I have often wondered if there was a preferred direction of rotation and then, why was that direction preferred?
Jim mentions a clockwise direction viewed from the left side and my gut, unqualified opinion, is that this direction favors the drive direction of appliances connected rearward of the engine. Then again, the appliance could be turned 180 degrees and its rotations would be reversed !
If you timed your engine to run counterclock-wise. would you be wrong?