Very difficult to drive, feels more like a Cat than V-hull.
I have been told it looks like an Italian Dalapieta.
Kenty Sjoholm in Sweden that owns the molds, likes everything from Italy, so that is possible.
The big Offshore Race that happens once a year in Sweden is Roslagsloppet, and in 1976 I rigged the Piraya 17' with one of the first and very hot
Evinrude FT 19 S.
Bertil Wik was the copilot and we set the speed record, and I think it still holds.
More stories later about this boat
Lars and I Talked On His Way To Indy
<TABLE class=ipbtable cellSpacing=1><TBODY><TR><TD class=post1 id=post-main-260616 vAlign=top width="100%">Hi again Ron,
After today's phone call, I wrote a short story about Ron Hill and his prop shop at www.Boatlife.se , where I write my Racing story's.
In a nice way I bragged about all the good props you made for me when I was Racing and said that I really recommend Ron Hill to buy props from.
I hour later, there was a responds from Sture Sjoeberg in Sweden saying that don't say you know Sture Sjoeberg because I owe Ron $ 350.00 for a prop he purchased from me 20 years ago and Bertil Wik return it to me..
Bad casting, I guess.
See, what racing story's can do.
Regards
Lars Strom
I wrote back and asked Lars are you sure he owes ME???
Lars wrote back and said:
Ron,
Sture Sjoeberg owes you $ 350.00.
Lars
Keep up the great posts, talk with you after INDY.
ADD:
I never like to look back and worry about things, but often wonder how many props I've loaned out that I never got paid for... One year at Parker, Freddy Hartman walks up to me with a nice 30 cleaver in his hand....He says is this your prop Ron? I said I made it. He asked how much is a new one? I said $500. Freddy hands me $500 and said he'd borrowed it in the middle of the race a year before and he'd never paid me for it, figured I'd planned to take it back this year...Truth was, I never remember, even to this day, of giving him that prop....Got rid of that $500 without too much trouble that night at Sports Valley!!! No, that was Rod's $500 I spent at Sports Valley.....
See, Rod always liked racing at The Parker Enduro, and I'd make him pay for half the gas and half the entry fee...We'd have a big dinner for everyone of our crew and all...and the bill would be about $500. Rod would always give me his half ofthe gas and entry fee just about the time the bill came....Well, easy come, easy go!
Hey Lars...Tell us how you made MILLIONS OF U.S. DOLLARS while living in Sweden.....(LEGALLY)!!!!
Tell us more stories about Erick.....I never liked him flying those helicopters!!!
MORE PICTURES..PICTURES ARE GREAT!
I was selling Paul Kalb props like crazy when you were racing OE...seems that is when you were buying props from me!!!! Come to Parker and run a new E-Tec Evinrude, you must have one friend still there!!!! (At Evinrude)...Your English is much better than my Swedish!!!
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
The great outboard business!!!!
Ron Hill wrote:
Hey Lars...Tell us how you made MILLIONS OF U.S. DOLLARS while living in Sweden.....(LEGALLY)!!!!
///
Ha, ha Ron,
I am getting to that, but it started 1982 and went on for four years.
My good relationship as a dealer and my succesful Racing with OMC made this re/export to the
USA possible.
Many thousands of outboards was shipped back to the USA, and it was legal,
but not legal if you read the stickers OMC put on the Evinrude boxes sent
to Europe.
It is a long and interesting story but sensative, many people was upset for
some time and when I get to year 1982 of the Racing stories I will include
that.