Jackie Wilson..

[Rotary John]

Jackie..I finally found a picture of my "production line, everyday, take granny for a spin pleasure boat" Fletcher from 1986..
This was my own toy that summer..
Yes, it is the Evinrude V-8 with OMC power steering.

Lars: your granny must have had brass b*** to ride in that rig with you. It had to be some ride.

[jackie wilson]

Jackie..I finally found a picture of my "production line, everyday, take granny for a spin pleasure boat" Fletcher from 1986..
This was my own toy that summer..
Yes, it is the Evinrude V-8 with OMC power steering.


EDIT..
Here is the right and much longer video from the Stockholm F1 V8 Race 1983/84

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UylWSQjJYw

Yeah Yeah Yeah Lasse------But your a Swede and that was Sweden and you were just daft enough to do it
Bit like putting a 50 Koenig on a 6' canoe !!!!!!!!!!

[jackie wilson]

Well..Jackie..there was plenty of Mercs in the OZ class..all the way up to T-4..
For example..Bristol 1979 and 1980.

Maybe this is the right Fomula...

Yes Lasse--but only if they could get past the court injunctions and bloody stupid politics that were running rife in the sport at that time.

Remember Seebold and his antics at Bristol when Leo swopped the powerhead in about 4 minutes and put the whole fleet of V8's behind him with a stretched 2 litre.

I know it was the early version of the V8-----i've heard it all before

[jackie wilson]

Yes Lasse--but only if they could get past the court injunctions and bloody stupid politics that were running rife in the sport at that time.

Remember Seebold and his antics at Bristol when Leo swopped the powerhead in about 4 minutes and put the whole fleet of V8's behind him with a stretched 2 litre.

I know it was the early version of the V8-----i've heard it all before

OMC had threatened not to run at Bristol if Charlie Shepperd allowed the Mercs to run the OZ class but he simply told them to get lost.
He was the guy who originated the Formula classes in powerboating and was not enamoured with the underhanded way OMC manipulated the voting using the eastern block votes of Russia-Hungary-Chechnia---and others who thought a formula was a baby feed at the UIM meeting.


I used to love Auronzo------a tiny resort high up in the Dolomites where you had to alter all your settings as it was very thin air up there.

Mark had won the first heat comfortably with his favourite boat------The EX Bentz sprint Seebold [best boat he ever had in my opinion] and looked set to continue.
Second heat saw a bunch of the minor runners jump the start, Mark and Renato raced through the pack with Mark having the inside line to the turn and Renato out wide with Pellolio between, Renato clouted his team mate and pushed him into Mark which did not best please the boy.
After the race Mark headed straight for Renato yelling he was going to tear his head off and stick it up his rectum ----------Renato just ran, with Mark in "HOT PURSUIT" all round the campers until he reached his own truck and locked himself in. Mark hammered the door but Renato would not come out.
Yes i do remember a lot of the races at Auronzo------the exact years i could no longer tell you with any accuracy------i do know the locals knew their racing very well indeed and hydro's were their favourites----and the water was 1degree above freezing.

[jackie wilson]

Well..Jackie..there was plenty of Mercs in the OZ class..all the way up to T-4..
For example..Bristol 1979 and 1980.

Maybe this is the right Fomula...

Lasse i think it right that no matter the size of any boat, give it a set of rules and workable boundaries and limits in weight ---length---breadth. engine size etc and go racing,

OZ never had any rules---it was open ended------how could it be formula 1--------there never was a formula--------you could race -turbines-----wankels-----2 strokes----baby carriages and steam trains--tug boats and banana skins -----secret sh--t and experimental stuff.

Charlie's Formula way was the way to go----but governed and not abused.

[Lars Strom]

Yes Lasse--but only if they could get past the court injunctions and bloody stupid politics that were running rife in the sport at that time.

Remember Seebold and his antics at Bristol when Leo swopped the powerhead in about 4 minutes and put the whole fleet of V8's behind him with a stretched 2 litre.
I know it was the early version of the V8-----i've heard it all before

Jackie..I think the Merc people has one way of telling this story and the OMC friends another..
It is always the Merc people bringing this up..

For the first time a give my side of the Bristol OZ class race 1982.
First..I was there.. racing Formula 3 and was leading F-3 to the last lap..Engine broke down..
Same thing with Molinari..He was leading and broke down..

By the way..Merc used the much lighter 2 liter + powerhead..
Why did not Leo put the 3.4 liter T-4 power head on the boat instead..
We all now the answer to that..

It was an advantage in the ruff water with left/right turns in Bristol to run the lighter
2 liter + engine..and again..Molinari broke down in the lead with the aluminum F1-V8 boat..

One more thing..Mr. Bill was the best driver ever in Bristol.. nobody can argue about that


Picture show the Molinari aluminum boat that broke down late in the ..OZ race Bristol 1982.
Renato used the same boat in Leon, Spain spring 1982 and was leading by half a lap when the boat came apart and sunk in a few seconds..Jenkins won..Not for being the fastest boat..but he made it to the finish line..
Thats how you win races...at the last lap...

[Lars Strom]

Jimbo McConnell..I visit Jimbo a few years ago in Needles, CA.
We had a really good time and Jimbo took us to an old town in the mountains where
Western movies was recorded years a go.
I also watch Jimbo crashing his RC air planes..
We stayed a few days there.

.

Bruce Heindl gave me a few pictures of Jimbo..(Thank you)
I think this is from Minneapolis 1983.
I raced there also and remember Roger Jenkins enormous WOT flipp just in front of me..

[jackie wilson]

Jackie..I think the Merc people has one way of telling this story and the OMC friends another..
It is always the Merc people bringing this up..

For the first time a give my side of the Bristol OZ class race 1982.
First..I was there.. racing Formula 3 and was leading F-3 to the last lap..Engine broke down..
Same thing with Molinari..He was leading and broke down..

By the way..Merc used the much lighter 2 liter + powerhead..
Why did not Leo put the 3.4 liter T-4 power head on the boat instead..
We all now the answer to that..

It was an advantage in the ruff water with left/right turns in Bristol to run the lighter
2 liter + engine..and again..Molinari broke down in the lead with the aluminum F1-V8 boat..

One more thing..Mr. Bill was the best driver ever in Bristol.. nobody can argue about that


Picture show the Molinari aluminum boat that broke down late in the ..OZ race Bristol 1982.
Renato used the same boat in Leon, Spain spring 1982 and was leading by half a lap when the boat came apart and sunk in a few seconds..Jenkins won..Not for being the fastest boat..but he made it to the finish line..
Thats how you win races...at the last lap...

C'mon Lasse-----who you trying to kid-----The F1 OZ series was an OMC show and they did not want Mercury pissing on their parade------------It was never open to anyone with a UIM regulation rig unless it was a JONRUDE. !!!!!!!!!!

Don't really want to hear the RENATO " WAS " in the lead but broke again bit.

Same thing with the OZ championship Renato broke so many times it was a joke, a bit like the tortoise and the hare story. Jenks went on to win it but i think he only won a single race but was a regular finisher.

The end analysis was SEEBOLD was the only Merc in the race at Bristol----------it was a 2 liter engine and he crossed the finish line first------in front of a dozen V8 OMC's. Yes he was on fire and had a big lump of ginger up his bum---drove out of his skull and really pissed the OMC people off.

The other time he pissed OMC off was when Renato turned up with a twin engined OZ at the worlds-----------------Billy and Bentz [i think] gave Renato the royal runaround and piddled all over OMC ---yet again.

There are always 2 sides to every story----but there's only one record book-and to OMC it makes dreadful reading.

The cash spent trying to make the wankel work--------------the OZV8 F1 effort--------all money down the drain with bugger all to show for it except empty premises and thoughts of what might have been.

[Lars Strom]

Hehe..Jackie...that got you going...
..but the OZ class in Bristol was good when Merc raced the 3.4liter T-4
and OMC only had the slower 3 liter loop V-6...like in 1979..

Just for people to know..this is the Molinari Monster that Jackie is talking about..
The "Monster" was extremly fast..but one engine did not make it to the finish line...
2 X 3 liter loop V-6

Yes..I was there at Idroscala, Italy..

[Lars Strom]

A test Jackie...

The start of Paris 6 Hours..but what year???

If you can read Swedish helps..!!