Super Swede ... Lars Strom

[Lars Strom]

Thanks John Schubert ..

Well..same page twice..
Here is the first page entry list.

[Lars Strom]

Result from.. Berlin 6 Hours.. over the years..

Check 1970 and 1971..red arrow..

Ron..Tell us more..

[Lars Strom]

The green flag..Berlin 6 Hours 1971

[John Schubert T*A*R*T]

Not being able to see the flags on the boats, the boat just above the pace boat #6 I beleieve was Geoff Briggs starting & I took over after his 1 1/2 stint when we were out front but then broke.

[Lars Strom]

Here is little more about Angelo Vassena..He is a very fun man to hang around.
Angelo knows the world..

I meet him back when he worked for the Carniti Outboard factory in Italy..
The first picture shows Angelo trying to sell Cassius Clay/ Muhammad Ali a small Carniti Outboard at the Miami Boat Show 1972.

Than there is more mixed pictures of Angelo..

Great news today..after lots of digging I finally found the phone number to
Angelo Vassena.

I just spent over an hour on the phone with Angelo in his home in Milan, Italy.
He is the same fun Angelo..only little older..80 by the way..
We talked about old boat racing and he remembers all the fun and good times we
have had together.

I just wish that he could travel to visit us here at our Ranch in Missouri..

Again..this made my day

Picture show Mr. Carniti and Angelo Vassena in Paris with a Carniti outboard in the ON class.

[Lars Strom]

One more thing with Angelo Vassena..

If I remember right... he did work for OMC in Bruges, Belgium a year or so the run the
racing department.
(After Paul Kalb)

[Lars Strom]

I was very excited about year 1976.
That's when Billy Huzell the owner of the Evinrude Sweden told me to keep the Evinrude Ft 19 S and race Roslagsloppet next weekend
with my Offshore Piraya two seater.

Well, I did and won the Race with Bertil Wik as a co-pilot.
We was so fast, and arrived way to early in Oregrund. (2,5 hour race with refueling)
There was no finish line yet....
.

This is from Powerboat and waterskiing October 1976

[Lars Strom]

I was very excited about year 1976.
This was my second year as an exclusive authorized Evinrude dealer, and my business was
doing way better than expected.

On top of that the SE Class European/Continental Championship race was going to take place
in Sweden and I could be the first driver in history to win 4 in a row.


I asked Franco Clerici to build me a boat with some of my own input, and for the first time Evinrude/Sweden
sent a driver to Cremona Italy to pick the boat up.

The boat was exactly the way I wanted, and we painted the boat to match the 1976 Evinrude Hustler.

OMC told me to start the season with a stock 75 hp motor, and as soon as the new Evinrude FT 19 S
was ready they sent me one.

There was rumors that Mercury was coming out with a second generation of 650 XS and I was
disappointed that the new Evinrude was delayed.

Early every spring the Swedish Power Boat Federation invited all the Press and Media to a Party
at Gåshaga Wärdshus.
I took my very good looking boat to that place early in the morning and cover it up to make it more interesting.

The press people asked me if they could take a photo of my "secret Boat", and I told them No.
Only the rear of the Clerici Boat.

The day after I got all the headlines in the news papers and many pictures of the Evinrude motor.
Not my "secret boat"....

The plan worked perfect!!
Remember, I was selling outboards not Race boats.

We raced 5 or 6 races, before the Big one in Nora, and my boat was perfect.
First place in all the races and the next one was now the European Championship.

One week before the Race I was told the new Evinrude FT 19 S was on the way to Sweden.
Way to late, because I was not happy starting to change things only a few days before
the Big Race.
I felt pretty good I could win with my stock 75, but OMC told me to install the new engine.

We did and tested.
The top speed was better, but not so good after the turns.

Well, at the Race in Nora there was many people upset because only Bo Nilsson and I had the
new engine.
I told OMC I can win with the old engine, but was told to just race and stay out of politics.

Lots of SE Boats at the Race, and I was worried about sabotage at night, so my friend
Christer "Monstret" Eriksson was guarding the boat all night with jumper cables in his hand to
scare people away.

RACE DAY

Same type of Race, 4 heat 3 counts and clock start or flying start as it was called in Swedish.

Everything was perfect at the last practice: the boat, the balance, set up, prop, engine and the driver was ready.

Without bragging, but I was very good to time the start.
Always wide open when I crossed
the starting line and that is a big part of winning a race.

I won the first three heat and Gert Lowisin was starting to take my engine apart when they
still raced for second place.
At that time I did not want Gert to do that, because he worked for Volvo Penta and was part
responsible for the Volvo Penta/Konig OE engine.

Anyway, he was the Chief Technical Inspector for the race and after 3 hours he said officially that my
engine was 100 % legal.

Now I was 4 X European Champion and celebrated with a big Outboard sale at my dealership.

Powerboat and Waterskiing after the race in Nora, Sweden..
See..Angelo Vassena was fourth..

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

Lars:

Until you mentioned the Clerici brand boat in your earlier posts about your racing in Europe, I had never heard of that particular brand. In the information you have just posted it looks as though the boat was very successful in that particular class., even with the "enemy's" motors powering them.

I would be interested in knowing more about the person responsible for building them, whether he ever worked for Molarnari, whether Molarnari's design influenced the Clerici brand, and whether any of them ever made their way to the US, etc.

When Wayne's Dad promoted the OE race in Dayton that you were not able to make, tunnel boats competed against some hydro's, but I do not remember that brand if they were represented, and several OMC drivers participated.

Anything you could add to the story about those boats would be appreciated, especially why you were protecting the boat from "prying eyes" that you tell about when you won the championship for the third or fourth time.

Thanks

Bill

[Lars Strom]

Hi Bill..

Franco Clerici was an independent boat builder from a little place outside Cremona, Italy.
His boats was outstanding in the SD and SE class..far better than any other boat for many years in those two classes.

I purchased 10 boats from him..all winners.

Franco did not speak any English and was building all the boats in a small garage next to his house.

Franco named his youngest daughter Lara and she is on the first picture.

Today Franco is getting pretty old as you can see on the second picture..black arrow.
His wife..red arrow..

Your second question coming later..
Again..Thank for reading