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Thread: OMC’s 4-Rotor Wankel Racing Engine - The Real Story

  1. #151
    YARD BIRD
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    Default Rotary P O W E R !

    Something that I THINK nobody has mentioned ; the rotary engines (omc race) must have been incredibly smooth running , I would think . Any comments from any of you drivers who raced ,using the rotary ?

  2. #152
    Team Member Master Oil Racing Team's Avatar
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    I have to go back and recollect my thoughts John, and reread those articles. Provo was one of the venues I remember from when I first started racing, but I have never been there. I still have some B&W photos yet to post. Maguerite Woods ( I never met the Woods, and I don't think I spelled her name correctly....help me Ron) PM'd me when Barry was in Berlin to find out how to get to where the Berlin 7 Hour's was. Since I dind't race there, I wasn't sure if it was on the Oberhavel or where. By the time she got back with Barry it was too late. Barry called me later and I asked if he would sign one of the pics from when he raced the Rotary's and he said yes. Then my E mail crashed and I lost contact. Ron knows how to get ahold of him. Then we can figure out what's what.



  3. #153
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    Default Red Adair !!

    Where's he at now that we need him??
    I think some one would have to ask first , so forget that.
    Take it back, i don't know if that's a question or not...

  4. #154
    BoatRacingFacts VIP John Schubert T*A*R*T's Avatar
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    Default Trackster

    Quote Originally Posted by Rotary John View Post
    The vehicle had 2 S/N tracks, not 6 wheels. It also had a very sloped front end ala a tank so it could climb over obstacles. It was made by Cushman, an OMC company at the time. They got out of that business due to a law suit where a doctor going down hill decided to throw it in reverse and the whole vehicle and doctor went *** over tea kettle, killing said doctor. His wife sued and won a ton of money for bad design and failure to warn ??? An interesting side bite; Ralph Evinrude got one of the first units and took it to his Fl home. He took it out in the front yard and had a ball spinning cookies etc. The result was a new sod job for his front lawn. Francis Langford, his wife, was incensed and the vehicle went back to Cushman.
    Not quite what happened although going down hill & pulling the "T" handle towards reverse would throw the machine up on the forward angled track & could cart wheel down a severe angled incline. One reason OMC lost the law suit, although they sued the insurance Company who refused to settle & OMC won that, was the advertising claim stated " The Trackster makes the Impossible Passable". Which it didn't. THe real accident that killed the individual(not sure it was a Dr., but the skier Spider Sabich's dad was a passenger) was because there was a 6" vertical faced stick or stone in the path of one of the tracks. As the track passed over the virticle face it came down on the angled front track & cart wheeled. I was the OMC lead liason between attornies & employees and was very familiar with the law suit including post law suit training & product repurchase. During the law suit the engineer that worked on the design & my expert rider of the Trackster had to simulate the accident condition on a hill in California for the jury. They did & came down safely. The secret with the trackster, as I personally learned quickly, was not to pull back on the "T" handle when you thought that you were in trouble. You gradually pushed it forward so it wouldn't rock up on the front angled track. Back to the experts going down the simulated hill. They made it, then a jury member wanted them to do it again. The driver wasn't very happy, but did it a second time successfully.

  5. #155
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    Quote Originally Posted by John Schubert T*A*R*T View Post
    Not quite what happened although going down hill & pulling the "T" handle towards reverse would throw the machine up on the forward angled track & could cart wheel down a severe angled incline. One reason OMC lost the law suit, although they sued the insurance Company who refused to settle & OMC won that, was the advertising claim stated " The Trackster makes the Impossible Passable". Which it didn't. THe real accident that killed the individual(not sure it was a Dr., but the skier Spider Sabich's dad was a passenger) was because there was a 6" vertical faced stick or stone in the path of one of the tracks. As the track passed over the virticle face it came down on the angled front track & cart wheeled. I was the OMC lead liason between attornies & employees and was very familiar with the law suit including post law suit training & product repurchase. During the law suit the engineer that worked on the design & my expert rider of the Trackster had to simulate the accident condition on a hill in California for the jury. They did & came down safely. The secret with the trackster, as I personally learned quickly, was not to pull back on the "T" handle when you thought that you were in trouble. You gradually pushed it forward so it wouldn't rock up on the front angled track. Back to the experts going down the simulated hill. They made it, then a jury member wanted them to do it again. The driver wasn't very happy, but did it a second time successfully.
    John: I'm sure you are right, as you had much better knowledge than me. I only heard the stories. My version makes a better story however.

  6. #156
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    Default pictures

    Quote Originally Posted by Master Oil Racing Team View Post
    I was not sure myself at first either Scott. The lighting changed quite a bit during the day because of a squall, and then I took some pictures from a pickup boat and depending upon the direction of the sun, some of the pictures don't look like they were taken on the same day or even the same place. I never went to the race course near Bayside or Bayshore??, but if you are thinking of LaPorte, I only went there once. I found my B&W contact sheets and they confirm that it was Clear Lake on August 2 and 3rd, 1975. It was the Red Adair North American Championships.

    This was the race I took that B&W picture of Ted May walking in the pits wearing his life jacket. Ted had wanted Ron Hill to come with him, but Ron had other committments. Bob Nordskog was there driving his diesel powered KM. Jimbo didn't show and it appears only Tommy Posey and Barry Woods were driving rotaries. I don't have a program, nor the results. I had only been dating my future wife Debbie for nine months and she came with me to the race. So I was preoccupied and didn't send anything to Powerboat. Maybe Mark Spencer was there, but I don't think so. I am not sure if this race got any national coverage although it should have judging from the talent that raced there.

    The other thing I discovered is that I apparently don't have any of the negatives from 1973. I only have pics of the September race at Galveston, but the rotaries didn't appear at that fall race. Some of these pictures have been posted before, but I had never paid attention to the date. I was always just going for the driver. In one of the pictures where they are getting the boats in position I enlarged the photo in the transom area hoping someone may identify crew members. More later with the B&W pics.
    Wayne:
    I can't be sure, but in looking closely at Posey's boat, it appears the bucket is silver, but the top is Johnson gold. That only happened 1 time and that was Windermere, England, '74. Posey co-drove with Mike Downard to win that race. Sanders broke during pratice and didn't start the race. Barry lead for awhile until he broke. I don't recall what happened to Jimbo, but I know he didn't finish. This was the race Strang got pissed at me because 3 of the 4 broke. I kept asking him "who won the race" and who cares who came in second. I'm surprised I still had a job after that.

  7. #157
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    I would like to thank John for all the info he has provided.

    I remember the Parker race very well, it was a sight to see them coming.

    Last time I was in Sturtavant a complet rotary was in the lobby, I lifted the cowl to make sure but I can't tell you if it was a newer version or not. I have some pictures of the lobby that may tell. I will have to dig them out.

  8. #158
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    Quote Originally Posted by racer55 View Post
    I would like to thank John for all the info he has provided.

    I remember the Parker race very well, it was a sight to see them coming.

    Last time I was in Sturtavant a complet rotary was in the lobby, I lifted the cowl to make sure but I can't tell you if it was a newer version or not. I have some pictures of the lobby that may tell. I will have to dig them out.
    Racer: Are you sure it was in Sturtavant and not Waukegan? Is it a johnson or Evinrude? There is a Johnson in Waukegan in Marine Engineering and it is the old 2 piece crank engine. If you look closely it has a large flywheel nut and then a smaller nut on top of it. This was the nut that torqued the bolt that held the 2 cranks together. It also has the diecast flywheel. The newer versions had a flex plate flywheel. It appears to be a partial mockup as we never used black carbs, also the entrance of the carbs are not radiused and the steering arms were polished alum not black. Ken Finley has pictures of this unit on web shots
    Rotary John

  9. #159
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    Quote Originally Posted by racer55 View Post
    John,

    It was in Sturtavant, I have not had a chance to look thru the pics but can tell you they were not to happy when I lifted the cowl. It was a Johnson (orange) and I think had aluminum color carbs but not 100 percent.
    This just about makes my day! This just might be the 5th engine I have been searching for. Unless this is the same one thats now in Waukegan. I sure would like to see your pictures!!!! Thanks for all your help.

  10. #160
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    Default Rotary images

    All this talk of the rotary engines sent me digging.... Found a color photo or two from the Detroit boat show in 1974 or 1975. There's also a B&W of a CC (year unknown). Soon as I get decent scans will post for all to see. At that time I was wrenching Mercs and OMC's at Byrd Marine in Dearborn, MI and racing 25SSMH with an OMC 25 powerhead and Parker stacks on a Merc 20H tower/gearcase. We worked the show where I'd slip away to the manufacturers booths and marvel at these great beasts. Cool thread!

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