RACER. Harewood closed 40 years ago... PLUS! Vic and Darlene Henderson! John Kinnear! John DeMaria! Andrew Celovsky!... all inside this edition

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1 Vol: XXXVIII NO. 1 January 2010 V On-Line Edition intage RACER VARAC S MEMBERS MAGAZINE Inside: Inside: Harewood closed 40 years ago... PLUS! Vic and Darlene Henderson! John Kinnear! John DeMaria! Andrew Celovsky!... all inside this edition Page 1

2 NEW! Modern Car Racers... Performance Track Dunlop Day also radial has a tires. full line of modern radial DOT approved. Race rubber tread racing depth-no slicks shaving for formula, required. GT and sports cars. Designed and Just built ask by Dunlop a Dunlop Motorsport driver Germany. at the track. They can tell you Available what in you ve 17 and been 18. missing. Dunlop - The most complete line of vintage and historic racing tyres available in North America. Authentic, proper and best of all, fun to race on. giving you a great "seat-of-pants" sense of where the car is going. That progressive, predictable drift is eye-opening and more fun than you can imagine. And, they re safer to race on. leading to failures and very often accidents. VINTAGE TYRES LIMITED 255 Southwest Cove Road, Hubbards, Nova Scotia B0J 1T0 Tel: (902) Fax: (902) [email protected] In Canada: BRITAIN WEST MOTORSPORT In the U.S.A.: SASCOSPORTS INC. ROGER KRAUS RACING S Page 2

3 We Are VARAC VARAC, the Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada, was formed in 1976 to provide a central organizing body through which Vintage Race enthusiasts could communicate and organize race meetings for eligible Vintage and Historic racing and sports cars. The Spirit of VARAC can be expressed as a wish to preserve, restore and race historically significant cars in a form as close to the original specification as possible. Of course, there have been many improvements in motor racing safety equipment, circuits and technical advancements in materials since these cars were built. Those restoring and preparing cars for Vintage Racing are encouraged to incorporate and take advantage of these improvements where they can be incorporated without diminishing the vintage character of the car. We feel that Vintage Racing should be enjoyable and rewarding to both the participant and spectator with a minimum emphasis on trophies and awards. Let s keep the fun in Vintage Racing. If you are interested, call any of the directors listed on this page. VARAC BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Walter Davies Past President John Greenwood Vice President Del Bruce Secretary Christopher Creighton Treasurer Peter Viccary Race Director Stefan Wiesen Promotions Director Geoff Layne Membership Director Walter Davies Director Del Bruce Director Don Hooton Director Gord Ballantine Director Chris Rupnik D ire c to r B o b D eshan e VARAC ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE Chairman Joe Lightfoot Members G. Ballantine J. Brett D.Bruce L. Lok W. MacKay R. McCord R. McLelland M. Molson B. Robinson P. Viccary VARAC DRIVER CONDUCT COMMITTEE Chairman Walter Davies Member Del Bruce Richard Navin Jon Brett Ted Michalos Stefan Wiesen John Greenwood VARAC MEMBER SERVICES Newsletter Jeremy Sale Website Ron Wanless ON THE COVER: Harewood Acres, recollections from those who were there in this edition THE VR IS ON-LINE As you may know from the AGM the Vintage Racer is to be distributed on-line only from now on. This will enable VARAC to save money on printing and mailing costs. Your comments on the VR and stories are always welcomed. Please contact me at the address below. Jeremy Sale Jeremy Sale Editor The Vintage Racer 3076 Ballydown Crescent, Mississauga ON L5C 2C8 [email protected] WEBSITE: Membership Walter Davies All VARAC all the time. Anything you ll ever want to know about VARAC or vintage/historic racing is at your fingertips. Need a discombobulator valve for a 58 Alfonso de Credenza? Someone on the list may be able to help. This is the home of the been there-done that crowd. Join today and ask away. To subscribe FREE, send an to Walter Davies at lolaracer@rogers. com, give him your membership number and he will do the rest. It s only available to club members so no spam, just stuff. A daily digest version is also available. PLEASE NOTE The opinions and suggestions expressed by contributors to Vintage Racer are those of the author, without authentication by or liability to the editors, or the Directors or VARAC. Page 3

4 Vic and Darlene Henderson VARAC drivers are often so involved with their racing and occasional mechanical maladies that they don t have a lot of time to sit down and chat to people at the track, but part of the enjoyment of VARAC is knowing who s who and what their interests are. With this in mind the Vintage Racer asked Vic and Darlene Henderson to tell us a little more about themselves, their interest in motor racing and the great photos they take. Vic and Darlene have been married for 33 years, they have three great sons, one lovely daughter-in-law and three super grandkids. Both are retired and make their home in Peterborough. 42 k from our house to our camping spot at Mosport! As a youngster I knew all the drivers, their track record and all the cars. says Vic. Stirling Moss is my favourite driver of all time, I consider that era to be the best ever in F1 and Indianapolis. I followed every form of motorsport F1, Sportscars, British Touring cars, USAC, Vic Henderson Landspeed, Drags, Boats, Motorcycles. Someone once said I was a racing fanatic so true! During high school, I found out through a friend that Peterborough had a motorsports club so I joined. Only just old enough to drive, I got involved in rallying as a navigator and organized some club events. Then Mosport came along and I spent time there during the construction, helping as much as they would let me. I joined CRCA as a marshal because I thought this was the best way to be close to the action. Once Mosport opened I spent most weekends there, often sleeping in the control tower to work on practice days, (they are now called lapping days and have MUCH stricter rules!) I got a chance drive some friends race cars on the track and eventually do a couple of novice races plus some ice racing. My interest in race photography developed at that time, I wish I had all the pictures I took over this eight or nine years at Mosport! About 1970, I stopped going to Mosport as my interests went in other directions but I still followed racing through TV and print media. In the mid 70 s, I got interested in Supermodified racing at Oswego, NY and made several trips there. It was my dream to see the Indianapolis 500, the Monaco GP and Le Mans. I would probably add the Goodwood Festival of Speed & Monterey Historics to the list now. In 1976, I met and married my wife, Darlene, and gained two young sons at the same time. We took the boys to Oswego a couple of times which was Darlene s first exposure to racing. During that time we met some of the drivers and got to hang out with them in the pits which impressed Dar. Over the next few years we went to the local speedway, then to the new one at Kawartha Downs when the Supers were there. In August of 2005, we Photo by Liz Somers were driving by the newly opened Parts Source and I noticed a couple of sports racer on display to advertise the Mosport ALMS race two weeks later (Labour Day). I talked Darlene into going even though she did not think we could afford it. As we drove into the track on the Friday to camp, I turned to her and said, I ve come home! The rest as they say is history! We camped beside some people who told us about the VARAC Vintage Festival in June of each year and how much they thought I would enjoy it. Darlene thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and agreed to return two weeks later for the Indian Summer races we haven t missed too many races at Mosport since in fact this year we were at every regional, vintage & pro road race in Ontario! In May of the following year, I was on the VARAC website and saw a request for volunteers to help at the Festival. I offered our help; it was accepted and that fall, I joined VARAC. Since the sixties and early seventies were the prime years for my enjoyment of racing it seems only Page 4

5 natural that I should be a member of VARAC and involved in the vintage racing scene. In 2008, we brought our grandson, Ethan, who was 13 and our granddaughter, Jessica (4), to the BARC Canada Day Races for their first exposure to our great sport. Then, in 2009, we indoctrinated our youngest grandson, Noah (3), to racing. Jessica has become a huge fan of Diane Dale s and was a fan of Nick Majors until he sold her black Viper. Noah thinks race cars are cool but tow trucks rock- blame it on Cars! He does cheer for the yellow car (Mike Steplock) because he got to sit in it and talk on the radio. Goodwood at Calabogie Vic takes Darlene for a drive! PicsbyVicsr.com and Liz Somers Since I could never afford to race, the only other way to be involved was to take pictures! I have always taken pictures of racing and as the quality of my equipment improved so did the quality of the pictures. I wanted the pictures to allow me to relive and to feel some of the moments I had seen in the races I attended. I hoped that my pictures would also allow people to feel the excitement. People started asking to see the ones I shot, then started asking for copies. Being reasonably computer literate, I began posting them on photo websites & finally found one that would allow me to create my own name. Since PicsbyVic was already taken by a company in England, I reverted to my usual web id and set up PicsbyVicsr.com. One day I asked Darlene if she would like to try taking pictures and our team was born! Dar has really taken to doing racing photography and produces some our best pictures because she sees things in a different way. The only problem with this is the number of pictures that need editing after a weekend. We normally shoot 5,000 to 6,000 frames but have gone as high as 11,000 in one weekend! The best part about this whole photography thing and our involvement in racing in general is the people we ve met and the friends we have made. It means a lot to Dar and I when drivers tell us they were looking for us around the track and respond to our Thumbs Up at the end! Grandma Dar, Jessica and Noah. Page 5

6 Easy Rider By John A. DeMaria In addition to racing vintage cars I do love to ride motor bikes. Lurking in a back corner of my little shop is a very, very old bike. I ve been storing it for a friend, Bill. It s from another time, so it takes up little space and has been keeping me company out there for several winters. Bill built himself a newer out-building and then promptly filled it with more projects than it could hold. So, the Trusty Triumph stayed with me. This machine has seen more history than any of us can even imagine. Built in 1915 it went straight from a civilian showroom to the British military. Fitted with a rear carrier and two small, leather storage boxes, it was quickly coated in a drab, flat green paint. It covers every surface but the tires. No doubt, parts have been repaired or even replaced over the past 94 years, mostly they are the solid, original bits. The bike has been a static display for much of its life. It s chipped and scarred, but all there. I regularly dip into it and clean or refurbished an individual bit. The carb was seized, but simply loosening a clamp gets it off in my hand. It s really just an air/fuel mixing tube and with a few drops of solder on a float, polishing of the air and fuel slides, it all came back to life. Cleaning and adjusting pivot and swivel points was much like working on my first bicycle. Freeing up a multitude of hand controls lead to understanding what they actually do. The rider controls air and fuel mixture through the carb with two separate levers and cables. There are no needles, you just adjust flow volumes to set the revs and performance desired. The left side cable controls the magneto advance. Pull it back to TDC for starting, and don t forget to flip up the decompression lever or the starting arm will kick back! This control keeps the exhaust valve from fully seating and makes a kick (or down hill) start possible. The rider must set full advance, for faster running. The clutch cable frees up the stack of small plates in the separate Sturmey Archer, three speed gearbox. Gear selection is made with a wooden knob atop a long lever just ahead of the seat, operating through an external guide plate. It s filled with detents and ball, all interlocked and working magnificently when cleaned, adjusted and lubricated correctly. The gearbox is a separate unit that can be moved for and aft between the rear wheel centre and the engine output sprocket. Getting the correct tension on the primary drive chain and the drive belt is a test of patience. Fortunately the belt has removable rubber links that can compensate for age and stretching. The massive rear drive pulley is almost the same diameter as the wheel. It provides a convenient place for rear brake contact. It s a wooden wedge that is driven into the pulley, via the left foot pedal. I suspect there is enough mechanical advantage there to make it smoke, or lock the rear wheel, at any speed. The front brakes operate on the wheel Page 6

7 rim, as you might see on any good bicycle. The single cylinder engine is a beauty. Valve heads the size of a tooney are inverted and operated by external cam followers. You can see the valve stems and springs as well. All must be cleaned and lubricated regularly. Internal engine oil feed is via hand pump, located in the front half of the box tank. Oil up front, fuel to the rear. The 90 page Operator s Manual suggests three full pumps for every 10 miles covered. If a side car is fitted, same in six miles. Imagine that? I note the frame has the required lugs for a side car too. The oiling system is through total loss so there is a small bellows pump that drives used oil from the sump, out the crank centre to spray out on the drive teeth. In turn, the chain pulls the oil around the chain case and lubricates the input sprocket on the gearbox. A neat little hole on the case releases the remains to the road below. Too much oil and the engine smokes. Too little and it seizes. The Operator s Manual is the key to success. It was not enough to have your M1 license; you needed to understand every aspect of the machine and what needed doing every day, if you expected to ride anywhere. Or make it across the battle fields of France in WW1. The dispatch rider had a few small hand tools in a leather pouch. These machines needed as much care and maintenance as fuel and oil! Yet they earned the nick-name of Trusty Triumph, and perform they did. How those brave men rode these machines over the dirt roads, fields and mud of war torn Europe is a mystery to me. Every time I lay a hand on this bike, my thoughts stray to those fellows. My bike stories surely must pale by comparison. When Bill called for the return of his machine I really felt a pending loss. I ve sold on several of my own projects with less remorse. A few days ago, I hauled it outside and could not resist. Open the fuel valve, close the air slide, slightly open the secondary. Lift the decompression lever and swing the kick starter three times to prime the cylinder. Crack open the air lever, retard the magneto and kick smartly. The darn thing started on the first stroke! Pump the oil and set the mixture for a fast idle. Remembering to releasing the decompression lever helped it settle down and then a quick check showed all the bits were moving up and down. It clattered away, leaking oil and smoking, just as it should. I pulled in the clutch, selected bottom gear and trundled three times around the farm house. The front forks rocked away and the seat bounced up and down. Can you imagine my sheer delight? My wife raced out and took a few photos. Less than 10 kph and the MOST FUN I ve ever had on a motorcycle. Now I need to convince Bill we need a better drive belt, more fettling and maybe even a sidecar. I can t wait to set off down a paved back road, in search of the next two gears. Chee rs, John D Aston Martin DB2 Sells for Record $900,000 By Nick Kurczewski RM Auctions The 1950 Aston Martin DB2 that sold at RM Auctions in London on Wednesday. Long before James Bond began ordering his with smokescreens and ejector seats in the movies, Aston Martin needed a car to insure the company s survival following World War II. And while the world s most famous British secret agent might have saved the world several times over, he wouldn t have had the wheels to get the job done had it not been for the Aston Martin DB2.At the RM Auctions in London, a 1950 Aston Martin DB2 racecar that finished first in the 3-liter class (and third over all) at the Hours of Le Mans sold for $910,865, which RM said was the most paid for a DB2. This featured car, a 1950 Aston Martin DB2 Team Car VMF 64. Kept in the same family for 52 years, the car comes complete with an extensive history file, an original purchase invoice and a great deal of correspondence, including letters from David Brown dating back to 1955, according to RM s catalogue. Brown was the entrepreneur who bought Aston Martin in 1947 and whose initials give the DB models their name. On public roads and on the world s greatest racetracks, the DB2 coupe earned Aston a reputation for elegant looks and sporting achievement. Built from , more than 400 DB2s would be sold during its lifetime. That fi gure might represent only a few hours of Toyota Camry production today, but in the early 1950s it represented bigleague sales for the tiny Aston Martin company. While the impeccable VMF 64 Aston was a star of the auction, the racecar did not set the day s highest price. That honor went to a 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster, the only righthand-drive version ever built, according to RM. The Mercedes sold for $1.02 million. Page 7

8 That was the year that was By Andrew Celovsky All the adoring fans have gone home, and the tracks have fallen silent for another season. Soon the tracks will disappear under fresh snow; with our cars safety preserved and stowed away. This provides a great opportunity to reflect on the past season, wet as it was. There was Shannonville, with rain, then sun, then sleet, and then some more sun! The Festival was fantastic as ever, and the gloom and doom of the sour economy did not seem to dampen our event. It was only the very wet that dampened the Festival. This gave the wet superstars in the club the chance to strut their stuff. I already find myself thinking and planning for next year s Festival, when even more Fiats will be out. I think I speak for everyone in the Club, when I say that we appreciate the extraordinary effort of all the volunteers to make the Festival happen. I still think the Festival is the best combination of racing, cars and socializing. Another great weekend was the Fall Classic at Mt-Tremblant with all the efforts from the Quebec arm of the Club. With the strength of our Quebec members, this event is surely to get Photos by Vicsr.com even better. And where would any reflection of the 2009 season be without thanking the Motorsport Club of Ottawa and the effort to build the event at Calabogie. With four tracks in our area, and if you count Watkins Glen, we have three ex-formula One tracks in our vicinity, that is some pretty nice tarmac for us to play on. Recently, I have been spending more time loitering at the back of the Formula Ford grids rather than bringing the Fiat out to play. Perhaps a bit of a comparison between the two race cars would be in order. First, the Formula Ford is just a tad quicker. Second, when turning the steering wheel in the Fiat, nothing happens for a long time. Third, touch the brakes in the Fiat and absolutely Page 8

9 nothing happens for an eternity! But, fourth, the biggest difference is in the suspension... the Fiat is like driving a marshmallow. It feels like sitting on living room couch (or akin to that mushy driving sensation of a GM vehicle, only vaguely connected to the steering and suspension). Then there is cost, where the economical Fiat excels. Instead of donated Fiat junk from peoples garages for free, one must actually pay cash money for Formula Ford stuff. It is an outrage! Finally, it is very windy in an open cockpit car, and when it rains, you get wet. And when it really rains hard, you get to sit in a puddle of cold water... what an all round pleasant thing to do on a weekend. It s on those rainy days when I miss the top I carry with my Fiat. With the impending winter, I need to find my Yugo ice racer. After all, ice racing is serious business, featuring some highly-tuned exotic European vehicles (my Yugo being a case in point). Yet, I seem to have misplaced it somewhere. I think I left it in a field at my sister-in-laws. Oh my gosh... I hope nobody stole this soon-to-be-classic. The winter season might also be a good time to brush up on your race flags. Remember, all those different coloured flags have hidden meanings. I think we collectively impressed the Clerk of the Course at this years Festival with our collective ability to miss flags. Let s not do that again for next year s Festival. To reminisce back to when I first started racing, I had a stern talking to from our Driver Conduct Chairperson after missing a RED flag... Gord Lowe: Hey, Flower Power, do you know what a red flag means? Driver responded with Wait..., don t tell me..., I know THIS one. Perhaps not the most appropriate response for the situation at hand. To quote Dr Suess, Green means Go Cheers, Andrew C. Bryce Lee s Mustang leads Class H champion Andrew Romocki at the BARC Canadian Touring Trophy Races. Photo by Elizabeth Somers. Congratulations to BARC Photo by Vicsr.com Congratulations are in order to the British Automobile Racing Club, celebrating their 50th anniversary recently! They actually had all the past presidents at the celebration including one of VARAC s founders, John Bowles. John lived on the Isle of Man for a while but now resides in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He is still a VARAC member and drives a restored 1974 MGB. John is holding the trophy given to B.A.R.C. by Sir Stirling Moss in 1959, for the driver accumulating the most points in Ontario Regional competition. Page 9

10 From Zandvoort to Mosport! New VARAC member Chris Hobe is working hard on his Datsun 510. He sent the VR the following update on his efforts. I m looking forward to racing next year. I ve been racing on and off since 1987, started in a 1973 Celica which I still own. I worked preparing some Alfas during that time. I raced all sorts of Volkswagens from 1989 to The last couple of years I ve been into Nissans, which leads us to the 510 which I bought from John Greenwood. It will probably of metal for a teenagers mouth could be so expensive? More orthodontists should be vintage racing!) I decided that if I was going to have fun in the long run, I was going to have to find something simpler and less expensive. Fortunately I spotted an ad on the VARAC website for a beater Datsun 510. I called John Greenwood for some more details. The sent would have pictures that he scared off most reasonable people, fortunately I m not that reasonable! I returned from Toronto with the 510 and a whole The Datsun 510 which Chris bought from John Greenwood. Chris has already logged close to 100 man-hours of work since purchasing the car in September, be the source of my anti-social behavior for the next six months. I ve already logged close to 100 man-hours of work since purchasing the car in Sept.(Yes, I do have a regular job!) I have a group of buddies who also are like minded and have been racing, in some cases since the seventies. I call them my racing think tank Joining VARAC is a step in the next phase of racing for me. I expect it to be a more social affair. My wife should like this better than regular GT racing. I am the father of three teenagers who keep me quite busy as well. As a young boy, I spent my summers in Zandvoort, Holland. Some of you will know that this was once the home of the Dutch Grand Prix. It was there that I discovered my love of motorsport when I crawled under some fencing in the dunes and was startled by the speed and beauty of the Formula One cars. Fast forward to the late eighties when I had the opportunity to drive my car at Autodrome St. Eustache. I was hooked for life! Since then I have participated as crew or driver in almost every series from karts to Trans-Am. Last summer I raced an Infinity G35 in the Quebec Sprint GT series for a couple of events. However I soon realized that the skyrocketing cost of GT racing didn t produce the corresponding returns in driving satisfaction. Also, the cost of raising three know-it-alls, makes racing difficult to afford! (Who would believe that a few ounces lot of work convincing my wife that I m not that crazy. I tore into the project, removing the questionable modifications. I sandblasted the engine bay and interior to discover 40 years of drilled holes that had been covered up with epoxy and silicone. Anything that wasn t removed by sandblasting had to be removed by wire wheel or torch and scraper. I learned that just because a wire wheel is rated for 20,000 rpm doesn t mean it actually will do so. I think I ended up with more piercings than my 17 year old son! I spent three weeks of evenings and weekends transforming MIG wire and scraps of 20 gauge into Datsun sheet metal. I enlisted the help of my good friend Tom Chrosciel to help me complete the cage and strut tower repairs. Tom is the genius behind Canadian Kustoms and together with his brother Ralf he is instrumental in encouraging me every day. Ralf has been involved in race fabrication and prep for longer than he d like to admit, and a better aluminum welder you will not find. So the work continues. I look forward to joining VARAC racers on track in In an era when most young people think a car can be completed in a half hour TV episode, real people have to sacrifice much to realize success. If it was easy, everyone would do it! Cheers, Chris Hobe, Datsun 510. Page 10

11 Bar Stool Nationals We all know that VARAC has the Lawn Chair Race at the Festival but how about the Bar Stool Nationals held every September on the world famous Bonneville Salt Flats? The current streamlined bar stool record is mph and the current Lakester record is mph. Specs are as follows; must be constructed from a REAL BAR STOOL. 12 Volt DC Maximum Power (limited to ONE battery only) MOTORS - Optional (limited to ONE single 12 volt motor) STEERING - Required (keep it simple but safe) BRAKES - Required, single-hand operated, external hand brake okay. BODYWORK and FAIRINGS - Optional at builder discretion. There are TWO class records available. STREAMLINER class will have enclosed wheels and tires. Etc, etc, etc. Interesting.I always wanted to go to Bonneville, might be something Mike Rosen would be interested in.. Les Leston Saw a vintage Les Leston helmet for sale recently on Ebay. Les Leston was cool guy in 60 s England. Drove a Volvo 444, mostly on its door handles. Also drove his famous Lotus Elite Dadio, (license plate DADIO.) I remember looking into the Elite in the paddock at Brands Hatch and noticing that he had a bottle of champagne in the back as though he was ready to celebrate his anticipated win in style. DADIO was a very famous license plate and there were later so many Lotus Elites around claiming to be the famous ex-les Leston car that one wag claimed that he was going to have a club exclusively for DADIO Lotus Elites. Page 11

12 How I came to Vintage Racing Photos by Vicsr.com By John Kinnear In the late 1980 s after being away from car racing for about 20 years I started to re-kindle my interest. I had made the trip to Watkins Glen for the GT 40 Re-Union with Vince Murray and had enjoyed the vintage scene. Soon after, I acquired an MGB GT that became the subject of a rolling restoration. It received a few performance upgrades and spent several seasons campaigning in St. Lawrence Auto Club Autoslaloms, where on one occasion I took an annual class championship. I also entered it in a rally put on by the MG Car Club of Toronto, where a friend and I took 1 st place. I even attended a few lapping days at Shannonville. In that same era, (early 90 s) I was recruited into marshalling with CRCA and over several years worked a number of race events at Shannonville, Mosport and even the Molson Indy. But my favorite was the VARAC Festival and I really wanted to be out there with them. I felt that there was unfinished business to be taken care of. My early career had been cut short. I moved from marshalling to scrutineering and found myself Teching vintage cars and talking to their drivers which increased my interest. With children launched and retirement looming I finally decided that it was now or never. I had received a generous offer for the MGB GT and had sold it, so another car was needed and I knew MG s. I had done a season in Solo 2 with an Acura Integra. A fine car on the road but just not my cup of tea for motorsport. An opportunity came to buy a red roadster that was all there but needed a full restoration. It was soon mine and it was time to roll up the shirtsleeves. Vince Murray was interested in helping and I dragged the potential race car to his shop and we soon had it disassembled. That was just the start. A year and a half later a solid, running car emerged. The game plan was that it should be capable of both road and track use, a dual purpose car. Probably a bit unrealistic. I headed for Mosport and my first Vintage Festival in June of 2002 with a road going car with minor improvements to the engine and suspension, road tires and little weight reduction. But then, I had no idea how I would do on the track after all those years, so a purpose built car might just be a big waste. To my delight, I soon felt at Page 12

13 home and enjoyed dicing it up with the other guys at the back of the pack. It felt as if I was taking care of that unfinished business. The MG is now somewhat more purposeful with proper race tires and more punch from the engine and the driver has more experience in the current era then in his youth. I enjoy racing even more now than I did then. In the course of the last few seasons I have been able to race at Shannonville, Calabogie and the Fall Classic at Mt. Tremblant. In so doing I have enjoyed the challenge of learning and adapting to these very different circuits. During this time I have been privileged to meet and enjoy the company of many interesting and different people. Most of them I now consider to be friends. Naturally, I also enjoy their cars too! There have been a number of highlights and very few bad moments in my vintage racing career. One high point that sticks out in my mind happened at Mt. Tremblant. After a race on a wet Sunday morning, I was on the cool-off lap when I noticed hundreds of spectators huddled under a sea of umbrellas to my right on the approach to the Bridge Turn. They were clapping and waving with great enthusiasm. All for amateur motor racing on a wet fall morning. To me, at that moment, it was as exciting as being in a Grand Prix. If I was to offer any advice to new VARAC drivers it would be to concentrate going to the track with a reliable car. New drivers need seat time and those trips back to the paddock behind the tow truck don t count. The best time to do the wrenching is at home in the garage and not at the track. Been there, done that! About myself: During the sixties I competed in many navigation rallies, 4 or 5 road race weekends, and a couple of hillclimbs. This was followed by some racing on dirt tracks with a Mini in mini stock races. Later I worked as pit crew for a couple of friends, one with a Mini and the other with a Titan Formula Ford in the Bulova Series. In the mid-seventies I became interested in motorcyles and competed in enduros and ice races. On one occasion I was a finisher in BEMC s 2 day, Corduroy Enduro. In the eighies I earned a glider pilots licence and enjoyed the solitude of the sky but then decided to keep my feet on the ground and came back to cars. Since then I ve been a marshall and scrutineer as well as the President of the St. Lawrence Auto Club in Kingston. VARAC Class Champions 2009 A: Polito/Middleton B: Mike Steplock C: Andre Gagne D: Bob Polak E: Josip Dukovac F: Richard Piper G: Del Bruce H: Andrew Romocki I: Brian Thomas K: Doug Switzer Overall Club Champion: Richard Piper The James Fergusson Challenge Trophy Not always awarded, this is voted on by the VARAC Board of Directors. Originally awarded by pioneer Canadian sports car personality Jim Fergusson from 1949 to 1956, this trophy was donated to the Vintage Racing Association of Canada by his widow, Mrs. Alice Fergusson. Refurbished by VARAC in 1980, the Fergusson Challenge Trophy is awarded to a VARAC member, who, in the opinion of its Directors, has made an outstanding contribution to vintage racing in Canada according to the aims expressed in the VARAC charter. This year the board awarded the trophy to Fred Samson. The Jim McGregor Spirit of Sportsmanship Award Every year the membership of VARAC votes for the club member deserving of the McGregor Spirit of Sportsmanship Award. The award is given annually to the individual who in the opinion of the racing members of VARAC best exemplifies the spirit of and dedication to vintage automobile racing in Canada.This year the VARAC members voted for Andrew Celovsky The Gord Lowe Award Awarded to the driver who, in the opinion of the selection committee, represents VARAC s goals of competitor and sportsman combined; while competing both in VARAC and other racing disciplines, and maintaining an active involvement within the vintage racing community. This year the award was given to Jeremy Sale. Page 13

14 Harewood Acres Photos and story from Canadian Racer, Canadian Motorsport History Group, Frank Smart, Jeremy Sale Some race fans may think that big-time road racing didn t come to Canada until Mosport opened in Actually, professional races were held two years earlier at the Harewood Acres circuit near Jarvis, Ontario. Harewood was the premier circuit in Canada until Westwood was opened in It continued to hold that distinction for eastern Canada until the opening of Mosport. Harewood began its life in August, 1940 as a military airfield supporting the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. It was the home of Number One Bombing and Gunnery School. Over 12,000 trainees passed through until the airfield closed in February of Harewood s new role as a racing circuit began in 1956 when the British Empire Motor Club (BEMC) was forced to give up its first airport circuit at Edenvale, near Stayner, Ontario. The owner of Edenvale wanted to conduct professional races at the circuit and kicked out the clubs. BEMC found another suitable former airfield on property owned by Russell and Larry Hare. BEMC signed a 5-year lease for 150 acres of the 750 acre property. The property was on the Nanticoke side road, 3 miles south of the intersection of Highway 3 and Highway 6. BEMC moved most of their equipment from Edenvale and the new 3.5 mile track opened on May 19, 1956 for a motorcycle event. On June 16, the first sports car race was held. Admission was $2.00 for that event. After the first season, some deterioration of the runways Page 14

15 Lotus Mk 9 Ludwig Heimrath Porsche RS60 forced the circuit to be reduced to 2.45 miles. A further circuit length reduction took place in 1959, this time to 1.9 miles. This would be Harewood s permanent length. The width varied from 30 feet to 200 feet. In late 1958 there was much discussion in the Ontario racing community regarding increasing the professionalism of the racing. Some believed that it was inevitable that racing in Canada be taken to the next level. Others feared that the increased costs would actually hurt the sport. Those advocating professionalism won out and the Canadian Racing Drivers Association organized the first professional sports car race in Canada. The CRDA 500 was held on May 9, 1959 and offered over $4,000 in prize money. Fastest qualifier was Denis Coad, Lotus 9-Climax, MPH. Coad DNF d and about 10,000 fans were on hand to see the victory by Ray Carter and Craig Hill driving a Jaguar XK-SS. VARAC s Oliver Clubine, together with co-driver Harry Haig finished 17 th in an MGA Twin-Cam. Penske wins Sundown GP at Harewood July 25, 1959 O Keefe Breweries was the sponsor of the Six hour event that featured 50 entries. That first Sundown was won by Harry Blanchard and Roger Penske in a Porsche RSK. Three laps behind in second place was the Ferrari of Ralph Durbin and Max Goldman. Francis Bradley had a rough weekend. He had engine trouble with his own car in practice and had to withdraw but Bernard Vihl had come to the track with a Porsche RSK but no co-driver. He teamed up with Bradley for the race. Late in the race they had moved up to second place but with Bradley driving, the car dropped out with gearbox problems. Almost half the field failed to complete the race. The third big race of 1959 was the Stock Car vs. Sports Car Race on September From a contemporary report: When NASCAR veep, Ed Otto, stated to a Toronto sports editor earlier this year that modified latemodel stock cars could take on and beat sports cars on their own stamping grounds, he had made a challenge that CRDA could not ignore. After the dust settled, the rules of war were drawn up for a race to be run at Harewood Acres on the weekend of September The Toronto Globe & Mail got behind this one with a slather of free pre-race publicity, since the proceeds, after expenses and $6000 prize money, were to go toward the cost of a swimming pool for retarded children, a pet project of the newspaper s sports editor, Jim Vipond. Otto guaranteed the appearance of at least 10 top-notch stock pilots. Scheduled to show were Jim Reed, winner of the Southern 500 at Darlington International Raceway two weeks earlier in his 59 Chev, and the father and son team of Lee and Dick Petty, aboard 59 Plymouths. The sports car con tingent was to have included George Constantine in his Aston Martin and Bob Holbert with the RSK. An estimated 10,000 fans showed up but unfortunately few of the promised top-name stock drivers appeared though Lee Petty and son Richard Petty were there. Harry Entwhistle qualified his Lotus No. 1 in the 23-car field with a one-minute, 19-second clocking on the 1.9-mile course. Top stocker was Lee Petty with a one-minute, 28-second lap, a huge gap. The race itself was a real free-for-all, with Harry Blanchard and John Fitch passing Entwhistle early. By the halfway mark, Fitch and his Cooper-Monaco had a comfortable lead while Blanchard played catch-up after an earlier incident with back-markers put him back in the field. In the back, the stock cars were having a rough time. The Detroit iron was dropping out with mechanical problems and the drivers were having trouble negotiating the seven-turn Harewood course. Neither Petty finished. With only a few laps remaining, Fitch appeared to be the winner, but he developed a fuel leak and retired. Toronto s Dave Greenblatt took the lead but he ran out of gas in his Corvette. Bill Sadler of St. Catharines, a local favourite, had engine woes in his Chevy-powered sports car and so Blanchard won the event in his Porsche. He and co-driver Roger Penske won the six-hour O Keefe Sundown Grand Prix back in July. The only stock car to finish Page 15

16 was the 1957 Ford of White, and it followed the sports cars across the finish line to place last The Carling 300 The following year the first fully-sponsored professional sports car event was scheduled. The Carling 300 took place on May 28, 1960 at Harewood and this time over 15,000 fans showed up. It was a 300 km Formula Libre race in which any kind of car could enter. Carling Breweries put up the $6,000 purse and 32 drivers showed up, including European Formula One star Olivier Gendebien and U.S. sports car ace Roger Penske, driving cars like Porsches, Maseratis, D-type Jags and a Ferrari Testa Rossa.Controversy erupted two days before event when the Sports Car Club of America announced that any SCCA-licensed driver participating in the Harewood event would lose his SCCA license. Some drivers such as Roger Penske and Bob Holbert took a chance and showed up to race. Others, such as Jim Hall, recalled his car as it was being shipped to Ontario. There was some excitement generated in qualifying on the Friday afternoon when local speedway driver Norm Mackereth in a Chevy-powered, Ford-bodied stock car with Buick brakes set fourth fastest time. Mackereth then loaded up his car and hauled it back to Toronto, where he raced at the 1/4-mile CNE Speedway that night. Next day, back at Harewood, Mackereth was forced to start in last position as he needed a push to get going and the race was from a standing start. In a little over 20 laps, he d caught and passed 25 cars and was closing fast on Penske, Al Holbert, Gendebien, Harry Entwistle, Francis Bradley and Ray Carter when a rad hose blew, ending his day. Penske won all three of the event s 100 KM heats to take the overall victory in a Porsche RSK taking the $1,900 winner s share of the over $6,000 purse. In second was nineteen-year old Canadian Peter Ryan, also driving a Porsche RSK. The second Sundown GP was also sponsored by O Keefe, later in the year this time - October 1, It was a cold night as about 3000 fans witnessed a see-saw battle between Peter Ryan / Roger Penske and Francis Bradley / Ludwig Heimrath. Each team was driving a Porsche RS60. Ryan led the early laps until Heimrath passed him on lap 6. Heimrath held the lead until nearly the half-way point when he spun out avoiding a crash in the esses, handing the lead back to Ryan. In the end, the victory went to Ryan and Penske as they finished about a minute ahead of Bradley and Heimrath. The time difference was made during the pit stops to change drivers. The pit stop for Ryan to hand the car over to Penske took three minutes while it took five minutes for Bradley to take over from Heimrath. Twenty-three cars finished the race out of 40 starters. The total purse was $2700, with $800 to the winners. The Beginning of the end. It appeared that Harewood s days as a racing facility were numbered at the start of the 1961 season. The track s operators, the British Empire Motor Club, had been building Mosport and the new track was ready to open in June, BEMC moved its events to Mosport. Without a club organizing the circuit, the other clubs moved their events to Mosport as well. The track was comparatively quiet during the 1961 and 1962 seasons, only hosting some closed-topublic events such as MG Car Club events and drag races. The Harewood Acres circuit was resurrected again in The London Automobile Sport Club (LASC) had been operating Green Acres, another former WWII airfield circuit, north of Goderich. The track surface at Green Acres had been falling apart and LASC was looking for a new circuit. Over the next few seasons LASC implemented many improvements including repaving most of the circuit, building marshals stands, moving the wiring underground to remove the need (and the inherent danger) for poles and painting white lines to negate the need for hay bales. From 1963 to 1970 Harewood continued to host many club events. It was the home of the Great Lakes Trophy Races, The Mid-Summer Trophy Races, Burlington Autosports Club Challenge Cup for Sedans, The Trillium Trophy Races and various motorcycle races including the Ontario Grand Prix for Motorcycles. The track was part of the Canadian Road Racing Championship each year, both for sports cars from 1964 until 1968 and for The Gulf Canada Series for Formula A cars which made two visits in each of the 1969 and 1970 seasons. The End.. After 14 years of motor racing, Harewood Acres hosted its last motor race weekend on September 26-27, 1970 reported Canada Track & Traffic. The weather, curiously enough, was very much like that on the first day held there in June of It was sunny, cloudy, then rainy and back to sunlight again. Al Pease and Francis Bradley, both of whom were there the day the track opened were on hand to run the last events. Pease won both his events, taking the final handily in his Brabham B. It was the end for Harewood. Owner Russell Hare sold the land to Texaco and the company built an oil refinery on the property. Page 16

17 Some Harewood Notes From Those Who Were There! Phil Lamont. Jack Boxstrom bought a Sadler from Nat Adams (formerly the Miss Veedol Special) and asked me to help. It had a misfire, so I changed the plugs. (There was usually a nice man from Champion in attendance, even at club races, who would give you free plugs and advice.) The car ran much better and Jack came flying down the pit straight, missed the turn and went plowing on into farmer Hare s field - thankfully no harm to Jack or the car, although Jack was quite pale when he came in and reported. The mechanic (me) had left the old plugs lying in the valley of the V8 s intake manifold and one had bounced along and jammed the throttle open. It drove home to me the importance of careful preparation and the serious responsibility of those working on race cars! I recall going testing at Harewood Mr. Hare would appear and collect the $10 or $20 and go back to plowing or harrowing. You were on your own.. A club racer with the unforgettable name of Graham Hill hit a hay bale on the back straight and flipped. I still have the visual of him hanging out of the car by his lap belt upside down in a diver s position. Thankfully he landed quite unharmed. Bill Brack may tell you about one of his adventures. I believe he was driving home from qualifying, by himself. He and his partners had a Chrysler dealership so he was driving a Challenger convertible. As he was crossing the Burlington skyway he decided he wanted to change the cassette (remember those?) but as he was driving a convertible they were locked in the glove box. He popped it into neutral to coast down the bridge, removed the key from the ignition and leaned over to unlock the glove box to get the cassettes, and was immediately reminded with a click, that the steering locks when the key is removed. As the car started to drift out of the lane he was trying frantically to get the key back in the ignition and unlock the steering. It says a lot about Bill - he regaled me with the story that evening, laughing at his folly. He could have kept it to himself. I still get a chuckle out of it. ***** Robert Barg. I remember how low key everything seemed - lots of guys drove their car to the race track - then removed everything loose from the trunk, taped up the lights and went racing (production classes)! The thing that I miss the most, however, is the banquets that LASC used to put on after their events - after the day s August 14, 1965 Harewood National Page 17

18 racing was over, most everyone would stay for the evening banquet put on by the ladies auxiliary of one the local church halls in the town of Jarvis - and let me tell you that the food was the finest country style cuisine that would be hard to beat anywhere. I can also recall some high jinks such as one Al Souter driving his 50cc.Mini bike thru the banquet hall just before the meal started. There was a rumor that Al had loosened up somewhat with a few beers at the track prior to arriving at the hall. Many great racing days were held at Harewood. Another mostly forgotten fact about Harewood would be that you could arrive at the track during the week with either your race or street Frank Mount s MG at Harewood car, pay $5 to farmer Hare and rip around the track all day! In the spring of 1965 Doug Vansickle and I prepared a production class Triumph Spitfire for the racing season and took it to Harewood for some prerace testing one fine day. Doug and I flipped a coin to see who would be first to drive - I lost and Doug took the first few laps. Remember that the hay bales used to line the track had been left out all winter, which did a great job of turning them to stone. Unfortunately Doug clipped one of these bales and it turned the Spitfire over - he rolled three times before coming to rest and there were three distinct red stripes on the pavement from each time that his helmet had scraped during the rollovers. When he didn t come around we realized something was wrong and we went to find him - he seemed ok but was quite dazed and we rushed him off to the hospital in Simcoe - turned out he had a severe concussion and spent seven days in the hospital. (Of course there was no ambulance or medics at the track) I never did get to turn a lap in the Spit - it was totally wrecked and parted out! Doug did not resume his racing career and last I heard he moved out west shortly thereafter! ***** Jeff Bateman. I attended the final driving school held at Harewood. This would have been July or August, There used to be three CASC drivers schools every year. They were very well attended, in part because there was a full day of track time; you could bring a race car or a road car; and there was a real race at the end of the day. All for, I think it was about $ Enthusiasm was the major goal of the school. There was not a whole lot of technique advanced, but rather an attitude: to quote the Chief Driving Instructor, Dr. Sid Mandel, If you don t spin, you are not trying hard enough. Some names from that particular drivers school that VARAC folks may recognize: John DeMaria, driving the Sadler FJ that he and I bought together; Frank Harnden in a yellow Austin America (I believe Frank was a repeat having attended schools before as track days); and Terry DeFrancesco, driving the Flying Dentist s Dr. Sid Rosenbaum s D sedan Mini Cooper. I was there driving my brother s Renault Gordini, which still bore the scars of its Bancroft area roll over during the previous winter s Canadian Winter Rally (I think there was a pub in Bancroft Jamie liked he seemed to roll the car every winter in that same general area). Anyway, people were impressed that I came with a Page 18

19 car that was pre-dented. The day went on in a frenzy of semiorganized chaos throughout you got on the track about 20 minutes out of 60, there was such a volume of cars. Sometimes with an instructor, sometimes following an instructor, sometimes just out with a wild bunch. I tried my darndest to rip the tires right off the rims every corner, although I couldn t quite generate enough mayhem to actually spin, which was worrying, God, what if they fail you for not spinning...must try harder... The final event of the day was a full on race. There was an enormous grid, I guess about fifty cars or so, gridded somewhat casually, but generally by cubic capacity, F1 Connaught with race cars ahead of road cars. I was near the back, and so had a pretty good view (through the billowing tire smoke) of at least half a dozen quality instances of guys crucifying their insurance rates... I m not sure how many finishers there were (I ll spoil the suspense by saying I was the last finisher), but I think about half the cars in the field suffered at least some significant damage. After the race, back in the paddock, everybody was laughing and pointing at the scratches and dents and describing how they had done this or missed that. I was worried because I hadn t succeeded in breaking much of anything. Surely they weren t going to give me a license now, I can t even tell a good crash story...however, Sid Mandel came around with a big smile on his face and a bunch of certificates in his hands. He asked me my name, found my certificate, shook my hand, slapped me on the back and said Good job. Congratulations. Sadler Mk 1 You see, everybody passed showing up was what mattered. If you were gung ho enough to drive out to the middle of freakin nowhere and spend an entire day dodging Mr. Hare s sheep s gifts, then you were the kind of guy they wanted in CASC. ***** Leighton Irwin: I was an instructor at Harewood when Al Souter was chief instructor. When Al was head honcho most of the instructors would go back to his place on Hwy#6 for some cool ones. The house was attached to his wrecking yard. He had a nice pool so times were pretty good and there were a lot of not too sober racers. I think it was Gary Magwood who wanted to dive off the shop roof into the pool. One student who had bought Gary Magwood s Formula Vee was scaring us all including Gary. He would go straight off at the chicane about every third lap. He was called in twice. After the open practice session both Gary and I talked to him. He didn t remember going off at all! We talked him out of racing, or so we thought. But he decided to go ahead and race. Turn one, first flying lap, he turned in and never stopped turning until he hit a straw bale. He never raced again, fortunately. Page 19

20 August 14, 1965 Harewood National I remember running in the Relay Race at Harewood in an MGB. We thought we were super smart and brought an electric impact gun for the compulsory wheel changes. So did a bunch of other teams. Our idea (and others) was to stop early. The electric circuits all blew leaving the track with no power! Luckily this was during practice. Pit stops then had to be arranged with the organizers so only one team using guns stopped at a time. So much for that bright idea! ***** Dave Greenblatt: The June 1959 CRDA 500 had a Le Mans start, and as I was just 120 lbs and a good runner I was first into my Corvette and away, but was quickly overtaken by a Lotus. I duly re-passed the Lotus going into the chicane before the end of lap one and took over the lead! However within a few laps the faster Group 7 Maserati and D type Jaguar slowly overtook me. I was thus running a very respectable third position until I suffered a rear differential failure at the furthest point from the pits and brought the car to rest in the infield. I ran all the way back to the pits and the crew removed the entire solid rear axle assembly from the race car replacing it with one they removed from Burke Seitz s Corvette in the paddock, (with 3.70 gears in place of my 4.56). I was out only a total of 40 minutes with this unusual pit stop done in the infield. The end result was great media coverage and a 14th place finish! ***** Colin King: At the Oak Cup Trophy Races in 1970 I had arrived on the Friday for some practice. We had problems with the car and went back to the garage in Toronto. We arrived Saturday morning just in time for the E,F,G,H/P and C,D/S qualifying. We rolled the MGB off the trailer and went straight to the track. The car was great through all corners except turn three. About half way through three the car would lurch to the left. This happened on four consecutive laps. When I felt I had done as much as I could with an ill handling car...i came in. I complained to my mechanic and father about the poor handling through turn three. Not to worry they said...they would get right on it. As I walked off muttering to myself, I turned around to see them remove a 150lb tool chest from the trunk. We did however set a new E/P record at 1:46.3! Page 20

21 Canadian Motorsports Heritage Museum- VARAC members donate famous race cars Renovations have begun on the hall s new home in a 13,000-square-foot building at 39 Carl Hall Road in Downsview Park. It is expected it will be open for business in January. Racing cars and other collectibles will be on display. The former Wall of Fame will now be on disc and photos and biographies of inductees will be accessed via touch-screen TV. An archives room on a mezzanine level looking out over the museum will feature racing programs, articles, photographs and videos but is very much a work in progress as much of the material remains to be organized and digitized. The museum will feature a 40-seat theatre with motorsport films from the 1960s to the present playing nonstop. There will be a working race-car garage complete with air hoses and a hoist and racing simulators will put would-be Villeneuve in the driving seat. Jeremy Hinchcliffe (VARAC member and father of Indy Lights driver James Hinchcliffe) Jack Boxstrom s Chaparral and other donors have donated racing art from their collections. Two historic race cars will be featured at the museum, Jack Boxstrom s Chaparral 1, Chassis #001, the first of many advanced race cars by Jim Hall; and Jeremy Hinchcliffe has donated the Formula Ford race car driven in the Esso Protec Formula Ford 1600 Championship by the late Greg Moore. We are extremely pleased to accept these historic cars on behalf of Canadian motorsports fans across the country, said Brad Brown, executive-director of the Canadian Motorsports Heritage Museum. We thank Jack Boxstrom for his contribution of the Chaparral, a car which went on to revolutionize sports car racing, as well as Jeremy Hinchcliffe for providing us with the race car in which Greg first made his mark on the Canadian motorsports scene. We know both cars will be valuable additions to our collection. VARAC member Jack Boxstrom s Chaparral 1, Chassis #001, was designed by race car builders Tom Barnes and Dick Troutman. The #001 chassis was piloted by Hall at the Mosport Players 200 in June 1962 and of course more recently by Boxstrom at VARAC events and other vintage races. Jeremy Hinchcliffe, father of Indy Lights star James Hinchcliffe, has donated the Formula Ford driven by Maple Ridge, British Columbia native Greg Moore in the Esso Protec Formula Ford 1600 Championship. Hinchcliffe previously donated Moore s Reynard 98i car in which he won the Michigan 500. Greg began racing in formula cars in 1991 and was named Rookieof-the-Year in the Esso Protec Formula Ford He went on to compete in Formula Photo by Bob Harrington 2000 and Indy Lights, joining the Player s Forsythe racing team Indy Lights team in 1995, winning the Indy Lights Championship and 10 of 12 races, including five in a row. Racing with the Player s Forsythe Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) series he became the youngest driver in Indy Car history to win a race. He was just 22 years-old. Throughout his CART career Greg Moore posted five wins, his last at the 1999 seasonopening Marlboro Miami Grand Prix. In his 72 CART starts he ascended to the podium 17 times and posted five pole-positions. Moore was killed on October 31, 1999 at the Marlboro 500, which was to be Moore s final race with Player s Forsythe before joining Marlboro Team Penske. Page 21

22 Photos by Micacchi Worldwide Racing Colin and Sean Gibson-father and son racing Colin, how did you get started in racing? done also with the Mini s and the Minor I got started in Motorsport in 1963 at age 17 the same way most guys did in the 60 s; Driving Skill Tests, Autocross, Rallies and Ice Races. My first car was a 1960 Austin 850 and like everyone else at that time, it was my only car, you taped up headlights and changed tires (if you could afford two sets!). I drove my second car (also a Mini) to Mosport in 1964 for my first race (as a driver). I had been going to the track since it opened as a spectator and crew member. I ran the Mini for a while in 1965 then purchased a real RACE CAR, a 1960 Morris Minor that I flat towed (tow bar) to races behind my 1959 two seater Healey. Then you took a bit of a break. I got out of racing in 1967 to concentrate on rallying; did the Winter Rally five times including three times in open cars, notably a Lotus Super 7 (1968) a Hunter VW Dune buggy (1969) and a home built Renault based open wheeler in Did a lot of spectating and other stuff in the 70 s and early 80 s until my brother Ian and friend Brian How did that go? I ran the Minor for two years including the Three Hour Tourist Trophy Race in Imagine three hours in a Minor at the blinding speed of 1:59-2:05 per lap at Mosport! I also owned the Kiki MK1 for a short time and ran it at Harewood as I had Page 22

23 Atkinson got involved with VARAC in Ian built # 77 TR4 (now Mike Deweerd s car) and Brian a Volvo P1800 ( John Morley then??). I got hooked again so started with a pile of Sprite parts in September 1984 and competed at the first race of 1985 in green # 123. This car was incredible fun and very successful. I ran it for three years, lots of firsts... Mid-Ohio, Watkins Glen, Mosport and Waterford Hills. I then sold the car (gave it away) to Brian Hunt, who still campaigns it as # 06. Ian and Brian both went on to build SP250 Daimlers, I built another Sprite, RHD this time. I couldn t drive it so sold it. It ended up as Nancy Turnbull s ride for a few years. I built a 122 Volvo and ran it in 91 & 92. It was later owned and raced by Brian Hunter # 12. Then you fell in with bad company, namely TWR..right? Yes, I got involved with Time Warp Racing as a helper gofer a few years ago and drove their Sprites on test days a couple of times and got hooked again. When my son Sean (Honda Civic # 123) got his CASC license and raced at the 2008 VARAC Festival, I knew I had to have another go. With borrowed cars (Dino Micacchi s Sprite and Sean Gibson s Honda) I competed at the 2009 Celebration of Mosport, was observed by stewards and re-instated as a driver. What s next, Colin? I hope to compete a few times in 2010, sharing rides in the Sprite and Honda. Sean and I want to enter both cars in the Enduro at the Festival and switch cars at half-time. Imagine the thrill of finishing 1st and 2nd in the same race! Well, a fellow has to have dreams! Top Left Photos by Vicsr.com So how was it out there, Diane? Bottom Left Er, just great.thanks for asking. Above No Celebration for Diane... Page 23

24 NOTE - VARAC and/or Vintage Racer are not responsible for the descriptions and claims of cars and products that appear in either the Vintage Racer or on the VARAC website advertisments. Before buying, please check with our Eligibility Director to ensure ANY car meets VARAC standards. Wanted: 2010 Racing Partnership I can store and prepare your racing car for the 2010 VARAC Race Season, at my farm, 20 minutes north of Mosport in exchange for a few race weekends (to be negotiated). Development of the car (and driver), improved reliability/ lap times and convenience, would be the focus. Trackside assistance and coaching is a possibility. I am not running a race shop, but can arrange any undertaking with a host of local pro s. If this arrangement appeals to you, give me a call to discuss further. Thanks, John DeMaria. (416) [email protected] Classifieds Race Suit For Sale NOMEX suit (Fits lb gentleman racer). - SFI 3-2A5 Leaf Racewear in a 2XL size - (worn twice) washed at the end of last season - Blue with the black back - in VERY good condition that I need to let go (complete with VARAC emblem sewn in!). All Nomex undergarments (same condition, except the shoes have stained the socks), balaclava, shoes, black (size 10.5) - all in very gently used condition (I didn t walk the paddocks in the shoes!). Not sure what they cost me then (didn t matter then!) but they are available if you are professional auto tech. The car still enjoys all of its original road equipment and trim and can be road licensed with ownership and title. Take off the removable targa top and the roll bar diagonals (anti intrusion bars) can be taken out for you to enjoy the car as a weekend tourer with your best lady. Or it can be a RELIABLE and competitive midfield racecar (mid 1.40s at Mosport ) in any vintage event that you want to enter. Great enduro car. This car is turn key ready and in beautiful condition including really nice paint and brightwork, interior well finished, all latches, etc. working. You should be impressed with the attention to small details on this car. New belts on delivery (dated). Page 24 TYRES 4 Yokohama AS high performance street tyres 185/ Bought for the Elva as rain tyres but did not work well, although they were great on moist track. 99% tread left. $ 300/set. Stefan (519) BMW 2002Tii For sale. 93,000 kms. Last of the chrome bumper and round tailight cars. The car is from BC and so is very solid. Presently fitted with twin Weber carbs. Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection is included with the car. Would make a very competitive vintage racer or can be used on the road. Call (Whitby) for more details. Spridget Bits Full Race 1293cc A Series race motor: $2,300. Spare Longman Head: $ diff (std and never raced) $ diff (prepped and welded) $300. First $2,800 get s it all. John DeMaria (416) [email protected] Formula Vee Wanted I m looking for a Formula Vee, preferably in the province of Quebec as I m living near Trois-Rivieres. Please [email protected] interested, and the size is right for you. Also have a Bell M2 helmet (full face with shield) SA Grant Plank: [email protected] For Sale 1972 PORSCHE 914 / 4 2 LITRE Fresh race prepared 2 litre motor, 2 races from complete rebuild, downdraft Webers, 3/4 race cams, Porsche short 5 spd gear box, recent enduro sized fuel cell with its own F / Gauge, race seat, roll bar/cage, window net, fire system, all nec. safety equip required for racing. 8 alum Porsche wheels. This car is a well known VARAC car and was built and prepared by Spares pkge includes extra Porsche 5 spd G/box, 2 drive shafts, all 1.7 engine parts w/shop manuals, road exhaust system, original seats, carbs, boxes of bits, etc, etc. PRICE $. 16, Older Flatbed Trailer available $ or Hi end swivel Tow dolly available $ Delivery can be arranged if nec.. $$$ Call John Greenwood (905) [email protected] Refl ections A vintage racer is shaving in front of the bathroom mirror. He is not happy with the likeness he sees and as his wife walks in he says; I feel horrible; Just look at me, I look old and wrinkly and unattractive. I really need you to pay me a compliment. His wife looks at his refl ection for a moment and replies, Well, your eyesight s damn near perfect.

25 MARKETPLACE Spriget 948 engine I need to built a new engine so I m looking for a 948cc Sprite, Morris or MG Midget engine. Please contact Amyot Bachand at: [email protected] or call me at Magazines John Dodd s British Sports Car Workshop Engine building and rebuilding service for all Ford and BMC competition engines. Call John Dodd 844 7A Highway Bethany, On L0A 1Ao 1 (705) Tel: website: [email protected] Large collection looking for new home. Classic and Sportscar (GB), Road & Track, and much more. Excellent condition. For details contact [email protected] 1982 REYNARD FF Great Condition - Raced 2008, 2nd OFFC B Class in sets of wheels, some spares - needs new belts this year otherwise gas and go racing in new Formula Classic grid. 32 s at Mosport with overweight slouch at wheel. $14,000 OBO - Glyn Walters glynwalters@xplornet. com BOB HARRINGTON PHOTOGRAPHY Specializing in Vintage Race Photography, our work has appeared in all the North American Vintage Publications. Photographers for HSR, SVRA, VARAC, S2000 and Senior Photographer for Victory Lane, we have a library of over 250,000 images dating back to the late eighties. We can produce photographs in all sizes from 4x6 to 24x36 and photo business cards in quantities as low as 50. We can also provide electronic images for websites and high resolution images for larger images and advertisements. We are always open to requests or ideas for new products. If you have a photographic need, try us, we ll do our utmost to fill your requirements. Page 25

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