Biography
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.