The Six Hours of Paris: A History Thread

[Ron Hill]

Someone posted something to the effect, "If you ever raced the Six Hours of Paris, you never forgot the feeling."

I last raced Paris in October of 1972, but I can still feel the boat under me and the engine humming anytime I switch my mind to October 1972. I was scheduled to driver there in 1973, but my daughter Jessica was scheduled to be born that same month. I stayed home, October of 1973, Jessica was born on the day of the Six Hours of Paris, 1973.

Lars, I hope you post some of those lists of entries, as I would love to ask questions about some names, and write about others.

[Lars Strom]

Sounds like fun Ron..

This entry list for Paris 6 Hours 1972 I got from Lars Block in Sweden..
He is the driver of the yellow 2 liter inboard boat # R - 114 same year.

[Lars Strom]

The overall winner 1970..Boat # 12..Sanders-Posey..USA.

[Lars Strom]

More Lars Block R-114 from 1970..

To bad I can not be part in this year..My first Paris 6 Hours was 1973..well..I was in the pit with my boat..but no racing..long bad story.

[Lars Strom]

Red dots is the turning buoys..made out of concrete and a truck tire around.
The yellow dot is the place for the Statue of Liberty.
Race course was around 3 miles long.
Start 11 AM firm and finish 5 PM

[Ron Hill]

People would ask me how racing in France was? I'd tell them, it was kind of like driving on an LA Freeway if everyone was drunk. Seeing this picture that Lars posted reminded me how "Wild" the Six Hours really was.

We are planning a trip to Italy this summer, 2012, aand plan to see Renato and Massimo SCOTTI.http://www.boatracingfacts.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=45708&stc=1&d=1325643714

[Lars Strom]

Hehe Ron..

Rush hour traffic at the river Seine, Paris.. Sunday, October 1974

I think the two first is Scotti Boats with the Rotary´s..

Remember the "mist" after the Rotary boats..hard to see..maybe they used more oil than a piston engine..??

[Master Oil Racing Team]

You're probably right Lars. John Sheldon could tell us. If they are anything like the rotary engines in Mazda's they would burn oil purposefully. There was a system to inject a metered amount of oil through the carb in order to lubricate the apex seals. The cars had an oil pan like regular piston engines, and had to be changed along with a filter, but for the apex seals to have a long enough life to match or exceed piston engines before an overhaul for rings was necessary, the extra oil had to be added. The apex seals were some kind of graphite material with a tempered spring to keep them seated against the rotor housing. In addition their were hard, round cradles the seals rested in at each tip of the rotor that were also spring loaded and sealed the sides of the tips. If I remember correctly, an RX2 would burn around a quart of oil per thousand miles. Seems like there was a separate oil reservoir on top of the motor to keep topped up. Can't really remember. So, the OMC rotaries may have been designed this same way, and probably had to have more oil injected than a production car. Redline on the Mazda's was I believe 6500 or 7000. Unlike a piston engine, the higher the rpm on a rotary, the more centrifugal forces on the apex seals, thus shorter life. At least that's my opinion. Hopefully Rotary John will see this thread and shed some light on it. If not we can steer him here through the rotary thread.

[Lars Strom]

I have seen Rotary John here today..

Well..one more thing..the yellow boat to the left in the picture have a young hungry driver
that finally got to start in the Paris 6 Hour race..!!:)

[F-12]

Wayne would know about these things as he abused a Mazda Rotary for many years on the back roads of Alice, Texas. Seems with your experience, Wayne, You should have been on the team to make these engines live a lot longer than they did. I know yours lived for a very long time.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Charley, I'm no engineer, and Jack Chance was a far better mechanic than I ever will be. I overhauled mine once and it was easy to work on. I have a great respect for the rotary design and am sorry they are not in more wide use, but I have no clue how to come up with the kind of stuff John did on crankshafts and all the other stuff they did. I'm just grateful I got to watch the rotaries race two different times. Regretfully I don't have photos of the first time.

[Rotary John]

OK guys. The boat in the middle appears to be blue and could be Barry Woods with a rotary. The boat on the left has pickle forks and the rotaries never ran with pickel forks. Woods was very late getting started. Ended up changing the flywheel and primed the hell out of the engine. If you recall from my rotary stories, this was the engine sabotoged by loosening all the carb bolts. Thats why it wouldn't start; air leak. The additional priming made it rich enough to start and the intake vaccuum held the cards close enought to keep running. The mist you talk about was cause by the 2 exhaust relief tubes. When stationary in the water, the bottom 2 rotors were under water and to relive the exhaust back pressure for starting 2- 1" brass tubes were installed in the exhaust manifold above the water line. The manifold had its own water supply and a portion of that water dumped thru the relif tube. There was a secret part of that manifold that caused alot of the water to be deflected thru the relif tubes. The OMC rotaries were not like the Maxdas with a seperated oil feed. We mixed oil in the gas 20/1 just like the 2-strokes (different oil). The premix lubricated and cooled all the internal parts.

[Lars Strom]

Thank you Rotary John for explaning the "mist" issue..!!

When I am reading this report 38 years later..I can see there was a problem with the "mist" when the Rotary boats where passing me in the Paris race 1974.

Here is the report with a large picture of the start..Post # 523 http://www.boatracingfacts.com/forums/showthread.php?p=114477#post114477

Sorry..it is in Swedish..!!..:)

[Lars Strom]

...

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Thanks John for the explanation, and I didn't go back to your thread to see if you had brought up that info before because I didn't have time. I couldn't remember because you had posted so much inside information before, and I figured Lars comment as a racer could lead to more comments as well as people checking out your excellent thread.

As a racer looking....at the water, and what was going on around him, I am very impressed with Lars memory of such details. Paris must have been very taxing to the brain having to read the water, feel what's going on with the boat and motor, fuel, driver fatigue, etc.

Lars....We have all heard lots of stories about the racing and such, but I like also to hear about details in the pits. What it was like when you arrive and see who has come to race, registration, where you pit, and who says where, or do you find a place you want, how you go about getting into the water, and what kind of anxiety is there making sure it happens, how you go about refueling, how you communicate with your pits, repairs, etc. I hope I didn't ramble too long with the sentence, but the behind the scenes stuff and people involved, and the stories they tell are some of the most memberable I share with my boat racing friends. You have a remarkable ability to fill us in on such details.

[Rotary John]

The article #478 above states OMC had V-6's at this race are ncorrect. The 1 and only time rotaries and V-6 ran against each other was Peewalkee in Wis. in 1975. It was the last time the rotaries ran.

[Lars Strom]

I am pretty sure Scotti used a Evinrude V-6 at the time of the accident in
Paris 6 hours 1974..:)

I have more pictures..coming soon..must first go boating today..

[Lars Strom]

...

[Lars Strom]

John..this is how I know there was Evinrude V-6 outboards in Paris 6 hours 1974..
I am on the inside..boat # 48..I think it is Briggs on the outside #30 with a Scotti boat-Evinrude V-6 ..

[Rotary John]

I guess after 38 years my memory has gone to hell. Not only is there V-6's, but Woods boat in another picture sure looks like a pickel fork.
O'well. I'm still alive. that has to count for something.

[Lars Strom]

John..please..check your PM at FB..Lars..:)

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[Lars Strom]

...continue..
I am pretty sure the boat directly here.. behind the #32 ON boat is my Clerici/Evinrude..!!

[John Schubert T*A*R*T]

I guess after 38 years my memory has gone to hell. Not only is there V-6's, but Woods boat in another picture sure looks like a pickel fork.
O'well. I'm still alive. that has to count for something.

John, It actually was a slotted deck Scotti, not a true pickle fork like Tim & Geoff Briggs' pickle fork Scotti. If you recall, I drove one with a V-4 at the Marine Stadium in Miami at the Rotary intro media show. McDonald later filled in the slots of that boat for me at the Naples test station. I believe both Rotary boats used at the Stadium show were originally slotted, but Nagode filled in the slots of those boats as well. I didn't like how the boat handled in the Parker 7 hr. with Muncey as my co-driver. The Parker race was the very next weekend after the Miami Rotary introduction. An earlier post by Ron Hill also mentioned that neither he nor Jimbo liked them either.

[John Schubert T*A*R*T]

I meant to post this picture of the slooted boat I drove at the Rotary intro & at Parker. In Miami it had #9 & had previously been driven by Ron Hill. For Parker I had my number on it.

[John Schubert T*A*R*T]

Here is a betetr picture of the Slotted Scotti. BTW they guy with the waders holding my boat getting ready for the start of the race was Tim Briggs, the driver of the #30 Scotti at the 1974 Paris 6 hour.

[Lars Strom]

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[Lars Strom]

...

[Rotary John]

If you look closely at the top left picture in the previous post you can see the 02 with the Johnson Rotary and the 03 Evinrude behind it.

[Lars Strom]

Here is a better picture John

and one picture from OMC Racing, Belgium a few days before Paris 1974

[Rotary John]

From that picture it appears to be Mouse in front of the 02, Posey standing on the back of the boat and Sanders in the drivers seat. Not sure who is standing next to Posey in the Johnson Jacket

[Lars Strom]

Mr. Rotary John himself at OMC Racing.. Bruges, Belgium just before Paris 1974..
I think it is a big honor to have meet you John..
I don't really remember that day outside the boat house...but my memory from Paris and the noise / mist from the Rotary's are pretty special..

PS John..Did you ride in that white Range Rover to Paris..??..what side was the steering wheel on..!!..:)

PS2..Feel free to use my picture anyway you want John..

[Lars Strom]

...

[John Schubert T*A*R*T]

From that picture it appears to be Mouse in front of the 02, Posey standing on the back of the boat and Sanders in the drivers seat. Not sure who is standing next to Posey in the Johnson Jacket

I zoomed in & it looks like Alan Yaw, now deceased.

[NERSTROM]

I had just started the production V6 project when it was decided (by Charlie) that we should enter a V6 at Paris. Clarence Blanchard, a brilliant designer who worked for Jack Leek, was given the task of putting the engines together for the race. Fortunately, we had some parts left over from an earlier V6 project and Clarence was able to use these. Displacement had to be reduced to 2-litres, since these would be run in the ON class, and power developed - all within a time frame of weeks! These used three 2-bbl carbs like the production V6. Considering the compressed time frame and lack of testing they did quite well.

John, yes that is Allan Yaw. Jack liked to have Allan take care of radio duties, he had the ability to stay calm no matter what the situation. Allan was from the great state of Texas and spoke with a thick Texas drawl, not sure how the Europeans were able to understand him. Great guy.

[Lars Strom]

Hi again Nerstrom...please tell us more............:)

Back in the early-mid seventies a Evinrude-Johnson racing jacket was really hot stuff..
OMC did lots of racing developments and was the leader in many ways.
Real fun to be an exclusive Evinrude dealer and racer at that time..

[Rotary John]

Jim; if you recall Johnnie Sanders won the '73 Paris race with a V-6. That was the one Clarence put together using old parts and actually had 2 - V-4 cranks welded together. They were150ci engines; basicly a V-4 with 2 more cylinders. I have the press release photo of Sanders winning that Ziggy pasted one of my passport photos over Sanders and labeled it super john. I don't remember what V-6 were run in '74, but the production model that was introduced in 75 was also 150ci. How about you and Clarence get together and write the inside 2-cycle race history before you both get too old to remember. Those of us that were part of the hay day of factory racing are fading away fast and without your insite, that part of boat racing history will be gone forever.

[Rotary John]

Jim; do you recall Strang getting the blueprint of the Merc V-6 block by mistake from the casting vendor and sending a picture to Alexander with him standing infront of the blueprint?

[NERSTROM]

John. Yes, I gave Charlie that print. Truth is, we received a very very rudimentary drawing of the Merc V6 with a box of castings. One of the Johnson manufacturing engineers thought it interesting and gave it to me to look at. We had heard Mercury was working on a V6 and this confirmed our suspicions. I had one of my designers copy the print and we then filled in a lot of the blanks based on our own design experience. When we finished it could have passed for a detail drawing of the Merc. We sent a copy to Charlie and he passed it along to Charlie Alexander as you stated. A former OMC engineer, Bill Mayer working on the Mercury V6 at the time, told us that when they received the picture many were required to take lie detector tests. We thought it was funny, not sure about our Merc counterparts.

Lars, I enjoy your comments. Yes, good times & lots of fun.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

What about the casting vendor?:eek: This is some good stuff John and Jim. This is a fantastic thread, but I hope you guys rembembrences will be lost and buried here. Can either one of you, or a compatriot start a thread with just some talk about how you guys went about your daily business, stark insights, spy results, and outcomes of just hard grinding work to reach some great successes?

[Lars Strom]

Check this out Jim and Rotary John..Great reading..

Wait..I have more..!!

[Rotary John]

Ziggy modified this picture and gave it to me.

[Lars Strom]

That is a fun picture Rotary John..

More fun reading about Paris 1973..and the new OMC V-6..
Where is Jackie Wilson..!!..:)

Ray Bulman reports on the Paris 6 hour.
Photographs by Eric Coltham

[Lars Strom]

Ziggy modified this picture and gave it to me.

Edit Jan. 25 2012

[NERSTROM]

Sorry, the V6's raced were 2-litre - built as I explained in an earlier post. Maybe I will explain how the bores were done at a later time.

[Mark Poole]

Did these early V-6 OMC race engines have the 6 two barrel set up or were they running the 3 two barrel carbs?

[John Schubert T*A*R*T]

Did these early V-6 OMC race engines have the 6 two barrel set up or were they running the 3 two barrel carbs?

Mark,

Quote from Jim Nerstrom's earlier post:

"These used three 2-bbl carbs like the production V6."

[Ron Hill]

Sorry, the V6's raced were 2-litre - built as I explained in an earlier post. Maybe I will explain how the bores were done at a later time.

Class ON was to 122 cubic inches?

Didn't OMC have a 60 degree 122 cube V-6? Something that maybe Hauenstein and you had a hand in making?

[Lars Strom]

This was also good year for OMC..I raced OE..but no not remember Team Mercury pulling out
the day before the race..!!

[Lars Strom]

I think this is Briggs..!!..and Scottis boat before start.

Picture: Winrace, Norway

[Lars Strom]

More about Paris Six Hours 1974 here..http://svera.se/blogg/paris-6-hours/very-happy-with-our-paris-6-hour-race-1974/

[Lake X Kid]

Photo is early 1970s.
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[Lake X Kid]

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[Lake X Kid]

52086

[Ron Hill]

I have often wondered how far we were behind....Six hours is a long race.

Ted May and I drove together in 1968, when it was over we were awarded third, though we always figured we were second. Coke was a dollar a bottle ad wine was 50 cents. When the race ended I was thirsty but only had 50 cents in my pocket. So, I bought a bottle of wine. Ann Strang came along and saw me drinking out of the bottle ow wine (Ann was Chralie Strang mother and Charlie ran OMC and OMC RACING.) Ann said, "Are you celebrating?" I said, "Yes, I'm celebrating I'm still alive. Those Mercury guys were 20 miles an hour faster than us...and with all the crazy people racing out there, I'm celebrating I'm alive." Ann said, "Give me a drink."

An never liked Mercury to beat us, but she also knew I didn't like to lose no matter what motor I was running...OMC (Ann Stang) was very good to me those ten years I raced for OMC...As, I know that Ann liked me is why I raced for OMC...

[Lake X Kid]

I have often wondered how far we were behind....Six hours is a long race.
Ron are you driving an offshore ocean boat, or is this the boat-angle you elect to drive at?
Possibly this is to keep your self dry from the water spray.
No wonder you finished third.

52087

[Steve Pinson]

I have often wondered how far we were behind....Six hours is a long race.

Ted May and I drove together in 1968, when it was over we were awarded third, though we always figured we were second. Coke was a dollar a bottle ad wine was 50 cents. When the race ended I was thirsty but only had 50 cents in my pocket. So, I bought a bottle of wine. Ann Strang came along and saw me drinking out of the bottle ow wine (Ann was Chralie Strang mother and Charlie ran OMC and OMC RACING.) Ann said, "Are you celebrating?" I said, "Yes, I'm celebrating I'm still alive. Those Mercury guys were 20 miles an hour faster than us...and with all the crazy people racing out there, I'm celebrating I'm alive." Ann said, "Give me a drink."

An never liked Mercury to beat us, but she also knew I didn't like to lose no matter what motor I was running...OMC (Ann Stang) was very good to me those ten years I raced for OMC...As, I know that Ann liked me is why I raced for OMC... That would be the last time that i saw you Ron Hill it was at the Prize giving after the Paris 6hr race in 72 we were standing behind Ron and Jimbo we finished in 5th place.Ron can you remember one of your prizes was a 3hp Johnson outboard i always wondered which one of you kept it?

[Ron Hill]

I'm not sure Jimbo ever ended up with one either. By October of 1972, I was 28 years old and had raced for 17 years. In 1967, I'd won more than a year's salary winning Havasu and I also got a lot that was worth about a year's salary.

I was getting tired of the travel, my daughter was born on the day of the 6 Hours of Paris, 1973. When I left Paris, 1972, I was pretty much done. My dreams of boat racing being huge were fading. America had gone to single engines, I thought Europe should have gone to twins.

I don't recall if there was a Berlin race in 1972. Seems I left after Paris and went home. Jimbo and I had won Berlin 1970. Scotti and I drove together in Berlin 1971. We didn't last long....and I was glad to head back to Calfornia (My boat had ice in the seat the morning of the Berlin 6 Hour and I don't do cold well).

So, bottom line: I never sasw a 3 HP Johnson from Paris 1972.

[John Schubert T*A*R*T]

I'm not sure Jimbo ever ended up with one either. By October of 1972, I was 28 years old and had raced for 17 years. In 1967, I'd won more than a year's salary winning Havasu and I also got a lot that was worth about a year's salary.

I was getting tired of the travel, my daughter was born on the day of the 6 Hours of Paris, 1973. When I left Paris, 1972, I was pretty much done. My dreams of boat racing being huge were fading. America had gone to single engines, I thought Europe should have gone to twins.


I don't recall if there was a Berlin race in 1972. Seems I left after Paris and went home. Jimbo and I had won Berlin 1970. Scotti and I drove together in Berlin 1971. We didn't last long....and I was glad to head back to Calfornia (My boat had ice in the seat the morning of the Berlin 6 Hour and I don't do cold well).

So, bottom line: I never sasw a 3 HP Johnson from Paris 1972.
I know that we went to Berlin as Geoff & I were to co-drive as Lou Eppel wanted Art Kennedy, Geoff & myself to drive. I refused and Jim Briggs concurred. Art didn't finish the race in Paris after hitting the seawall so I got back in & finished. I can't recall what happened in Berlin, but my recollection is that it was cancelled due to extreme winds, cold weatrher & rough water.

[Ron Hill]

http://youtu.be/Xduz4DdRFpk


The pictures of boat 11 is Bob Nordskog first ride in an outboard. More about that later.
(http://youtu.be/Xduz4DdRFpk)

[Lars Strom]

Paris 6 Hours 1979.

[jackie wilson]

Paris 6 Hours 1979.

We completed 172 laps but did not figure in the finishers list---------but that's Paris-----live with it, we did.

[John Schubert T*A*R*T]

We completed 172 laps but did not figure in the finishers list---------but that's Paris-----live with it, we did.
In 1971 with 50 minutes to go & about a 20 minute lead with Leek & Eppel signalling me to slow down only to have a rod exit the crankcase. Then going to Berlin & leading after 2 hours & the same thing happening. Could have been a great fall trip but turned in to a real downer.