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Index by last name:
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Index by year:
[1993] [1994] [1995] [1996] [1997] [1998] [1999] [2000] [2001] 2002 [2003] [2004] [2005] [2006] [2007]
Ken Achs (2002)
Saskatoon businessman Ken Achs started racing in 1962 in Calgary at the wheel of a 1940 Ford Coupe with a Buick motor. Two years later, he opened Mid-West Automotive in Saskatoon and built a Chevv-powered C-class dragster. This was the first car to go down the newly-constructed Saskatoon International Raceway in 1966. Ken also raced his car at Bison Raceway in Winnipeg as well as at Calgary and Edmonton. In 1967, he bought a Top Fuel car from Ed Norton of Seattle. This was the first Top Fuel car in Saskatchewan and he won virtually every race he entered across the prairies that year, competing against U.S. drivers. In 1968, he upgraded to a brand-new Top Fuel car, which he ran for three years, sweeping every race he entered in Canada. He set the low elapsed time and top miles-per-hour marks at the Canadian Nationals in 1968. In 1971, Ken switched to Funny Cars and continued his success. He won races and championships across the prairies as well as in California, Washington and Oregon. He was the only Canadian competitor to hold both NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car licences in 1971. Due to the demands of business, Ken sold all of his racing equipment in 1973. When asked, he said he did not consider himself a world-class drag racer but rather a fortunate fan who happened to live at a time when going 200 mph was an attainable dream. When asked, Ken graciously tracked down and restored his 1967 Top Fuel dragster and donated it in 2002 to the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame where it is on permanent display.
More about this member :: Back to top Dick Baker (2002)
Often described as a man "who got things done", Dick Baker was an honours graduate engineer who went to work for General Motors in 196, advancing easily through the corporate ranks. In 1976, to scratch his entrepreneurial itch, Dick struck our on his own and armed with vision, gumption, energy integrity and a rare attention to detail, wound up at the epicentre of an ever-evolving universe of Canadian trucking and manufacturing companies, realestate developments, far-flung business interests and a close, knit and devoted family. He was not a man to be involved in something by halves, and volunteered his efforts and ideas freely. As often as not, he wound up at the helm of whatever cause or project that attracted his attention. Dick was active in his community, serving as president of his local Rotary club. He supported children's camps and studied and researched Belleville area history. Dick was also a lifelong racer and avid motorsport enthusiast, who, over the last 25 years of his life, concentrated his interest and energies on the vintage end of the sport. Dick started racing in the 1960's, driving an MGA at Mosport. He was attracted to and got involved in vintage racing in the 1970s. He was the co-founder of the Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada, championed and then spearheaded the inclusion of Formula 70 wings and slick open-wheelers in vintage racing, and at the time of his death was president elect of the Monoposto Register, the premier North American vintage racing group for single seaters. He was also chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. He was the 2001 recipient of the Dewey Dellinger Award within the Vintage Motorsport Council for "many valuable and unselfish contributions to vintage racing in the United States and Canada". In both the business and motorsport worlds, Dick Baker had a rare knack of making things happen. He knew how to get people interested, to get them excited and to get them involved. He was most proud of the mechanical and racing skills of his three sons, Brad, Deana and Duncan. Besides being excellent racers, they had the mechanical skill to work on their own cars. Sadly Duncan passed away after a road accident several years ago but Brad and Dean remain threats to win almost any vintage race they enter. Dick Baker is gone now but he was a diehard enthusiast, fan and friend of the sport. As one old friend said recently, "Most of all, he will be remembered for his presence in the paddock, always there to help, council, cajole and ensure that all the open-wheel racers at a vintage event raced well and enjoyed themselves. If Dick didn't come by in his golf cart to chat, if wasn't a complete weekend." Well said because we will miss him.
More about this member :: Back to top Pete Bicknell (2002)
A driver of modified racing cars on dirt tracks in southern Ontario and northern New York state, Pete also owns several racing-related businesses -- Bicknell Racing Products (chassis builders) and Pete's Automotive B.R.P. (engine builders). Racers from coast-to-coast and in the U.S. purchase cars and engines from him. He also owns a Hoosier Tire distributorship. In a many-season career, Pete Bicknell has won more than 30 track championships and 300 modified features. He has won those features and championships at 14 different speedways in Canada and the United States. He has also won the prestigious Syracuse 200 big-block headline race during Super D.I.R.T. Week in Syracuse, N.Y., in 1998 and 1999 and 2001, won the smallbock championship at Super D.I.R.T. week in Syracuse in 1982 and 1983, was the 1991 and 1994 Mr. DIRT 358 champion, is a former St. Catharines, Ont., Athlete of the Year and a former St. Catharines Sportsman of the Year. In 1999, as well as winning the Super D.I.R.T. Week Syracuse 200 for big-blocks, he set a world closed-course dirt record with a speed of 120 miles an hour on the Syracuse Mile.
More about this member :: Back to top Scott Goodyear (2002)
Scott Goodyear is one of Canada's best-known international racers, with experience in sedans, Indy cars and endurance races. In more than two decades of racing, during which he also operated a racing school, Goodyear is best known for his years driving in CART and the IRL. In his four-year Indy Racing League career, he recorded one top-five and two other top-10 finishes in the season point standings, as well as three wins, 14 other top-five finishes and seven other top-10 finishes. He finished in the top 10 five times driving in the Indianapolis 500, including two second-place efforts, the most memorable of which occurred in 1992 when he chased Al Unser Jr. to the finish line in a brilliant final two-lap charge, finishing second by just .043 of a second, the closest margin in race history. His most controversial Indy 500 race came in 1995 when he was ruled to have passed the pace car while leading late in the race. He was disqualified and the race was won by another Canadian, Jacques Villeneuve. Goodyear's first Indy Car victory came that year at Michigan in the CART Marlboro 500. Six years after his 1980 auto racing debut, Goodyear seized his first title, the 1986 North American Formula Atlantic Championship, following a season in which he won five of nine races. That same year he was named Driver of the Year by the Canadian Race Drivers Association. Goodyear currently resides in Carmel, Indiana, with his wife Leslie and their three children. style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Verdana'>
More about this member :: Back to top Jim Hallahan (2002)
Jim Hallahan started racing jalopy stock cars in Streetsville, Ont., in 1949 when he was 20. He graduated to late model stock cars five years later and retired from driving those same late models in 1982. In between, he won the track points championship twice at the old Pinecrest Speedway in Ontario and won features and international race championships at Pinecrest, Ont., River Glade, N.B., Fredericton, N.B., Bathurst, N.B., and at Riverside Speedway located near Antigonish, N.S. Racing primarily in his home province of Ontario for several years, the mid 60s saw Jim often packing up the family - and the racecar - for a summer "vacation" in the Maritimes. He enjoyed great success and was featured as a celebrity racer at many of the events. In 1969 he moved to Nova Scotia after receiving a job offer and an opportunity to drive a stock car for Forbes Chev Olds in Dartmouth. Veteran Maritime race fans will remember Jim behind the wheel of his familiar number 33, first in the bright orange Forbes-sponsored entry "The Hugger", then in racecars he co-owned, until his retirement from driving in '82. But he didn't retire from racing - he was just getting started. In 1983, together with other promoters and car owners, Jim spearheaded the creation of the MASCAR touring race series. In the late 1980s, while serving as president of MASCAR, Jim negotiated for the tour drivers to race through the streets of Halifax during the Moosehead Grand Prix weekends, bringing even more prestige to the successful Maritime stock car racing series. Besides becoming an active and effective promoter, Jim was instrumental in helping son Jim Jr. and daughter Debbie to begin their racing careers. Debbie was showing great promise and was a rookie on the MASCAR circuit when she died in a racing crash in 1984. Jim has tried on several occasions to retire but the lure of the speedways keeps pulling him back. "It's the love of the sport, I guess," said a humble Hallahan. "Even when we're not racing at home we plan our vacations around other races. We get back from Toronto after the induction next week then start packing to leave a few days later for Bristol, Tenn. - a NASCAR race. That's the way it's always been for us. It's a way of life." In addition to his racing duties, Jim has been a tireless worker for charity over the years and has been involved with, among others, the Boys and Girls Club of Dartmouth, the Children's Wish Foundation and Rainbow Haven, a summer camp for underprivileged children. Jim resides in Dartmouth with his wife Elizabeth (Liz) and, at 72, works three jobs. Besides his duties with Scotia Speedworld and the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour he still works with Forbes Chev Olds. Liz also works with Scotia Speedworld and the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour as well as being involved with numerous charities. Jim Hallahan has made invaluable contributions to and is a credit to his sport. But his legacy goes beyond racing to include to his family, his friends, his work and his community.
More about this member :: Back to top Barry Paton (2002)
Barry Paton has been involved with race cars since the mid-1950s. As a teenager, he took a turn at stock car racing but soon found out that ``turning left'' was not for him. In 1964, he began running a '58 Plymouth Fury at the drags, honing his driving skills. In 1969, Barry ordered a new 1969 Chevrolet Nova with a powerful 396 big block. With his wife Lynne's encouragement, Barry began racing the Nova, which he quickly named "One More Time." "One More Time" quickly became one of the most-feared Super Stockers of its time. Running in SS/IA trim, the Nova obliterated the NHRA record of 11.08 with an unreal 10.83 and won hundreds of trophies. In 1978, Barry felt the urge to go a little quicker. After a brief search, he found the old "Fighting Irish" Nitro Funny Car which fit perfectly into B Econo Altered in NHRA's Competition Eliminator, with a de-stroked 383 cu. in. Chevy for power. This allowed him to move into the 8-second range at over 150 mph. It also seemed to whet his appetite for funny cars. In 1986, Barry took delivery of Paul Smith's "Entertainer" nitro funny car and outfitted it with all the running gear from the Vega. At a Division 2 Points Meet in Warner Robins, Georgia, his fourth event behind the wheel of his new Camaro, Barry eliminated Bogie Kell, Terry Mullins and then-Division 2 champion Steve Group to claim his first title in Alcohol Funny Car. In 1989, Barry became the first Canadian to qualify #1 at the Molson GrandNational in Montreal, Quebec, where his 6.06 paced the 16-car field. During the winter of 1990, Barry put Todd, the older of his two sons, behind the wheel of the family funny car. Barry tuned Todd to a run of 6.01 seconds at his very first national event, the 1991 Gatornationals. They went on to win the Can-Am Nationals that year in St. Thomas, Ontario. The following year Barry, along with Todd's younger brother Tony, tuned him to a runner-up finish at the IHRA Winternationals. In June of that year, just three months later, the Paton family earned their first national event win when Todd defeated Scott Weis in the snow-delayed(!) IHRA Summer Nationals. In 1993 the team won the IHRA World Championship despite missing the season-opening Winter Nationals. In 1995, the team again used record-setting performances to return to their winning ways, and became the only Canadian team to capture two IHRA World Championships. In 1996, Barry and his family shifted their focus to the NHRA. Using a new combination designed around a screw-type supercharger, the team became the first alcohol funny car to break into the 5.70's at Indy, and used a string of consistent 5.8-second elapsed times to eliminate the likes of former world champions Pat Austin, Randy Anderson and Tony Bartone to win the biggest drag race of them all: the U.S. Nationals. 1999 was the team's best season in the NHRA's Alcohol Funny Car division. The team won the Mac Tools Gatornationals. They quickly followed that victory with another win at the Lone Star Nationals in Dallas, Texas and a divisional victory in Reynolds, Georgia, earning them a top 5 finish in the NHRA's season-long points chase. Barry has since kept himself busy guiding the career of son Todd in a nitro funny car. But just before the season-ending NHRA World Finals last year, Barry climbed back in the cockpit of a funny car for the first time in 12 years and the first time ever in a nitro funny car during a test session at the Strip in Las Vegas. He made two perfect 300-foot checkout passes, leaving his future plans wide open. Maybe he's ready to go quicker "One More Time".
More about this member :: Back to top Bob and Leone Slack (2002)
As Hall of Fame member Ernie McLean earned induction as the man who built stock car racing in New Brunswick, so Bob Slack, and his wife Leone, became known as the couple who built the "Charlotte of the North,'' Ontario's Cayuga Speedway. Commitment, dedication and hard work were the trademarks of Bob and Leone Slack. Their devotion and loving care, along with an emphasis on taking care of the fans as well as the competitors, established Cayuga as one of the premier short tracks in North America. As H.A. "Humpy'' Wheeler, president and general manager of the Lowe's Motor Speedway at Charlotte, put it, "If ever there were promoters who truly put the fans first, it was Bob and Leone Slack while at the helm of the Cayuga Speedway.'' It was 1967 when Bob, known as the Lumber King of Caledonia, took over Cayuga, which had fallen on hard times. He said he knew nothing about racing, but he was a fast learner. Within three years, Bob and Leone were promoting the two biggest oval track events held in Canada to that point -- the Thrush 200 and the Maple Leaf 250. It was the Slack's who dreamed up the idea of bringing in top NASCAR stars to battle local and regional Canadian and northern U.S. stars. Bobby Allison was his first guest in 1972, and it's a Cayuga tradition to this day. Others to take on the locals have included Dale Earnhardt, Buddy Baker, Donnie Allison, Rusty Wallace, Alan Kulwicki, Mark Martin, Bill Elliott and Sterling Marlin. And the locals learned well. Names like Hall-of-Famers Junior Hanley, Earl Ross and Don Biederman would refine their talents at the Cayuga oval and then head south of the border. The Slack's were promoting pioneers, bringing in the ASA stock cars, the Big Rig racers and the Busch North series. Usually, Cayuga would mark the first, and sometimes only, Canadian appearance by major series. They even dared to bring the USAC sprint cars into what was stock car country and featured the likes of Gary Bettenhausen, Larry Dickson, Tom Bigelow and the late Rich Vogler. Amenities were the order of the day at Cayuga ? an up-to-date press facility, corporate suites and a new, massive grandstand with good food and good washrooms made Cayuga stand out as a first-class facility. The business downturn of the early 90s caught up with Bob and Leone and they sold Cayuga Speedway. But their legacy lives on, and current owners and promoters, Brad Lichty and Garry Evans, are the first to say, when confronted with a problem or the puzzle of a promotion, ``What would Bob and Leone Slack do?''
More about this member :: Back to top Roy Smith (2002)
"Rapid Roy, the stock car boy'' was one of Canada's most outstanding in this class of racing. He began racing in 1965 at the age of 20 with a 1950 Ford Stock Car. In 1967, he graduated to driving the powerful A-Modified cars and was awarded the popular driver award. Not only was Roy successful in his home country breaking track records and winning numerous races and track championships in British Columbia and Alberta, he was also one of the most respected stock car racers in the western United States. A professional racer, Roy won the NASCAR Winston West championship four times -- 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1988 and was third twice (1987 and 1989) competing against such NASCAR stalwarts as Chad Little, Hershel McGriff and Jim Bown. The highlight of is career came in 1982 with a top-10 finish in the Daytona 500, which is the Holy Grail of NASCAR racing.Roy was 22nd in the 1976 and 20th in the 1978 Daytona 500s. Roy has also been inducted into the Victoria Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1992) and the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame (2002).
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