Super Swede ... Lars Strom

[Fast Fred]

Yes, I used the FT 19 S this year and that is an other story later.

[Lars Strom]

Hehe, Fred

I am getting to the European SE Championship in Nora, Sweden
August 1976. (Next year of my stories)

That was the first and only SE race I ever used the FT 19 S.
Absolutely legal.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

That's some good inside info Lars, on holding on to the motor for another week and the reaction. Not too many people I think could get away with that and still have the committment intact. A few come to mind, but thank you for telling us the inside story. BTW, after looking at the UIM results incorrectly listing you once as from Denmark and another time as Great Brittain, I went back to look at something I had been curious about before. One of the first pics on the cover of a magazine had some bad colors that looked like you were running under a South African flag, but later pictures showed it to be the colors of the Netherlands...(the boat in your avatar.) I was wondering about that.

[Lars Strom]

That's some good inside info Lars, on holding on to the motor for another week and the reaction. Not too many people I think could get away with that and still have the committment intact. A few come to mind, but thank you for telling us the inside story. BTW, after looking at the UIM results incorrectly listing you once as from Denmark and another time as Great Brittain, I went back to look at something I had been curious about before. One of the first pics on the cover of a magazine had some bad colors that looked like you were running under a South African flag, but later pictures showed it to be the colors of the Netherlands...(the boat in your avatar.) I was wondering about that.

Hi Wayne,

I have not seen you for a few days...

Thanks for asking about the flag, but it is a really simple answer.
It is not a flag, it is part of the loggo for my French sponsor Aspen and they
asked me not to use the Swedish flag on my boat!!!!
They said that blue and yellow did not fit there design, so I respected
that.

By the way, I emailed UIM and asked them to change me from being
from Denmark and Great Britain and that error is already corrected,
but the years are still wrong.

Again, thanks for reading my stories and I talked to Leif Ahlborg today.
Placed a comment on "Hey Torrente" Champboat thread about that.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I kind of hesitated about the flag question Lars because it looked like part of the sponsor's logo. That's what it looks like on your black & white avatar, but when I saw it in color I figured it was the Netherlands flag. If it was vertical like the French then maybe I would have figured it out.

I am now going to check out that "Hey Torrente" which I had planned to do anyway. I need Leif's autograph, so I'll get back to you. One of your autographed pics would be great too.

[Fast Fred]

how much ya need for that intake thare Lars ?

[Lars Strom]

how much ya need for that intake thare Lars ?

Fred,

I will have an answer in a few days.

[Lars Strom]

1976 was the year a lot of bad thing happen with Evinrude in Sweden

Huzells the long time distrubutor for Evinrude and a BIG supporter of my Racing
got the news from OMC that 1976 was the last year for them as a
distributor for Sweden and Billy Huzell was very upset with OMC.

Billy Huzell told me to keep the engine one more week to use it in
Roslagsloppet to win the E class and I did ahead of Finland's
Fabritius brothers in a ARGO Merc 650 XS.

I get to all this in my 1976 Racing stories


OMC cut Billy Huzell off and shot them self in the foot.

Mr. Huzell went to Japan and got the rights for Suzuki Outboards in Sweden
and spent millions of dollars to market Suzuki Outbords in Sweden.
All this happen late 1976-77.

Thats when I made the deal with Volvo Penta Konig for one year.

Photo of the very wealthy and successful business man Billy Huzell
(to the right, Lars left)

[Fast Fred]

[Lars Strom]

When I was back in Sweden after the Race in Italy I received a letter from USA.
I could not wait to open it, and it was from Bill Muncey and an entry form for the Race of Champions
at the Miami Marine Stadium.

If I remember right there was 15 SE Cats rigged with an Evinrude 75 hp.
All the boats prepared the same way and the plan was to find the best driver in the world.

This was it for me, my big dream to travel to the United States and Race.

I filled out the entry form with my racing resume and photos.

I was 100% sure to be part of this dream race but after a few weeks I received a new letter from
Bill Munceys race of Champions, with disastrous news.

I did not qualify, you had to be a World Champ and there was no World Championship race in the
SE class back then.
I was now 3 times European/Continental Champion, but not good enough.

I asked Evinrude in Sweden and OMC to help me and they tried, but the answer was still no.

At that time I felt like the whole world was coming to an end, but life went on.............. and the Race,
without me