Super Swede ... Lars Strom

[Lars Strom]

The Z Offshore class was very popular in Scandinavia 1978.

Mikael Frodé was one of many drivers..

Most people know Mikael Frodé as a Mercury man..but his success in racing started with
this boat and a Evinrude outboard..
Jepp..it is a cat built by Frodé..

Mikael was #Z-4
First picture is from 1978..next three from 1977. (Same boat)

My Delicato/ARGO/Evinrude was # Z-1


PS--Wait..it is going to get more interesting aboat Mikael Frodés first built cat..
..picture coming sooooon..!!

[Lars Strom]

The Z-4 cat above build by Mikael Frodé around 1976 was first designed for a 2 liter SAAB V-4 inboard..
Well..on the back of the transom Mikeal installed a paddle wheel...!!!!!
I did not work very good.. top speed only 30 MPH..
Mikael took the SAAB out and replaced the paddle wheel with a brand new 1977 Evinrude
..2.4 liter V-6.. 200 hp outboard.

Now the cat was flying and Mikael scored his first overall win in the famous Roslagsloppet the same year..

Here is a picture and some reading in Swedish..

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

And now i have!!!!

[Lars Strom]

Hehe Bill...I think Mikael was up to some thing..but an Evinrude V-6 outboard out of a box was a way smarter choice..!!

[Lars Strom]

The Scandinavian/Nordic Championship in the Z class 1978 was in Kotka, Finland.
Weather conditions was extremely tough..storm and big waves..
I stuffed the Delicato/ARGO/Evinrude way out on the Baltic Sea and my co-pilot
Curre and I had to swim for a long time before some one came to rescue us.

The boat was OK..but the best thing with that race was my old friend Angelo Vassena
was there from Italy.

He was working on a deal with Renato Molinari to drive one of Renatos Team Saffa OZ boats in the Paris 6 hours later same year.
Vassena wanted me to be his co-pilot..

Well..I know Renato is mad at me for the Volvo Penta/Konig deal last year I told Vassena..

His response was ..Renato has already accepted you to drive one of his Saffa boats
and he thinks you need to go to Italy to do a test race before Paris 6 Hours.

Back in Stockholm Sweden I made a plan to go and race with Team Molinari in September.

Next story..

Picture.. Angelo Vassena.

[Lars Strom]

My friend Anders and I took my brand new "Evinrude blue" Pontiac Trans Am and left for Italy in
early September 1978.
Straight to the Molinari factory just north of the little town Como.
The Molinari race shop was always fun to visit.
Extremely nice and clean.

There was a brand new Molinari Saffa ON boat rigged with a special Evinrude
V-6..2 liter "looper" for me.

I was testing all day at Lago di Como and was ready to go to race at the really nice
Idroscala next to the Linate airport in Milano.

Renato was also racing ON with a similar boat/engine.
The race went very well for me..I ended up second after Renato..ahead of Cees van der Velden and a few Mercury 2 liter boats.

The race at Idroscala was September 11 1978 and just after the race I got the news..
Ronnie Peterson..the famous Swedish Formula 1 driver was killed at the F-1 race
at Monza only a few miles from us..

A great day turn in to a very sad day for a Swedish race fan..!!

Ronnie Peterson Fatal Crash ..click below to see the video..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wk7uSuWPkE

[Lars Strom]

After the race in Italy we went back to Sweden for the last Z class race for 1978.
Curre and I was out testing new props and the Delicato/ARGO/Evinrude was really fast.
Close to 110 MPH and the tacho for the 2.4 liter blue printed Evinrude V-6 showed
7.500 RPM.
I remember long low swells from a bigger boat..and a few seconds later we where
swimming again..

The Argo Cat noise dived at WOT and the nice painted boat was turned in to "corn flakes"..
The luck was on our side..we where not hurt..
We later found the engine..and a few bigger parts of the boat..
That was the end to my Z class racing..

1978 was also the end for Mikael Frodé in the Z class..Next year..1979 he switched to
the N class..(2 liter) and his Mercury Racing started.
Mikael Frodé is a very successful Offshore racer, and runs a Marine business in Vaxholm outside Stockholm.
He is also the only Mercury Racing dealer in Scandinavia.

Picture one.. is the same boat that first had the paddle wheel but now a Merc.
Second picture.. is Mikael at his Merc dealer ship.
I visited him a few years ago and we talked old racing for hours..

[Powerabout]

wow 7500 from a cleaned up 78 235!

[Lars Strom]

There was no cleaver props bigger than 30 inch pitch back then..and we made the diameter larger by welding on to the blades..
I blow a few power heads..
The 7500 RPM was not for long periods of time.
At testing the boat was light..In racing conditions we needed fuel onboard for a few hours..

RPM between 6500/6800

[Powerabout]

Interesting
thanks Lars
what actually broke at 7500
top of crank?