Super Swede ... Lars Strom

[Lars Strom]

I was never a Mercury-Brunswick dealer or raced Mercury in any way back then.
so I don't really know any inside..

Well..Yamaha has been the best seller in Sweden and many more country's since
the late 1970..

I think we need to stick with OMC and racing on this thread.

EDIT..

I know one thing..Mercury do not take care of old loyal Merc boat racers..
I went boating last winter with Mr. Bill and his Parker/Yamaha..

[Lars Strom]

Lars,

I have alway's been more concerned about the company (OMC - at the time) than my bottom line each year. I knew that a healthy OMC was better for me than a short term profit etc...
Jake

Again thanks Jake..

This is one of the better comment I have ever read..
Exactly so did I also think..my dealership and business were depending on OMC being a strong partner..but I did see so many bad signs and got out of the business before OMC went belly up..

[Lars Strom]

Here is a "Happy New Year" postcard from Outboardland in Marina Del Ray, California.
This was the CA location for selling new Evinrude outboards that has been on a trip to Europe first.

I want to make absolutely clear that I was not in any way part of running Outboardland
in Marina Del Ray..

[Lars Strom]

The price for outboards in different countries has always been an issue..
For example:
1977 Evinrude was way less in the US than Sweden..The dollar was extremely low..
A friend of mine purchased 75 new Evinrude 70 HP from a dealer in California..
and imported to Sweden..
He sold does 70 hp to customer for less than I paid dealer net from OMC Sweden..

As you know now that changed and lots of American made outboards was a better buy in Sweden..

TODAY..both Merc, Evinrude and Yamaha is way less in the US than Sweden..but the factories don't let the US dealers sell for export.

Good or bad..I don't know but that's the way it is right now

[Ron Hill]

Does Yamaha have distributors or just dealers?

I remember at a Long Beach boat race, my nephew, Bunker Hill, was maybe 14, he's 50 now, asking Charlie Strang, "Why don't you have oil injection on your outboards, like my 125 CC Yamaha motorcycle?"

I don't recall the answer, but I do remember my brother telling Bunker, there at Long Beach, "World War II isn't over and if he were Charlie Strang he'd wake up at night with cold sweats thinking the Japanese were building outboard motors..."

[Lars Strom]

Hehe Ron..

Well..the Yamaha Motor Corporation is the importer/distrubutor for Yamaha in North America.
I meet the OEM National Sales Manager..Mark Tracy for some time ago.
Yamaha Motor Corporation sell the Yamaha outboards to US dealers and the dealers to
the final/end user.
Dont know if Yamaha Motor Corporation is owned by Japan or a have a private US owner.
I can tell you that they are very good and up to speed big time..

Mark D. Schwabero is the President and CEO for Mercury Marine and I know him to..
Here he is with my son Richard..

See..now both Merc and Yamaha got some time at the OMC/racing thread..

[Lars Strom]

Back in the late seventies I went to Florida and Miami Marine stadium for a boat race.
(not to race, just to watch)
I think Jimbo McConnell was driving a light blue Mod 50 Molinari..

Well..Jack Leek invited me to the OMC Test station in Stuart, Florida the next day.
Jack was always very friendly to me and I was out in a rescue boat with him when Jimbo was testing the 3 liter OMC V-6 that normally was fuel injected.
but the test was with carburetors.

If I remember right was there a Merc/ OMC conflict about Ron Anderson.
He left Merc for OMC and OMC could not use the fuel injection for 6 month or so..

Later that year Jack Leek invited me to Waukegan.
This was my first visit to Sea Horse Drive and I remember how extremely cold it was
that winter day.

Next surprise was when Jack took me to a big building down by the lake..
He wanted to show me some thing..

It was Jacks sail boat..I smiled and said..
Jack..I came here to see the OMC factory and Engineering and hopefully some nice new racing equipment..not a sail boat but I guess that was his hobby...

Thanks Jack..I always is going to remember that trip and my first vistit to OMC over here.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I wish you would have brought your boat to race in the 1978 OE World Championships at Dayton Lars. Then I would have gotten some pictures of you and your boat.

You may remember the fuel controversy that year. One of these days when I get time I will put together in chronological order all about that. I have numerous letters from national authorities around the world and notes from Dieter Konig, Gary Garbrecht, letter from OMC people and notes I took while talking to lots of people fighting an illegal (according to UIM's own rules) move to ban methanol. It will take a lot of work to gather all the info from various files. I have most of it in one folder now, but as I look up other things, I come across a letter or note that is pertinent. I want to do it all and once and not backtrack. When I post it, I look forward from comments from you and others regarding what they knew or remember.

Keep up the good work.

[Lars Strom]

Well..I was in the OMC "dog house" 1978 after my 1977 year with Volvo Penta/König
in the OE class.

Next story will be about how I got back in the drivers seat 1978 with OMC.
I was not racing OE 1978..that is the main reason I was not in the 1978 OE World Championships at Dayton..

[Lars Strom]

After I left Volvo Penta/König late 1977 I had to come up with a plan to get back with OMC Racing..I was 100% sure that Paul Kalb was not the right way to go..

In Sweden Volvo Penta Outboars was big in the SD class..and made a deal with Bengt Nilsson the CEO
for Outboard Marine in Sweden to be 100% OMC sales and racing.
He wanted me to beat the Volvo Penta in the SD class and than race the very popular Z class.
Offshore with a cat and the new Evinrude 235 hp.
On top of that.. one of the biggest bakery's in Sweden..Delicato signed up the be the sponsor for both boats.
Well..there was one more thing in this deal..I placed the biggest pre-season Evinrude order OMC Sweden ever seen..

Clerici built me a special SD cat for the new 2 cylinder 55 hp Evinrude and a brand new design Z class cat from Argo racing boats in Finland.

Now my outboard dealership was full of Evinrude outboards and racing boats..
Lots of work but I had very good help from my employers.

The first SD race was a enormous success..as the quote below says..

Same thing with the Z class Offshore boat..
We won the first overall 2 hour Offshore race with an average speed of 90 MPH with a stock Evinrude 235.

So..now I was back on the OMC racing map again..

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
I was asked by OMC to try to make this engine work in the SD class.
There was one big success..the Stockholm Grand Prix 1978..
I grabed the overall win...Well the race was one hour and most SE/OE boats
broke down..

As always..you win on the last lap..not the first..

This was a fun experiment and a way for me to get back to race for OMC again after one year with Volvo Penta/Konig (1977 )