|
|
Index by last name:
[A] B [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] I [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] Q [R] [S] [T] U [V] [W] X Y Z
Index by year:
[1993] [1994] [1995] [1996] [1997] [1998] [1999] [2000] [2001] [2002] [2003] [2004] [2005] [2006] [2007]
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 Lawrence (Larry) Bastedo (2004)
An enthusiast of any type of two-wheeled sport, 67-year-old Larry Bastedo of Hamilton has ridden in almost every type of motorcycle competition going. His first major win came in 1957 when he was first in the 500cc division in the Expert class at the Ontario Championship Spring Scrambles. He only lost one race that season, which he capped off by winning the Eastern Canadian Championships in Copetown. In 1958, he won the national championship Spiked Tire Ice Race at St. Agathe, Que. After that, Larry tried his hand at Road Racing and Dirt Track, attaining Senior status in both disciplines. A road race injury led him to Enduros and he was a member and later official with Team Canada at Six Day Trials in Poland, Germany, Spain and Wales. He went first as a rider but later as a support person and finally, in 1989 and 1990, as Canada's Jury Delegate, the team's only link to the organizers. Over the years, Larry gained a wonderful reputation as an announcer, using his knowledge of the riders and great memory to provide extraordinary commentary. In later years, his voice could be heard at Supercrosses. From the first mudbath at the CNE in 1977, through the years at SkyDome, Larry was co-announcer and did the voice-overs for the television post-production. He was also an administrator, and served the provincial and national boards of the Canadian Motorcycle Association as president, vice-president, member-at-large, and so-on. In the late 1980s, Larry arranged for his home club, the Steel City Riders, to take over the running of the legendary Corduroy Enduro from the British Empire Motor Club and it continues to this day.
More about this member :: Back to top Gary Beck / Ray Peets (1999)
One of the most successful teams in Canadian motorsport history, Gary Beck and Ray Peets captured the 1974 National Hot Rod Association Top Fuel World Championship, the highest honour in the toughest and fastest class in drag racing. From their homebase in Edmonton, Beck and Peets won an amazing 79% of the NHRA and American Hot Rod Association events they entered that year - 59 wins in 74 runs. They were runner-ups in the 1975 World Championship.
More about this member :: Back to top Alec Bennett (2006)
Competitor Motorcycle Racing
Alec Bennett was born on April 21, 1897, in what is now Northern Ireland.
The Bennett family emigrated to Canada in 1905, living first in Alberta,
then in Vancouver, B.C. Little is known of his early motorcycle racing but
by the time he was 16 he was already a competitive force on the dirt tracks
of B.C. In 1920, he left Canada for England to pursue his dream to be a
motorcycle factory test rider and a motorcycle racer. Alec Bennett's
post-First World War racing career consisted of only 29 races but he won 13
of them - a remarkable winning percentage. Of those 13 victories, 11 were in
classic races. In competition at the Isle of Man races, Bennett won the
Senior Tourist Trophy three times and the Junior Tourist Trophy twice. He
won the Grand Prix of France four times and the Grand Prix of Belgium twice.
All of his European wins were in the premier 500cc class. The races were not
for the faint of heart. When he went to the Spanish Grand Prix for the first
time in 1923, the 12-hour race was on a 60-mile course that included two
mountain peaks and an open stretch of near-desert. After his front fork
broke, Bennett rode until his hands swelled to the size of boxing gloves.
Only then did he drop out. When he retired, he did so as the most successful
racer of his generation. He died in in 1973 at the age of 76. To this day,
no Canadian rider has come close to matching his record. He was the most
successful motorcycle racer Canada ever produced.
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 Don Biederman (2001)
Oakville, Ont., stock car driver, Don Biederman, was known primarily for his aggressive manner on short-track speedways. But he drove the big speedways as well and was the first Canadian to campaign full-time on the NASCAR Grand National circuit (now Winston Cup). He finished 39th in points in 1967, a campaign won by Richard Petty but including such names as Bobby Allison, David Pearson and Cale Yarborough. Don was more than a driver - he built the car that Dave Marcis drove in his first Daytona 500 in 1965 - and he's credited with paving the way for compatriots like Earl Ross and Roy Smith ``to go south.'' Frequently described as an original who had the fire to win every time he got behind the wheel of a stock car, his presence at any speedway was enough to generate excitement. Described as crusty, cantankerous, opinionated and outspoken, he was one of the greatest short-track racers of his time. Famous for his activities in and around Southern Ontario at tracks such as Cayuga, Pinecrest, Flamboro, Peterborough and Delaware, where he won numerous races and championships, Don also raced across the border at Lancaster, Holland and Perry in New York state as well as in the Maritimes at speedways such as Riverside in Nova Scotia and River Glade in New Brunswick. This is where he would go head-to-head with arch-rival (and Hall of Fame member) Junior Hanley. In fact, he was instrumental in convincing Hanley to relocate to Oakville so they could race against each other more often. A man who built race cars and drove them for a living, Don would often start out on Wednesday night at Kalamazoo Speedway, race at Mount Clements Speedway on Thursday (both located in Michigan), cross back into Canada for a meet Friday night at Delaware Speedway near London, race Saturday night at Pinecrest Speedway in Toronto and then head right out for a big-money raced somewhere on Sundaqy afternoon. His greatest achievement was winning the 1977 Oxford 250 in Oxford, Me., where he beat many of the established Winston Cup stars of the day. Don was not averse to putting up the dukes if he thought someone was cheating him out of money and was at war on a number of occasions with promoters and speedway operators. But there was another side to Don that was not evident at the speedway: away from the track he quietly helped some of his fellow competitors such as Howie Scannel and Norm Lelliott, with parts and advice. He also quiety donated time and equipment to restoration projects. He liked nothing more than to see famous old stock cars and superrmodifieds restored to their former glory. But let's not forget that first and foremost, Don Biederman was a character. When his shop was broken into in 1984, Don bought advertising space in two of the Toronto newspapers and published this message. ``I hope you crash and burn with those parts.'' Don Biederman was greatly admired for his passion and dedication. When he died in 1999, the outpouring of grief was overwhelming and impressive, considering that many of the people mourning his passing - fellow competitors, promoters, officials, journalists and fans - had just about all been the recipient of Don's outspokenness at one time or another.
More about this member :: Back to top Dave Billes (1994)
Dave Billes raced Corvettes from 1960 to '65, then opened Performance Engineering Ltd., the best racing shop in Canada. From his shop came cars that carried Canadian racers to victory in almost every kind of racing from Can-Am to drag racing. Dave ran the Canadian Tire Indy car carrying "uncle" Jacques Villeneuve to victory at Road America, the first ever for a Canadian in an Indy car.
More about this member :: Back to top John Bird (2006)
John Bird and Bruce Simpson - Competitors Rally Racing
"Always play to win." That was the motto of the rally team of John Bird and
Bruce Simpson - and win they did. As a team, they entered 140 rallies and
won 107. A few times they were merely close, recording 12 seconds and 5
thirds. That is a record unmatched in motorsport. The record shows that John
Bird, a university professor, was Canadian Rally Champion in 1963, 1964,
1965 and Bruce Simpson, an elementary school teacher, won the title in 1966.
In those days the Fidler Trophy was given to the winner of the National
Rally Championship. There was no separate category for drivers and
navigators as is the case today. They won four consecutive events with
losses of 0, 1, 0, 0 penalty points. John Bird still insists that the
organizers made the mistake on the second of those four rallies. This all
took place at a time when rallying attracted a large number of competitors
and 100-car fields were not unusual. The team of Simpson and Bird defined
rally excellence in Canada against all comers. They became legend not just
for their ability to win but for the way they went about winning. They were
all business, but they also indulged their other interests as they competed,
listening to football games and cheering for their respective teams - John
supporting the Argos and Bruce for the TiCats. John Bird entered the
ultimate Canadian rally, the Shell 4000, six times and won it twice while
navigating for driver Klaus Ross. Ross and Bird were the only team ever to
win it back-to-back, in 1964 and 1965. John and Bruce each won the Ontario
Rally championship seven times. Bruce won it seven consecutive years from
1963 to 1969. John missed in 1964 but won it in 1962. John, Bruce and Paul
Manson shared the Wilson Trophy for most active competitor of the year in
1965. Bruce also won it in 1963. They also had success rallying with others.
John Bird navigated for a number of other drivers on 100 rallies winning 37.
Bruce Simpson won 14 of 27 rallies while driving for other navigators. He
also won 50 rallies while navigating for several other drivers on 97
rallies.
More about this member :: Back to top Gordie Bonin, Ron Hodgson, Gordon Jenner (2000)
These three people could well make up what is arguably the most successful drag racing team in Canadian motorsport history. Gordie Bonin, the driver, won 9 NHRA Funny Car national events, the AHRA Top Fuel World Championship in 1989 and numerous other runoffs. Gordie also served as the NHRA's director of marketing for six years. After a short retirement, Gordie returned to action two years ago, competing in the FIA's European Top Fuel category. Ron Hodgson, the team member, ran Edmonton International Speedway from 1974 to 1979. He also fine-tuned dragsters that won 6 NHRA Funny Car national event victories, two AHRA Top Fuel World Championships and numerous other events. Ron today is associated with the top fuel dragster driven by Craig Smith out of Spokane. He also campaigns a sprint car with his youngest son, Jeff. Gordon Jenner was, for years, associated with a number of drag racing teams, acting as crew chief. He joined the Bonin-Hodgson team for the first time in 1972 and was crew chief when many of the team's victories were recorded. Gordon worked as crew chief on a team with driver Terry Capp in 1988 that won the NHRA's World Championship. In 1989, he rejoined Bonin-Hodgson in time for the World Championship, which they won. True drag racers, they were quick to lend a helping hand to fellow competitors when the need arose and over the years they worked with Gary Beck and Ed McCullough, among others.
More about this member :: Back to top Walter Boyce (2003)
Walter Boyce is a Canadian rallysport hero. He is the only Canadian rally driver ever to win an FIA World Championship Rally. Teamed with co-driver Doug Woods, he decisively won the 1973 Press-On-Regardless Rally. He is one of the few Canadians to have been seeded by the FIA and the only North American ever ranked in the top seed. Additionally, Boyce scored countless Canadian and SCCA sanctioned event victories during his career, including the Canadian Winter Rally and the Rally of the Rideau Lakes. His record of five consecutive Canadian National Championship titles has never been equaled. Entering his first rally in 1967 with his brother Harry navigating in his mother's Mercury Comet, Walter took just two years to hit his stride on the national stage. Between September 1969 and March of 1971, he entered 21 Canadian National Championship rallies (including 4 FIA listed international events) and recorded 10 wins, 5 places and 6 DNF's. 1969 also included a third overall in the famous Press-On-Regardless, his favourite event. He even competed in and won the Cannonball Run - One Lap of America in 1985. Not content to just compete in rallies, Walter Boyce has written about the sport in a number of Canadian publications, assisted in event presentation and was the President of Outaouais Valley Autosport Club.
More about this member :: Back to top Bill Brack (1993)
Bill Brack is the only driver to win three Canadian driving championships, and he did it in consecutive years- 1973, '74 and '75. To do it, he had to beat some of the future Grand Prix champions; future Indy 500 winners and a young up-and-comer named Gilles Villeneuve. In his outstanding career, Bill also won a North American Formula Atlantic Championship and the Canadian Touring Car Championship.
More about this member :: Back to top Francis Bradley (1995)
Sportswriters called Francis Bradley "Canada's fastest bus driver". Bradley, however, was not driving like a bus jockey in 1962 when he won the Canadian Driving Championship in a Lotus 19. Bradley started racing in 1955 and moved up very quickly from racing his own Volkswagen to sponsored rides, in the Eglinton / Caledonia Motors Porsche 550 Spyder and then the Miss Whiz Lola-Climax, the car he raced in the first Player's 200 in 1961
More about this member :: Back to top Wallie Branston (1997)
Wallie Branston of Scarborough, Ont., a pioneer stock car racer, was a consistent winner on Toronto-area tracks (Speedway Park, Oakwood Raceway and the CNE) in the '40s and '50s driving a series of Gorries and Bardahl sponsored stock cars. He later became the official starter for Mosport Park, waving the checkered flag for such stars as Jack Brabham, winner of the first Grand Prix of Canada in 1967.
More about this member :: Back to top Molson Breweries (1996)
Molson Breweries has sponsored just about every kind of auto racing in Canada for more than 25 years, including Can-Ams, the Molson Grand Prix du Canada, Molson Indys in Toronto and Vancouver, plus numerous stock car, motorcycle and drag racing events
More about this member :: Back to top British Empire Motor Club (2003)
Had it not been for the British Empire Motor Club and its members, who organized major motorsports events and also helped to develop racing circuits such as Edenvale, Harewood Acres and Mosport Park, it is very likely that motorsport in Canada would not be as successful as it is today. Formed originally in 1928 as a motorcycle racing club (its first event was a scramble), it has gone on to organize more motorsports events - including car and motorcycle races, hill climbs, ice races, scrambles, trials and rallies - than any other club in Canada. The club promoted its first motorcycle road race in 1931 on a 1.5-mile closed circuit at the Bridle Path and Post Road in what is now midtown Toronto. By the mid-30s, it was organizing motorcycle races on the sand at Wasaga Beach - and the crowds were huge. In 1939, the club decided to accept car enthusiasts as full members but auto racing was not promoted until 1950 when a motorcycle-car program was held at an old airport at Edenvale, near Stayner. Sixteen cars entered that first event. Six years later, when the club moved its activities to Harewood Acres near Port Dover, 122 cars were entered for the first auto race there. In 1958, the members - in a huge gamble - took an option on a piece of property north of Bowmanville and the first competitive event, on May 24, 1959, at what became Mosport Park was - what else? - a motorcycle scramble . The club, with partners, operated Mosport until 1966 when it was sold to private interests. Literally thousands of people have enjoyed membership in the British Empire Motor Club. Still organizing races after all these years, the club celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2003.
More about this member :: Back to top Tom Burgess (1998)
For more than 35 years, Tom Burgess blazed across the rally trail in Canada and the United States as a competitor. His record speaks for itself: 39 National victories, six National championships and two North American championships. He was National Rally Director from 1984 to1986, President of the B.C. Region of the Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs in1975 and '76 and B.C. Rally Director in 1973 and '74, and, as a member of the National Rally Committee, helped to write the Canadian Rally rulebook.
More about this member :: Back to top
|
|
|
