Nydahl Family

[Ron Hill]

I seems the Parker 9 Hour was always the first weekend in March, which worked great for people from the FROZEN mid West. Ray was pretty much the test driver for Jack Leek and OMC at the time. We we up at Savard's Motel and Bar, test on Lake Havasu at a place called Havasu Springs.

OMC had just built the first 100 cubic inch V-4 motors and Ray was driving Ernie Trekel's Switzer Wing. Ernie was a high school band teacher.

Ray's goal was to see 100 MPH and he saw it just before dark.

OMC stayed at Havasu Springs most of the month of February and as motel and bar, called Savard's. That night Ray and I were having a drink in Savard's bar. Old George Savard was a grouchy old man, but if I had a bar and a motel in the middle of no where, I'd be grouchy too.....especially, if I had toi tend bar, when other wer drinking.

Anyway, I was telling Ray, that my dad had received a new 1949 inch three cylinder Evinrude, from Edgar Rose and we were going to race it in F, if we could get it to run well. My dad had installed it on an old Evinrude torque tube on one of my 15:16 Konig gearcases. I said, when were tested it the motor didn't want to rev at high RPM, my dad thought maybe the coils were cutting in and out.

Ray starts to answer my questions and Jack Leek, yells across the bar to Ray and says, "Mr. Nydahl, that is 'classified' information." Ray turns to me and says, quietly, "Everyone in the bar and motel are with OMC....and talking about the new 49 inch three cylinder is 'classified'? **** Jack, I'm quitting OMC."

Ray quit OMC right after that and started making Nydalh hardware. I always felt that OMC's loss of Ray Nydahl was YUGE!

Polaroid picture of the first 49 cubic inch three cylinder racing OMC.