Super Swede ... Lars Strom

[Lars Strom]

One more thing Ken,

If you look really close on that yellow # 48 Clerici, you
can see the gearcase is 1975 blue.

OMC replaced my gearcase before the start in the Paris 6 Hours.
I was told the new one was little stronger and hade a beefed up
bearing housing.

There was a small problem with the bearing housing if you run the engine really high
up on the transom as I did.

[Lars Strom]

The Evinrude 70hp? from 1974 was as good as the 1975 and 1976
Evinrude 75 hp used for SE Class racing.

Only when the FT 19S came late 1976 did I pick up speed from more power.
The speed increase 1975 and 1976 was from better boats and set up.

Photo from 1974,
Clerici SE Cat with Evinrude 70 hp

[LIQUID NIRVANA]

The Evinrude 70hp? from 1974 was as good as the 1975 and 1976
Evinrude 75 hp used for SE Class racing.

Only when the FT 19S came late 1976 did I pick up speed from more power.
The speed increase 1975 and 1976 was from better boats and set up.

Photo from 1974,
Clerici SE Cat with Evinrude 70 hp

Thanks Lars,

The motor we got was a 1973 65hp 15" with a "Nitro" gearcase .536 gear ratio from memory.

[Lars Strom]

This year was the year of big change for me in Racing.
OMC did many things I disagree with, like kicking out the Swedish Evinrude distributor Huzells.
My relationship with Paul Kalb, the overseas Racing boss was not so good.

Many people was sick and tired of me winning more or less everything for 4 years in the SE class
and most drivers wanted to switch to OE instead of SE.

Paul Kalb called me and offered me a free OE engine and all the parts and service free and travel cost.

Well, my old Racing deal with Huzells use to be way better and I made money the last 3
years from Racing.

At that point I run across Rutger Friberg, an old friend.
Rutger was in charge of Volvo Penta
and som other Volvo Divisions.

I told him to make me a good offer to Race the Volvo Penta König and after a few days he
got back to me with something really good.

Lots of up front money, paying for boats and racing trucks and a nice budget for travel cost etc.
and to be the number one Volvo Penta-Konig driver.
Access to Gert Lowisin full time for the Race season.
Gert was really smart and good with props and getting horse power out of engines.

OE was a no restriction class and I signed the deal with Volvo the next day.

I also included a Offshore deal to have free equipment to have a shot at the over all winner of Roslagsloppet. A very big Offshore race back then in Sweden.

The first thing I did after signing the Volvo deal was to contact Bengt Nilsson.
Bengt was the CEO for the new company, OMC Sweden.

Bengt use to be the CEO for Huzells Marine Division and he got the job for the new OMC set up in Sweden.

I told Bengt this is maybe no good for my Evinrude dealership, but Racing was a big part of
my life and the Volvo deal was to good to turn down.

Now my next big dilemma happened.

A few days later Billy Huzell came to my dealership with the Sales manager for Suzuki outboards.
Huzells offered me very good net pricing, if I signed up to be a Suzuki dealer!!!.
Way better conditions then OMC.
After a long discussion I ordered 150 Suzuki outboards.
The best part was 1 year credit and no interest.

A few days later Bengt Nilsson called me and asked if the Suzuki rumors was true.....

I said yes, and felt really bad.....

The next day I called Huzells and canceled the Suzuki deal and asked them to pick up all
the 150 outboards ASAP!!!!

//

Next is my 1977 Racing story

Photo:
Rutger Friberg is the man behind the Volvo Penta Outboard.
Lars is to the right.

[mintominto]

Hi Lars,

Great stories, sounds like there were some very difficult decisions to make at this time.

Can you remember how many of these Volvo motors ran back in those days, and when was the last year they were used ?

[Lars Strom]

This is the boat Volvo Penta gave me for the Offshore race Roslagsloppet.
Volvo Penta, USA sent me a "really good" GM small block and we were leading the race when
the engine dropped a valve.

Yes, this is the same photo as earlier, but the only one I have
of the 24' Rum Runner

[Lars Strom]

Hi Lars,

Great stories, sounds like there were some very difficult decisions to make at this time.

Can you remember how many of these Volvo motors ran back in those days, and when was the last year they were used ?

Hi Mintominto,

Yes it was very hard to tell Mr. Billy Huzell No to be a Suzuki dealer.
Must OMC dealers did not.

There was more stuff going on, that I do not want to write about.

There was maybe 5 driver using the Volvo 1977, one more Swede and
Roger Jenkins.
Some German drivers to, Becker and Dieter Konigs relative but I do not
remember his name. (Maret maybe)
We raced Paris 6 hours together.

Must racing with the 3 Cyl. OE Volvo Konig was in late 1976 and 1977.
Konig made a 6 cylinder OE engine I was fighting for years later, when I
was back with OMC.

[Lars Strom]

Well, one more thing.

I did sell all my Volvo Konig stuff to Swe-Marin in Sweden and they
raced the 3 Cyl. 1978 and 1979.
Pelle Larsson was the driver.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Gunter Becker was one of the German drivers along with Dieter's nephew Joachim Mareth.

[Lars Strom]

Gunter Becker was one of the German drivers along with Dieter's nephew Joachim Mareth.

Thank you Wayne,

Dieter Koning was a first class person and I became a close friend of him.
He open up a new door in my Racing life.

By racing a Konig I was accepted in a very nice way in Germany and
spent many weeks at the Konig factory in West Berlin.

Dieter invited me to many different places in West Berlin, even his home.

When I was riding in his big brand new Mercedes S 280 I said to Dieter,
this car is pretty strong to be a small 6 cyl. engine?

Dieter was laughing and said, Lars it is a S 600 with a S 280 sticker on
the trunk!!!!

Dieter was a low profile person and I enjoyed every minute around him.

Well, I become a good friend of Hans Georg Krage to and he was way
different than Dieter.
Hans was racing OE with a hydro and to watch him testing props
at the very narrow canal outside Dieters factory was unbelievable.
His boat was not touching the water and in an angle like it was ready
to fly every second.

Well, there is more about my Konig experience to come..