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Jean-Paul Cabana (2001)
In the 1950s, when Canadian road-racing events were few and far between and organized drag racing had not even started, a little guy from St. Hyacinthe, Que., was tearing up most of the stock-car tracks of his home province and the northern United States. His name was Jean-Paul Cabana. The last of 13 children born on a farm, Jean-Paul started working as a mechanic when he was 17. He first got behind the wheel of a racing car at the Drummondville Autodrome in 1954, driving a 1932 flathead Ford V-8, and he never looked back. He won most races he entered, sometimes running as often as five times a week at Drummondville, Montmagny (near Quebec City), Riverside Speedway (Laval) and Bouvrette Speedway (St-Jerome). At the end of the 1950s, he switched to Chevy power and started racing in the northern U.S., initially at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y. He got his first start at the Daytona Speedway in 1962 in the Sportsman Division. During the main support race for the Daytona 500, Jean-Paul drove what he remembers as an ex-Junior Johnson Pontiac Catalina to ninth place (first in the Sportsman class, as they also ran Modifieds in the same race). In 1965, John Paul won the first race at the Milton Speedway in Vermont (then owned by CBS's Ken Squier) and, ironically, won the last race there before it went out of business in the 1970s. He won the track championship there three times. As well as dominating northern speedways, he ventured south to Charlotte, Richmond and Martinsville, with mixed results. In his 40 years of racing, Jean-Paul never ran less than three times a week but most often five. He raced frequently in Ontario, running at Cayuga, Mosport and Sauble River. During his career, Jean-Paul won more than 500 races and helped many young drivers get started, such as NASCAR stars Kevin LePage (he was best man at LePage's wedding) and Ricky Craven, to name a few. Living the life of a gentleman farmer today, Jean-Paul still operates a driving school at the Sanair Speedway and does some announcing at Saturday night tracks in the province. In Quebec, Jean-Paul Cabana is known as the King of Stock Car Racing
More about this member :: Back to top Jack Canfield (2003)
Known throughout the Maritimes as Atlantic Canada's motorsports icon, Jack Canfield was a motorcycle and car racer, the driving force behind the construction and development of Atlantic Motorsport Park, an international ambassador for Canadian motorsport and a mentor to literally hundreds of competitors. He started racing motorcycles when he was only 14 years old and collected trophies for victories in scrambles, hill climbs, trials and dirt-track races. That was in the 1940s. In the 1950s, as well as continuing to pile up the wins in Nova Scotia, he was off to compete in road races in New Brunswick and Ontario. In the 1960s, he raced - and won - at Mosport Park, Daytona International Raceway and Briar Motorsport Park in New Hampshire. One victory of note, in the Canadian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Mosport, came on a home-modified Suzuki 250 over Suzuki's own factory team. Suzuki was so impressed, they offered him a sponsorship. That same year, he was a founding member of the Atlantic Motorcycle Competition Riders' Association. In 1973, Canfield spearheaded the building of Atlantic Motorsport Park at Shubenacadie, N.S., just up the road from Halifax. On Aug. 2, 1974, he rode the first lap of the new track and was in charge of continuing development and maintenance at the circuit until his untimely passing in 2003. The opening of AMP got his competitive juices flowing and he decided to try his hand at car racing. He destroyed his first car - a Formula Vee - as well as one of his legs in a practice crash. But his next car, a Datsun 510, saw him win the Maritime Road Racing Championship in that class. But his true love was motorcycles and, putting the cars aside, he raced through the 1990s and into the new millenium in vintage events. He was honoured for his contributions many steps along the way.
More about this member :: Back to top John Cannon (1993)
John Cannon was the first Canadian ever to win a Can-Am race. In a three-year-old car, John lapped the entire field in the rain at Laguna Seca in 1968, including the mighty Team McLaren of Denny Hume and Bruce McLaren. John went on to star on the U.S. continental circuit and his performances brought much prestige to Canadian racing.
More about this member :: Back to top Terry Capp (2001)
During the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, Terry Capp and his crew chief, Hall of Fame member Bernie Fedderly, were instrumental in bringing Canadian Top Fuel drag cars to the forefront of the North American drag-racing scene. He was honoured four times by making the cover of the NHRA's National Dragster magazine and the highlight of his career was winning the Top Fuel championship at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis in 1980.Much ado has been made about Hall-of-Famer Gary Beck, the all conquering Top Fuel hero who lived in Edmonton and was instrumental in making drag racing a truly international sport. But Terry Capp was his equal.Terry started drag racing in 1967 with Fedderly and the two made a formidable team for most of Terry's career. Their initial entry was a 1951 Anglia B/Gasser that produced more success than is usually expected from a first-car effort, winning the Western Canadian Championship Series that season. In 1968 and 1969, they quickened their pace with a C/Dragster and then switched to the lightening fast A/Fuel Dragster category in 1970. Shortly thereafter, they met up with Wes Van Dusen, who had a Top Fuel dragster but needed extra assistance in campaigning the machine. A three-way partnership was formed. Terry purchased a 426 Hemi from a retired US Funny Car racer and the team went to Saskatchewan International Raceway for a meet and surprised everybody, especially themselves, by hitting a 6.42 second run-225 mph-which set a Canadian record. Terry's thundering performances proved to be no fluke as he journeyed to the United States to race in division VI at Seattle International Raceway and he came away with an even more impressive 6.40 sec run (236 mph), something (as the Americans said) that Canadians weren't suppose to do. Beck convinced them to go rear engine in 1972 and they finished in the Top Ten of the NHRA World championship Series, something again they weren't suppose to do. Many wins and regional championships followed. In 1980, Terry went up against the likes of Beck, Connie Kalitta, Shirley Muldowney and Dick Lahaie at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. Qualifying second with a 5.80 sec. ET at 243.24 mph, Terry beat Jeb Allen in the final, posting the quickest side by side race in history, winning with a 5.82 sec. ET at 241.93 mph to a 5.99 sec. ET at 245.23 mph. Terry went into semi-retirement after that, but teamed up with Ron Hodgson. Gordon Jenner, Dale Adams in 1988 to try Top Fuel racing again. They won the AHRA World Finals in Spokane that year and went back to the US Nationals in Indianapolis where Terry qualified ninth, loosing in the second round with a gigantic wheel stand. Over the next decade Terry kept his Top Fuel and Funny Car licenses current by running match races throughout Canada and the US. And then in 2000 he returned to the AHRA World Finals in Spokane, Wash. where after the smoke had cleared, he added another trophy to his collection by posting a time of 5.22 seconds and a 297 mph run, winning the AHRA World Finals. Not bad for a semi-retired driver. Terry Capp says he's not finished. Before he hangs up the helmet for good, he wants to make a 300 plus mph pass in the 4-second range. He's had a 5.02 run at 297.97 mph, so that barrier can't be far off.
More about this member :: Back to top Maurice (MO) Carter (1999)
A decorated World War II veteran, a dedicated community leader and successful auto dealer in Hamilton, Ont., Maurice (Mo) Carter started rallying in 1961 and racing in 1966. Over the next 15 years, he drove his familiar red-and-white Carter Camaros on every road racecourse in North America. In 1973, he became the first Canadian to win Trans-Am and IMSA races in the U.S. His Carter Camaro finished fourth behind a trio of Porsche 935 Turbos in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1980.
More about this member :: Back to top Castrol North America (1999)
Few companies match the accomplishments in motorsport of Castrol North America. Their support of the sport has taken many forms - driver, rider and team sponsorships, series sponsorships, track sponsorships and product and contingency support. It has encompassed virtually every motorsport discipline from Formula 1 racing to motorcycles to rallying. Castrol is also the founding patron of the Canadian MotorSport Hall of Fame.
More about this member :: Back to top George Chapman (1994)
George Chapman was the Canadian Driving Champion in 1966, driving a Lotus 23B. In the dozen years he raced, George contributed a lot as a competitor, but he probably contributed more after he retired and took on the posts as President and Vice-President of the Canadian Automobile Sport Club (CASC). He filled those rolls admirably, and motorsport in Canada benefited from his leadership.
More about this member :: Back to top Jack Christie (2007)
Many people think all the action is on the track but even before competitors load their cars for the trip to the track much has already been done. Dedicated people such as former formula car racer Jack Christie have worked to create and administer racing series, find sponsors, organize tracks and get it done all out of the limelight.
For over 20 years, Jack Christie has filled that role, creating the Canadian Tire Formula 2000 Series, the Nissan Racing program, the Super Beetle Racing series, and the outstanding Rothmans Porsche Turbo Cup which captivated Canadian and European racing fans.
Jack also founded the Canadian Formula Racing Drivers Association improving safety and funding for Canadian racers and co-founded the Canadian Motorsports Sponsors Association that assisted motorsports sponsors in their use of racing as a marketing tool. As well, he was instrumental in running several Canadian drivers in the 24 Hours of LeMans. He built motorsports marketing opportunities for such companies as Canadian Tire, Castrol, Pirelli Tire, Rothmans Canada, Shell Oil and Porsche AG.
Jack was also instrumental in guiding the careers, as a manager, mentor or advisor, to notable drivers such as Scott Goodyear, Ron Fellows, Paul Tracy, and Greg Moore. Quietly, Jack got the job done and helped build and advance the enjoyment of our sport.
More about this member :: Back to top Warren Coniam (1996)
Warren 'The Warrior' Coniam starred in super modified racing for more than 25 years, twice winning the famed Oswego Classic ? the only Canadian to do so ? and twice won the Oswego Track Championship. Coniam raced in the early days of the CNE and Pinecrest Speedway, but stayed with super modifieds when those tracks switched to late models.
More about this member :: Back to top John Cordts (2003)
John Cordts came to Canada from Sweden in the early 1950s, when he was 18, and settled in North Bay, Ont., a place he still considers to be his home town. Thoroughly familiar with machinery from the time he was very young, he started racing, as many Canadians do - on the ice, in winter. From there he moved to a brand-new MGA and soon made his presence known in amateur road racing. He was spotted by Dave Billes of Performance Engineering, who offered him a seat in the company Corvette. He won the Canadian Championship for big bore sports cars in 1965 against some pretty stiff competition. This convinced Billes that Cordts had the Right Stuff (in spades: in 1968, he set a track record of 101.8 mph at Harewood Acres that stood until the track closed in 1970) and the two of them went racing in 1966 in the famous Can-Am series with a McLaren. Now money, although not exactly scarce, was not in plentiful supply and Cordts' skill at keeping ailing Can-Am cars on the track and in the money became legendary. A Road & Track magazine correspondent once wrote: "If I had a Can-Am car, I would want John Cordts to drive it.'' In 1969, Cordts was offered a once-in-a-lifetime ride, a seat in a Brabham-Climax Formula One car for that year's Grand Prix of Canada at Mosport. Only five Canadian drivers made the field for the Canadian GP in the Sixties and John Cordts was one of them - Eppie Weitzes, George Eaton, Al Pease and Bill Brack being the others. After a spin in the original Trans-Am series for BF Goodrich in the early 1970s, John Cordts left motorsport and retired to Vancouver Island.
More about this member :: Back to top Jacques Couture (2000)
A fine competitor who won many formula car and sedan races and championships, and who continues to teach the art and techniques of motor racing, Jacques Couture won the Canadian Driving Championship during a long and varied career. Jacques established the first racing school in North America -- the Jim Russell school at Le Circuit/Mont Tremblant in Quebec -- and was the instructor who taught the young Gilles Villeneuve how to race. He was a mentor to many other than Villeneuve and was instrumental, for instance, in helping David McConnell (of the Montreal Star McConnells) to reach the Formula 2 level in Europe. Jacques today lives happily in California, looking for another Villeneuve. style='font-size: 8.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>
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