Foreword Introduction | From Humble Beginnings The Early Years The Need for Speed and an Airfield at Carp From the OLCC to the MCO Mosport Park and the Players 200 The Road to Fortune et Le Circuit Dow's Lake Ice Racing and the Miss MCO Contest A Race at Rockcliffe and the Cones of St. Laurent The ADAQ Rebellion et les Pompiers du Puits Recession, Politics and a Chateau at Lac McGregor Tragedy and Triumph in the Nineties The Fiftieth Year ll Movers and Shakers / Inspiration of our Passion Ill The Awards and their Winners Appendix — Important Dates in Club History Contents 10 W 19 29 36 43 51 63 72 85 94 105 111 132 147Notes from the Author Racing cars, racing people, and an obsession to be around both, have always played an important part of my life. Like many people of my generation looking for the answer to their problems, I blame this ‘obsession on my parents. Afterall, they were the ones who took their seven-year old son toseea world hero by the name of Stirling Moss at Mosport for the first Players 200 in 1961! Looking back on it, I was probably hooked before that moment in June though. My father had been a racing fan for as long.as I could remember. He would read the latest racing magazines, then give them to meto read and cut up, the photos and stories from which went into a ton of scrapbooks [still have, He also taught mea great deal about motor sport and racing people, and lowea lotof thesuccess I've had in motor sport to him. Thanks Dad. As the years went by and my involvement in the sport developed, I often heard stories told and retold. also witnessed a number of events and was blessed with the opportunity to meet scores of people in various roles, atevery level of the moter sport hierarchy, inall kinds of scenarios, good and bad, funny and. serious. The volume of stories and data I collected kept accumulating, and quite often someone would suggest I take the time to writea book. The thought of recounting the colourful “behind the scenes" stories inabook always tempted me, but the reality ofa limited market for an “Old Canadian racing stories” book scared anyone remotely interested in publishing sucha collection. So, thestories remained something Itold and heard around campfires or in the back of someone's trailer, motor home or garage. In the latter part of 1998, I was fortunate enough tobe asked to sit on the MCO’s committee assigned the task of conjuring up projects for the upcoming celebration of the club's 50th Anniversary. During the initial meetingof this committee someone suggested that the club publish a yearbook ofits activities for that year. fever there was a “door of opportunity” to tell a few tales, this was it. So, I suggested the committee put together a book that contained the club's history. The result you now hold in your hands. ‘This little project grew into something that countless people have spent hundreds of hours working on. Others have supported the project financially or with photographs and anecdotes. To name and thank everyone properly would take the space I've already used for these comments and undoubtedly there'd stillbesome leftoff the page. That would be tragic, for everyone whohas worked on orsupported this book in whatever capacity, deserves a huge round of applause. To all of you, a sincere thank you. If I may, though, I'd like to thank in particular Ron Woltman, Christal Pomeroy and Michael Smithers. Without their efforts, my research, vocabulary, and subsequent notes would never have appeared as well as they do on these pages! As research began, I quickly learned the significant influence the Ottawa Light Car Club/Motorsport Club of Ottawa had on the development of Canadian motor sports, This was the real story that needed to be told, rather than to recall decactes of antics and other funny tales. So much effort had gone into what the club stood for and what past members had achieved, especially in those carly years. I hope the story of, accomplishments you read here inspires you to achieve more in this sport as both an individual, and asa member of your own personal club. Most of the information gathered has come directly from the submissions and meeting minutes printed in the club's ne The Link, Along the way, the research trail also brought together members from different eras and decades, to retell the stories they heard retold, or to recall specific events they were involved with, Those recollections and quotes were used to fill around the bare facts, andl keep you from getting bogged down in statistics. Unfortunately, many members and their stories will not be mentioned in this book though we certainly tried to cram as many names and photos as we could into the number of pages available. For that, I humbly apologize, but can also assure you that nobody was left out intentionally. To include all the names and give just mention to everyone, would have produced a book three times the size of this one, at astronomical cost. Hopefully, the events and names chronicled will rekindle your own memories of good times and good friends. Unfortunately, too many of those named are no longer with us. [hope they've found their motor sport heaven (if there is such a place), and that all of those involved with these and so many other stories will be pleased to know how much their endeavors were, and still are, appreciated. ‘Therefore, itis with great pleasure and gratitude that dedicate this book to all those who showed such tiative, devotion to duty whatever the weather, and sheer gritty determination in being involved asa member of the OLCC/MCO. God bless you all, and roll on MCO! > Mike LoweRIDEAU HALL OTTAWA Our hobbies and leisure pursuits are an essential part of our national character. The organizations we build around our favourite sports bring families and friends together to create nation-wide networks. Since its modest beginnings in 1949, the Motorsport Club of Ottawa has grown to become an important player on the Canadian sport scene. The club members have been involved in every kind of approved racing, rallying and solo event, and have been active participants in every aspect of automobile competition. Over the years, they have also contributed their skills to several charities, such as the United Way Car Rally and the slalom/solo event for the Ottawa Boys and Girls Club. As Governor General, I congratulate the Motorsport Club of Ottawa on its 50th anniversary. Your members have made a positive contribution to an important Canadian pastime and to your community. I send you my best wishes for success and achievement in all your future endeavours. fain Ko Roméo LeBlanc September 1999Foreword by Lewis MacKenzie c7\ Iwas the smell that I noticed before anything, else. We were stuck in the traffic line-up leading to Harewood Acres in Southwestern Ontario. was a 19 year old officer cadet in the infantry attending my second summer of officer training at Camp Borden, A fellow officer cadet, and good friend, had invited me to accompany him to a motor race that weekend. As he was the only one of us out of 50 plus cadets who had a car (a red PV544 Volvo to boot) - and therefore represented a brief escape from the Army's watchful and constantly evaluating eye ~ L accepted. While I had always enjoyed driving (I took my Griver's test on my 16th birthday), at the time a car’s primary attraction was its guarantee of freedom, and a certain amount of privacy when dating a member of the opposite sex. had never seen a motor race and, quite frankly, had never thought ‘much about the sport. But that smell really got to me, a sort of a sweet pungent odor presumably out of place at, or near, a race track. As the line of cars inched forward another sense kicked in and I started to hear the faint sound of engines screaming through what must have been ‘open exhausts. At that precise moment, an experience that is indelibly burned into my memory occurred — my life was never the same again and I hope it never is. My heart rate still increases on its own when I get within a few miles of a race track. It can happen on the way toa track | know well and am about to race on, or it can happen when I'm merely diving past one on the way to somewhere ‘Try and explain that to a non-motorsport enthusiast! You can't. To this day, when Lattend vintage races and smell the Chanel #5 of 50s and 60s motor sports, better known as Castrol Racing Oil, [still have flash backs to that memorable day in 1959 when I discovered my passion. Let's face it. We are all pretty boring until you scratch our passion, or in some jaded people's opinion, our weakness. It might be anything from gardening to freefall parachuting, It doesn’t really matter, but everybody needs one. People who join motorsport clubs have found theirs and are proud of it Tm sure the most commonly asked question we have all encountered from closet enthusiasts is,"How do I get involved in motor sport?" The answer is, and should be, always the same: "Join a club". The overwhelmingly diverse nature of motorsport, even at the amateur levels, along with the administrative, organizational and legal requirements of a potentially Page sponsored by Ronald Woltmian ~ member since 1969dangerous sport, demands the attention of well-run, conscientious and competent clubs. While to the outsider and, dare I say, a small minority of club members themselves, the club might represent onl in my estimation its key function is to make the sport as safe and enjoyable as possible and to encourage the active participation of the next generation of enthusiasts, no matter what their age! This book celebrates the Motorsport Club of Ottawa’s contribution to Canadian motorsport in general and its thousands of club members over the past 50 years. MCO has a well-earned reputation for grooming new enthusiasts as they make, in some cases, a lifetime commitment to the sport. It is essential that the ‘experienced club participants in all categories assist the new members who had that inexplicable elevation of their heart rate when, by chance, they attended their first event. They may have driven past a Solo event, competed in their first fun rally, or waved their first blue flag at yours truly, telling me to move over to make way for a new MCO club member who decided, with the encouragement of his club, to go racing. A motorsport club is a family, and a family is more concerned with its offspring than anything else, and as long as MCO sets the standard in fostering new enthusiasts, one of them will write the introduction for MCO’s 100th. Anniversary book. In the meantime, Happy 50th MCO! Major General Lewis J. MacKenzie, OstJ, MSC, CD is best known for his role as commander of the UN force that opened the Sarajevo airport for humanitarian aid during the Bosnian war in 1992. He retired from the military in 1993 and now runs his ‘communication business with his wife Dora from their home in Bracebridge, Ontario. Lew has been a member of MCO since the 1980s, and was the 1996 MCO Driving ‘Champion. He is still active in FF1600 with Nigel Mortimer, and raced a GT1 Camaro in the Canada GT Challenge Cup. Page sponsored by Frank Smith of SmithSport RacingIntroduction Automobileracing developed onbothsidesofthe Atlantic, in the early 1900s, and wasrun principally on rural roads, often inconjunction with county fairsorexhibitions. Asthe popularity of auto racing grew in the Western Hemisphere, poor road conditions and lack of proper crowd control dictated a change in the type of venue used. While most of the fairs in Europe at this time were commercial, fairs in North America were of a more competitive nature, and as a result, the fairgrounds typically included a dirt track for various types of racing, Local promoters recognized the potential of using these tracks for a new purpose and went to work converting them to better accommodate auto racing. Prize monies were awarded and. spectator attendance increased rapidly Soon drivers from both Canada and the United States began to organize itineraries based on the schedule of these county fairs. They discovered that by traveling around the countryside, one could eke out a modest living depending ot one'sskillsand successes. Most competitors were garageowners, mechanics, automobile designers or engineers, and all were eager to test their theories of automobile technology. Only a small percentage of names were hired drivers, unlike one finds in the professional levels of auto racing today. Gradually, both horses and cars disappeared from the fairground tracks, destined for purpose-built facilities of th ‘own. These new ovals, or speedway as they became known to the auto racing fraternity, were built outside the city limits where farm land could be easily purchased for small sums of cash. It is interesting to note there was considerable cross- Atlantic participation during these early years as evidenced in the names of both drivers and cars appearing in the entry lists for races such as the Indianapolis 500. Then, as each continent diealt with the bigger problems of The Great Depression and World War Il, the different cultures tended to go their own direction in cardesign and circuitstyles. twas not until the late forties that auto racing on this side of the Atlantic felt European, influence again. ABOVE: An example of the poor road conditions early racers faced, This comer, known as the Death Curve, was part of the Santa Monica circuit near Los Angeles, California. John Marquis, in a Sunbeam, overtuens while leading in the American Grand Prize, 1914, [Photo courtesy of Hulton Getty] 8 Page sponsored by Sam Mania — Car #8LIVE STOCK, AGRICULTURAL RIA DISPLAY inpu: During the late forties, Canadian servicemen brought back stories of their escapades in two-seater cars known as sportscars. Many also made arrangements to bring these funny le cars back with them, and eventually the roads we populated with names like Austin, Triumph, Sunbeam and MG. Considered strange in the land of the Detroit monsters, the owners of these small foreign cars started to band together, partly out of self-preservation but also to spread their new- found enthusiasm and knowledge of this different style of car. Fromsmall gatheringsin people’sbasements,clubsbegan, to form, complete with presidents, treasurers, and newsletters. At first, members just talked about their cars, compared notes and generally drove around town in small groups. Soon, however. sports car owners were competing against each other in various types of driving skill tests, and as the excitement grew, so did the level of competition. The goal then became to race these cars to determine their ultimate limits. ‘Though not well-known, car enthusiasts in the National Capital Region were instrumental in the success and development of road racing following the Second World War. Itwas a small handful of people from this region who formed the Ottawa Light Car Club (OLCC), which played a significant role in the founding of the first governing body of auto racing in Canada, the Canadian Automobile Sports Committee(CASC). The OLCC would later change its name to the Motorsport Club of Ottawa (MCO), and its members have continued to play LEFT: Speedway racing in the nation's capital can be traced back to 1928. The riding mechanic long gone, these drivers Push their single ‘sealers around the dirt track at Lansdowne Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada [Photo courtesy of the National Archives of Canada} major roles in the development of motorcar racing for the past five decades, While membership numbers have usually been smaller than those of other clubs operating in more densely populated areas, the club still maintains one of the highest percentages of participation found across Canada and parts of the United States. All of this without the luxury of a permanent road racing facility in close proximity to the Ottawa Valley This book is a history of the challenges, triumphs, and tragedies experienced by the Motorsport Club of Ottawa and its members during their first 50 years of achievement. — Fast Fact — Why co the English drive on the left-hand side ofthe road and North Americans drive on the right-hand side? Englands custom of driving on the left-bared stile of the road originated in medaeral times when sword ana lance were the ‘ost popular weapons of war. Carriedt in the right band, the blades were mare readily presented to antagonists if te bearer radeon the left-hand side of the path, When European settlers came to North america, one of the principal forms of transportation was the Conestoga wagon, Drivers of he -muttiborse eam customarily rode the last horse on the let, and to ensure the wheels of one’s wagon did not caleh on the wheels of an oncoming wagon, riders moved over to the right of the narrow roads Page sponsored by Serge Dubuc of Weissac, Porsche AG —a member in the 70's 9| From Humble Beginnings The Early Years (1949 - 1952) 11-18 From a meeting at the Ottawa Public Library the Ottawa Light Car Club is founded and, along with two other clubs, forms the CASC. The Need for Speed and an Airfield at Carp (1953 - 1955) 19-28 ‘The club‘s focus shifts from fun rallies to racing, From the OLCC to the MCO (1956 - 1959) 29-35 As the club changes its name, members on the CASC board play an important role in the CASC's successful bid to obtain FIA affiliation. Mosport Park and the Player's 200 (1960 - 1961) 36 - 42 Stirling Moss comes to Mosport Park and catapults Canadian motorsport activities to the forefront of everyone's attention. The Road to Fortune et Le Circuit (1962 - 1964) 43-50 Racers climb the hill to Camp Fortune, and a man named Samson builds the dream of many in Quebec. Dow's Lake Ice Racing and the Miss MCO Contest (1965 ~ 1969) 51-62 TheOttawa Winter Carnival Grand Prixand acontestthatnever in the Ottawa Region. A Race at Rockcliffe and the Cones of St. Laurent (1970 - 1975) 63-71 ‘The club organizes a race for the Governor-General, and the art of slaloming comes of age. The ADAQ Rebellion et ‘les Pompiers du Puits’ (1976 — 1979) 72-80 An outlaw series causes a feud in Quebec, and the club assumes responsibility for pit lane activities on Tle Notre Dame. increase theclub’s profile We were there... 81-84 A colour photo collage of some of the club’s brighter moments. Recession, Politics, and a Chateau at Lac McGregor (1980 - 1989) 85-93 Amateur motorsportsis riddled by political warfa ice racing fraternity moves to a new location. nda poor Canadian economy, andl the Tragedy and Triumph in the Nineties (1990 — 1998) 94-104 Anaccident on the Ottawa River nearly causes the demise of the club, The 50" Year (1999) 105 - 108 The club celebrates its 50® birthday. 10The Early Years (1949-1952) On a bitterly cold January night in 1949, four intrepid young souls independently braved their way through the snow andiceon Ottawa’sslippery streets, their destination,a meeting, at the Ottawa Public Library. What would motivate them to venture out into the -29 degrees Fahrenheit of that night and, God forbid, do so behind the wheel of a British car without a heater? The answer: a common thirst and yearning among like- minded enthusiasts, seeking comradeship and a sharing of ‘mechanical experiences. One of the hearty individuals converging that nightsome SOyearsagowas young Laurence Renton, ex-RCAFserviceman, not long back from overseas as a bomber navigator. From his, home, theonly one on Baseline Road at the time, Renton piloted brand new Morris toward the downtown hub. Motoring along other streets and heading toward the same destination were: W.G. (Bill) Allen, Harold Pearce and Duane Wright. Eventually, all fourarrived at the old library located on Metcalfe Street, and their rendezvous would change the motoring, landscape of the National Capital Region. In the cozy summer kitchen of their very “English” home in the countryside, Audrey and Laurence Renton reminisced about the formative events of the OLCC. As sharp and activeas ever, the youthul77-year-old Rentonsslid back in time over tea and Scones to that significant night in 1949, “We had been given a room at the very top of the library ‘on the eighth floor, which was as cold as it seemed outdoors,” remembered Laurence. “Of course, none of us had any snow tires in those days, or heaters for that matter, so the journey to get there had been an adventure in itself as well. Audrey was Pregnant with our fitst child, we had just bought our new 1949 Morris — the one with the lowered headlights —and we had to morigage our home to buy it “Costing ‘round about $1600, \we still have the original invoice! Returning to the purpose of the meeting, Laurence recounted how the four planned to form some sort of club, the purpose of which was toshare thecommon interestssurrounding the ownership of a British car. Many Canadian servicemen had returned to Canada with not only awar bride, as Laurence had, but also with a nimble, light, British car, and an unbridled enthusiasm to goalong with it. However, technical information and parts for the repairs of such vehicles were scarce. Asa result of this original meeting, the OLCC was formed. Though Bill Allen,an RCAF officer himself, was the main spark plug behind the formation of the club, Harold Pearce was elected president outof respect for hismilitary rankof Wing Commander. Renton, the navigator, became the club's vice president. exclaimed Audrey, “and “You could always tell when an ex-serviceman came to a meeting,” Audrey noted. “Most of them had enlisted right after or before they had finished school, so they didn’t have a job or very much money when they returned toCanada. Consegjuently, many of them still wore portions of their uniforms to the meetings and events, but without the badges of course.” “We organized a parade as our first event,” reminisced lurence. “It was in the spring of 1949, consisting of a tour on Island Park Drive, but we didn’t obtaina permit forit. Wedidn’t know we needed one, because none of us had ever really done anything like this before. A small advertisement was put in the newspaper asking anyone who owned a small British car to come out and join us, and then we just waited to see who showed up.” Lert Original design of the OLCC crest as penned by 1949 mombor Frank Conia, “There was one French fellow who drove up inhisCitroen ACY,” Audrey added. “It was still what we considered to be a ‘Light’ car, and he had made the effort to come all the w: from Hull, so we didn’t care, and he formed up in line with us. We even had a Morgan arrive, and some other fellow ina Jag.” Some 20 cars wound their way along the very “toney Island Park Drive, many with familieson board. The procession of Anglias, Allards, Morrises, a four-seat MG, a Singer, and a Triumph Standard, driven by one Judge John Madden, were shining in the sun when a zealous RCMP officer rade up on his motorcycle. The participation of a local Judge, and those tell-tale blue pants of the RCAF on some of the participants proved fortuitous—thegroup wasallowed tocontinue with theirparade lespite the fact that no permit for the event could be found on the party. 1 Page sponsored by Nick BerryAs time passed, the Rentons and their growing, famil noticed a subtle shift in the club’s focus. Founded originally a a family-oriented, non-race organization, the coming years witnessed an increase in single, young males as new members, with their faster, two-seat sportscars. Thissignalled a shiftto be felt many times over the next 50 years, and indicated the changing needs of the membership as well. “You must remember,” Audrey said wistfully, “we had a growing family, and in those days nobody used baby-sitters, 30 P participated with the children as well in most of the club events. Sometimes L was pregnant. The family-orientation was one of the original intents and practices of the club.” ‘These Renton family escapades were humourously retold ina report of a rally held in August 1949. “Larry Renton put up a great effort although early miscalculations appeared to have cost him heavily. When you consider that the Rentons had to fix the baby’s bottle and feed en route or it may have been solid food ~ the effort is all the more praiseworthy.” The Rentons went on to found and manage the very successful Manotick Motors between the years 1959 and 1972. it was the haven for spirited British auto enthusiasts of all ages, advertised as “Canada’s Largest Accessory House for Sports, Rally Cars and Racing Cars”, and the dealership supported many local motorsport activitiesas well. Thanks to the Rentons and their business, seven future presidents of the MCO logged many milesdriving toand from the villageof Manotick, satisfying theiraddiction tothe mystique of British sport ears. One of these individuals, conceived in the same month as the OLCC, spent both youth and fortune in pursuit of owning the “perfect Healey”, Four others received sponsorship for their racing cars. Another became a long-time, trusted employee, while the seventh, accompanying his father, spent many’an hour in the showroom seduced by “British racing green’. In the fall of 1949, at the Elgin street garages of Percy Carriere, a new Morris Minor was being fitted with some ver special modifications. These “mods” were designed by young, Margaretallan, sothe diminutive worker from the Aeronautical section of the National Research Council could zip home to Niagara Fallsand show her car toher family. A small block with aheel rest was added to the brake pedal to allow Margaret, who had suffered from polio, the ability to operate the accelerator and brake pedal by pivoting her right foot. This style of driving, commonly known today as “heel-and-toe” has become widely used by drivers at all levels of competition, though Margaret makes no claim as the originator. “Ttmade it most difficult for any one else to drive my car,” she said, “most notably, anyone who had big feet.” MCO Executive - 1949 Though a capable driver, upon herarrival in Niagara Falls her ahead-of-her-time mother insisted that young Margaret get advanced driving lessons to tum an average driver into an excellentone. Margaret took thisadviceand immediately joined the OLCC when she returned to Ottawa. Through membership in the club, she met Frank Currie, one of only twelve people to sign up as a member in 1949, He became responsible forteaching Margaret theadvanced driving techniques she wanted to perfect on the frozen surfaces of Lac Deschenes. These driving lessons developed into both the formation of a highly skilled rally team and a trip to the ‘matrimonial altar for the young car enthusiasts in 1957. “You could always tell which people were involved as a couple besides being justa rally team. When the man opened the door for the woman during the event it was.a dead giveaway of courtship,” Margaret said with a smile. Still together after more than 40 years (a major accomplishment for any team of rallyists), the authors caught p to this young-at-heart couple in their new home in Nepean. ‘This recent move came after living in the Manotick area for over 42 years, not far from the Rentons. Harold Pearce organized the first club rally in which the twowereentered on different teams. Pinpointing that firstsetof photo instructions in her scrapbook, Margaret describes the event. “It was one of those rallies whereby you were given aset of photos showing Harold’s Vanguard station wagon pointing the direction of the route at that intersection. The next event, which Lorganized, wassimilar in design. For myrally, however, we used photos of the actual road signs at the different intersections instead of having a vehicle parked there.” “Though novel indesign, the photo rallies did notcatchon a8 a popular style, mostly due to the need for a photographic darkroom with convenient, unlimited access,” Frank added, President: Harold Pearce Vice Pres: Laurence Renton 2 Dedicated to Les courses de cites de Belgique, ‘65 -'68, by AI GullonOPPOSITE: Officials of the OLCC (1955), from leit to right, Paul OFReilly, Harold Pearce, Anne Garland, Frank Sanderson, and Bill Allen, plot out a competition course. Alien and Pearce were {wo founding members of the OLCC. (Newton, Citawa Citizen] BELOW: Margaret Callan in her Morris Minor. MCO Executive - 1950 Frank Currie Reg Ogilvie President: Treasurer: BOTTOM: Harold Pearce’s Vanguard station wagon as used in photo clues for the first OLCC rally. “and most of us didn’t have employers with that kind of equipment.” Margaret and Frank would go on to win many rallies, for not only were they a good team, they also developed advanced skills and techniques to give them the edge on the competition. Unlike rallies today, competitors were not given the luxury of a mileage check section at the beginning of the rally. In ‘order to overcome the problems of varying mileage measurements, Frank would first find a properly calibrated mile. Then, by using various tire pressures, hhe could reduce the percentage of error between the measured mile and the odometer readings of the team’s competing car. Meanwhile, the mathematically-minded Margaret had designed and created advanced speed and distance tables, which sheheld on herlap during those early events. As thei rallying reputation grew, they often split up to even up thecompetitionatclubevents,butteamed together for more prestigious, inter-club rallies, both locally and far afield. Rallying competition continued for the Curries over the years, ultimately culminating in Margaret's, participation as the navigator of an all-girls team in the 1961 Shell 4000 Rally — Fast Fact — The Sbell 4000 was Canada’s premier world class rally for almost a decade, covering some 4000 miles of rough Canadian terrain between the cities of Vancouver and Montreal. While there were typically MCO meanbers driving in the rally, many members also acted in an official capacity at tis annual event, At the end of the 4000 miles, Margaret girlfriend fromKingstonhad managed to bring their 1959 Corvair to 14th place overall out of 96 entries. Many of the 96 hadn't finished at ali, despite the benefit of factory support. “The early Corvairs weren't very sturdy cars,” Margaret recalled, “but the camaraderie among the competitors was excellentin those days. I remember thisone incidentwhentheCorvairhad stopped after we'd been through this really rough patch of gravel somewhere in the mountains west of Calgary..think the clutchcable had letgoorsomething, and these fellows stopped to help us. The navigator donned his coveralls, doveunder thecarand popped up withabig grin onhisface. Inthisstrong, Norwegian accent he triumphantly proclaimed “Bet was der plug.’ With that, he jumped back into his carand we were off. [wasn’tsure what plug he was talking about nor how it related toa clutch cable, but we were able to engage the gears and continue on our way.” ae ae Uo eT cA C/T aac Te Page sponsored by Brad Merkel #13 13ABOVE: Teams line up for an intor-club rally organized by the Sports Motor Gar Club of Montreal. Note Frank Curtle and Margaret Callan are the team standing at far right, Sports Motor Car Club ANNUAL NIGHT TRIAL - 1950 LEFT: A compotitor's card (shown 1/10th actual size) was normally displayed in each participating car's, window during a rally BELOW: A 1950 membership card reflects the quarterly installment plan. Margaret wasn’tthe only member of thesuceessfulCallan- | ~———p— Currie rally team to includea Trans-Canada journey on theirllist 1» 50 Ni i ofmotoring experiences, Frank recallsa tripto Victoriaand back through the United States made with his father in 1949. DIEMB BE SHETC SE ! “Wedrovemy 1948 Standard 8, ThenumberSstood forthe OPTAWA LIGHT CAR CLUB eight horsepower that the engine produced. It was supposed to ‘ be a 1948 model, but in actual fact was just Standard’s 1938 Wore > model re-issued as a 1948 version using the same British q technology from the thirties. This was due to the fact that the ve jae jal | company had been involved with producing war vehicles, of course, and hadn’t done any work to develop their road cars. So. ? y o. ‘tote with the entire country’s economy being in need of an injection, = itwas the easiest and quickest way for them to make some sales and raise some much-needed cash, Many car companies had to} dothis. Thecar needed a valvejob upon completing thettrip, but apart from that, needed no attention at all. We finally figured cu that tha'valvas buriad Satthe way they did because of the — Fast Fact — Jack of humidity in the Canadian climate. At least that's what the peopleat Standard said when wetried to getsomehelp from them.” 1 of Me racing specials thal were created by OLGC nu ont the chassis of Standard 8 as they were small ancl compact. The Standard Car Company would menge The Curries, who remained members for 14 years, played with Tritemph to form: the Tritamph Standard Company and a very important part in the club's founding history, and were ultimately Trivemph, be turn, Tetumph eventually: merged rd owberecfvartouevahices mucha Morte nora vw ———_stimctelyTrum. ters Damp eel mrp Beetes,refcts Studebaker, Fiatsand EMWe-Summing up Gor Compe utr tes for their experiences in one simple expression, they said “We had Pescusngiateer qe PrQhsh diodot, Cunposaiois fun.” 14 This page i dedicated to all the volunte vithout whom: Motorsport would cease to exist.Aside from word-of-mouth, stenciled copies ofa month one or two-page typed report was the club’s main form of communication during the first two years. The first issue of the club's official newsletter was launched on February 23, 1951, and was titled The (MMZUTJOLSQXXFRS) for lack of a more appropriate name. Consisting of three 11x17 pages printed on oneside, the newsletter would remain in this format for another two years until a smaller, tidier booklet form was adopted. This initial newssheet contained a thank-you note to the membersof the 1950 Executive, a listing of the newly elected Executive for 1951, and a plea from the Treasurer, Jack Carrothers, to pay up membership dues “and avoid being chased down by our pecuniary pill for the next three months.” Annual membership fees for 1951 were $4, spouses automatically became members free of charge, and for those on tight budgets, a quarterly instaliment plan of $1 was available upon request. This initial plan did not produce the rush of club funds hoped for, so the club Executive upped the quarterly payments to $1.25in attempts to encourage prompt payment of full dues. During the following years, the names of members in arrears would also periodically appear in The Link in the hope that the fear of showing up at the next meeting as known financial felons would further motivate them. Membership at this time was about 60, a considerable increase from the first membership list of 12 names, and meetings were stil held at the Ottawa Public Library on Metcalfe Street, having moved to the more comfortable confines of the lecture hall. ‘The newly elected editor of the clubs “news-sheet”, O. J (john) Carter, wrote an editorial for Volume 1 Number3, dated April 23, 1951. In it he described the beginnings of the club newsletter this way: “In the carly stages of its life, the Ottawa Light Car Club was largely formed and, toa considerable extent, held together by word of mouth and bush telegraph News of events, club activities and club aspirations wereashard tofindasa thirty-sixcentpackof cigarettes the day after a budget. A slowly improving mail service announcing club meetings helped to knit the SoRD Hatltowar [BEM — OTIS PS enti Bowe ON A Aho bey4- ABOVE: Caricature of Gord Holloway in his MG Special by club ‘member Bill Campbell. The artistry of ‘CAM’ graced many issues of the club newsletter during the 1950s. Page sponsored by The Broderick Brothers ~ Swindon, Englert club together, but for absent members there was always that feeling of ‘I wonder how the club made outatsuchand such’ Sometimesaftera disappointing turn out (and we had them) members wondered whether the club might perhaps die in its infancy. It was realized that through the medium ofa club paper theirqueriesand doubts mightbe easily answered. At the same time, it could serve a broader purpose of ation of events, discussions, information, etc, and thus, with each publication, would link the whole membership. Thus ‘The Link’ was recently started, and itis stressed that the paper will be the sole notice of events apart from certain very specific instances, such asa technical meeting, and then Messts, Bell will oblige.” Gordon Holloway, soon to be known for his driving skill and important club contributions, also wrote a full-page article in the same issue of The Link, outlining a spirited plan to upgrade all of the members’ technical skills. As head of the Technical Committee, he proposed that a series of workshops and lectures be held, and that the membership be divided, based ‘onsskill-level, into three groups for participation in these events. The intent of this proposal, “that we may fulfill our obligation to the club by raising the technical knowledge and mechanical ability ofthe members toas higha standard as possible.” One of thebasic reasons for forming the club had been toensure that its members could, through their own efforts and the efforts of others within the club, achieve enough mechanical knowled ind skill tomake their motoring moreenjoyableand economical. The twowords “Ability” and Courtesy” were prominenton the OLCC’sinsignia, and this along with Holloway’sarticle, reflects the general mood influencing the club's objectivesand activities at the time. The last paragraph in Issue 3 of The Link wasan invitation to other existing clubs requesting their attendance at other OLCC events with the intention “to further the inter-city competitivespirit that now prevails”. The invitationlistincluded the British Empire Motor Club (BEMC) of Toronto, the Quebec Region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), and the Sports Motor Car Club of Montreal (SMC). A series of inter- MCO Executive - 1951 Preside! Reg Ogilvie Vice Pres: Earl Kimber Secreta Jean Villeneuve Treasurer: Jack Carrothers Directors: William Campbell (Competition) J.A. MeManman (Publicity) Margaret Callan (Membership) Hilda Holloway (Social) Gordon Holloway (Technical) Link Editor 0. John Carter 15club events had been co-organized by members of the OLCC and the SMEC as early as 1950, and this association would later play a major role in the development of road racing in Canada. — Then and Now — While in 1951 the population was concerned with the effects of car radios on driver ancareness, foday te are concerned with ‘the use of collular phones by drivers for the same reason! th most clubs, concerns and opinions were often expressed in the club newsletter. A member, whose name was withheld from Link publication by request, argued in his letter tothe 1951 OLCC Executive that the growing tendency to install and listen to radios had contributed to the alarming growth rate of accidents and should be severely criticised. “With present conditions on the highways of the countryall the driver’sattention is required toregister the many hazards. The thought that other drivers are not only preoccupied by listening to the “Adventures of Hopalong Cassidy”, but are also engaged in twiddling with knobs and dials to try and change the radio to another program, appalls one. I would like to suggestthat the Club takestepstoreduce thismenace.” Farly clubactivities weremany and varied toaccommodate the wide variety of interests and types of cars owned by the members. During the summermonthsmembers kept themselves extremely busy with scheduled events occurring every three to four days. During the winter months the activities tendeed to be moreofasocial nature, stichas a monthly dance, various theme- party fund raisers, and a bowling league that met once a week from November through March. The large number of female club members, both married and single, formed a “ladies committee”, which was responsible for organizing most social and fund-raising events, and the head of this committee sat on the club’s executive board. The contents of The Link reflected the closeness of the ‘membership in general, with its bulletin board announcements of everything from births, deaths, and marriages within members’ families, to the purchases of trendy items of the day, such asa TV, furniture, or new tires for the Austin A40. For the most part, the local driving events consisted of trials, tours, and gymkhanas, each with variations of their own, depending on the seriousness of the event The term “trial” was used to describe two different types of skill est. One type of trial consisted of a very narrow winding, course, ran over and through various obstacles, such as steep grades and water hazards. This type of test demanded slower speeds but still emphasized the driver's ability to keep the car ‘going despite appalling road conditions. Most of these events were run in the various sand pits found locally around the Ottawa region. Interestin this typeofeventhaslong disappeared from Canada, but trials of this nature still attract large numbers of competitors and spectators in Europe. 16 Page sponsored by Brian and Lacorence King ‘The Light Car Club whose), | aims are to get the most out-of, | driving, held a mecting at the! Ottawa’ Public Library last], night. | ‘The club's plans for the near future include a gymkhana, trial runs and a treasure hunt, along ‘with many other amusements £0) Foterest ex enthuslais." 1A plan for civil defence in epi ei iene Ie throughout the eity, may also be in the making. ‘The OLCC. It was announced that mem-| members berships have reached 150 and. received ‘applications are increasing substantial daily. The _oficers press coverage Gleeted. Were: | relating to club { vice: | \sdcial, Mrs, Hulda Holloway; echnical, Gordon Holloway, |! ‘membership, Miss Mary Callan; |) | publicity J.'A, MeManman. Ottawa Valley. [Ottawa Citizen) ident, Reg Ogilvie; | president, Earl Kimber; secre- activities, | Rips iiss Jean Villeneuve; especially fib pee = those that were | [feagurer Jack Carruthers) ac|\ lain and | dyities, William “Gampbelit|) ound ine I | The other type of trial, known asa “tour”, isbest described modem terminology asa car rally. This consisted of planned navigation and precise timing over a course using public roads. The club indulged in a number of these competitions, both day and night, year round. One of the events considered to be of majorsignificance during theearly fifties wasanannual 163-mile trek that set out from Ottawa to Calabogie, then south to the Rideau Ferry,and on to the finishin Stittsville, Total elapsed time for this jaunt was five hours 35 minutes, at an average speed of 28 miles per hour. A “gymkhana” was laid out as a shortened race course overa large open paved or unpaved area, with comers marked by large fruit or vegetable cans. Each competitor engaged the course individually ina timed “run”. Known asSolo I today, the notable difference is in the use of modern-day rubber or plastic cones to mark the course. Early setbacks for this type of event came in the form of time delays, while competitors acquired more tin cans to replenish the stocks squashed by errant drivers, Entry fees for club events such as the trials were as Low as 25 cents, while the more prestigious or competitive events demanded entry fees of up to SI per car. Trophies awarded were silver spoons, small medallions, or silver candy dishes.The moreambitious members travelled long distances on weekends to attend full race meets and the Concours d” El- egance that were usually run in conjunction with them. Regular stopsin theirschedules included places suchas Bridgehampton and Watkins Glen in the state of New York, Edenvale in Ontario, and various locations throughout Quebec. Club member Reg Ogilvie became one of the first Canadi- ans to compete in an event run in the Eastern United States when he entered his MG at Watkins Glen. He would soon be joined by fellow members Gord Holloway and Bud Frappiei becoming the first of the OLCC’s road racers to compete internationally. Having attended events by various clubs in both Canada and the United States, most of the racing members felt there was a strong need for an organization which could set down a standard set of rules and regulations for all of the clubs to comply with on a national basis. Members from the Sports Car Club of Toronto (previe ously the sportscar division of the BEMC) met with members from the Sports Motor CarClub of Montreal and members from, the OLCC on June 17, 1951 in Kingston, Ontario, This was the first meeting of what became known as the Canaclian Automo- bile Sports Committee. While development was slow, progress was forthcoming, in the form of “the first National All-Canadian Event” called the 1000 Islands Rally. Striving for recognition from the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) in England, Canadian enthusiasts ‘wanted to demonstrate they were capable of organizing events simlar to those in Europe. On Saturday, October 11, 1952, competitors set out from the three member cities, on the initial stage that had been designed to be of the same distance to the destination point of Kingston, Ontario, Having arrived in Kingston, all of the competitors then ran a common stage through the night, and, aftera much needed break for sleep, a gymkhana on the Sunday afternoon. Although no mention of the navigator’s name could be found in the OLCC’s records, the driver of the winning team was Bill Cooper, driving a Vanguard. Cooper, a member of the Sporis Car Club of Toronto, was presented with the Whig- Standard Trophy, by the Kingston newspaper's publisher, “Arthur Davi MCO Executive - 1952 President: Reg Ogilvie Vice Pres: Andy Gray Secretary: Jean Villeneuve Treasure Jack Carrothers Directors: Berard Bureau (Competition) J.A. MeManman (Publicity) Margaret Callan (Membership) Hilda Holloway (Social) Bernie Brownell (Technical) Link Editor: Frank Currie Historian Duane Wright ‘The event was a huge success, proving that enthusiasts this side of the Atlantic were capable of organizing events of such magnitude under proper guidelines. Italso served to gain the recognition that organizers had hoped for, and the CASC was incorporated in December of 1952. To cover costs, the CASC required that each club pay a new affiliation fee of $15, and that each member contribute another dollar through an increase in their club membership fees. To OLCC members this meant an increase in the quarterly stallment plan to $1.50. The increase in fees due to this new affiliation did not sit swell with some membersas they did notsharea common vision or need to have an association with the CASC, and heated debatesensued during the final meetings of 1952. Thisprompied regular use of theOLCC gavel by Presicient Reg Ogilvie, aCASC supporter, tocontrol the rowdy meetings. Originally donated to the club by Gord Holloway in April of 1951, tales of the gavel’s whereaboutsover the yearshave rivalled storiesabout Canada’s Grey Cup. The original gavel is still used to control meetings today, some 50 years later. — Then and Now — In 1952, members rebelled against an increase in their -menibership fees from $4 to $5 fa support the GASC. In 1999 each individual member of the MCO contributed $15 of their $60 club membership fee to the CASC and the elub itself paid an additional club affiliation fee of $100. For the February 1953 Link, Reg Ogilvie submitted an accountof the CASC activitiessince the original meetings. Inhis report, the purpose, objectives and a short history of the CASC were outlined in fine detail: “Asa result of correspondence between the Sports Motor Car Club (Montreal), the Sports Car Club (Toronto) and the Ottawa Light Car Club, an organizational meeting was arranged in Kingston, Ontario, on June 17%, 1951 with an object of: 1. Toexplore the possibility of the formation of an organization, national in scope, to concern itself with automobile sport. 2. To examine aspects of obtaining national and international recognition of the organization. The general feeling of the meeting was that the objects of a national organization should be these: 1, To develop automobile sport in Canada on a national basis, along similar lines to thase found in Europe. 2. Toco-ordinate: clubs where nece clubs. 3. To provide for the inter-change of information, technical and otherwisebetweenclubsand individuals, 4. To assist in the formation of local clubs, where none now exist. ndassist theactivities ofexisting ary, or where desired by those Poge sponsored by Chris “Mighty Mouse" Capowski AT5. To provide where necessary, or desireable, uniform regulationsand controls forautomobile sports competitions, 6, Toprovideastrongerand moreeffective voice in support of the sport than could be achieved by local organizations 7. To establish for Canada, a recognized place in international automobile sport. 8. To encourage Canadian participation in international automobile sports events, and to encourage international participation in Canadian events. It was unanimously decided that a provisional national organization to be known as the Canadian Automobile Sports Committee, (CA of those present at the first meeting be formed to carry ‘out the recommendations on the previous page. This Committee to encourage also, the participation on the committee of existing clubsand interested individuals. Correspondence wascartied on with theSportsCar Club of America (Quebec region), the Vancouver Light Sports Car Club, and, since the original meeting, the British Empire Motor Club, Toronto, the Muskoka Motor Sports Club, Huntsville, Ontatio, and the St Lawrence Auto Club. The latter clubs now being, ‘members of the Committee. The Royal Automobile Club, London, England, the governing body for Automotive Sports Clubs in Canada, has been contacted with regard to an application to the Federation International de V Automobile (F.1.A.) forrecognition oftheCommittce Page sponsored by Shirli § LEFT: OLCC cally teams finished first, second, and sixth overall at the second ‘annual 1000 Islands Rally in 1953. Pictured are Bud & Day Frappior (1st) front centre, with Brian Dudley & H. Mulligan (2rd) on the lett, and Bryan Rowntree & Oavid Fair (2nd) at right [Photo source: Canadian ‘Automobile Sport News, November 1953] by FIA as their Canadian representative. The R.A.C. general competition rules have been adopted by the CASC, until such time as the RAC gives the CASC authority toenforcetheserulesinCanacia, Negotiations for the procurement of competitor's insurance and promoter’s insurance is well under way. A form of competition licensing of members is also being developed. Upon receipt of an application from a member club tohold an “Open” event, which must be submitted in writing to the Secretary, the Committee will appoint stewards. Such stewards will act in a honourary capacity and will receiveno remuneration for their services. Plans are well under way leading to an ‘information and technical Committee’ and CASC newsletter ThefirsteventoftheCASC wasin the form ofa rally toand from Kingston Ontarioand, from thenumberof competitors, the remarks overheard and the reception by the people of Kingston, the CASC is well on the road to meeting and passing the objectives set forth at the original meeting, You, asa member of theOLCC areasked tosupport yourCluband theCASCin theirendeavors topromote automotive sport in Canada.” The 1000 Islands Rally became an annual event that continued for many years, with club members partici drivers, organizers, and workers. In its second year, 19 OLCC and its members gained further notoriety when two ofits driving, teams produced a 1-2 sweep of the event, with a thi team placing sixth. Bud and Day Frappier, followed by Brian Rowntreeand David Fair, lemonstrated the OLCC’s rally deptiy by finishing first and second place out of the 51 teams entered.The Need for Speed sess and an Airfield at Carp (1953-1955) The Second World War left various relics dotting the Canadian countryside including Royal Canadian Air For airfields. The roar of aircraft engines had long since stopped echoing from between the hangars, but the tarmac was intact and begging for action, Flat and barren, these airfields offered ideal opportunities for buddling racers tohone their driving and, technical skills. As luck would have it, one of these abandoned airfields was discovered in Carp in 1952, and the OLCC racers were saved the weekly long journey to racetracks such as Edenvale, located 21 miles west of Barrie. While stlla government-owned field, thered tape wascut toallow regularuse of the facilities for low-key speed events. On the heels of the 1000 Islands Rally, the rst of these impromptu meets took place on October 19, 1952, drawing about 12entries. A makeshift course waslaid outusing the perimeter of the runways, and after deeming the event a success, further plans were immediately made to improve the facilities. Among those to take up this competitive road racing spirit was Frank Currie, whonormally entered both hisroad vehicles, a Vanguard station wagon and a Fiat Topolino, in different classes. Thanks MCO for the good times and fut! Mike Merriam and Kim Woolley “We used to go out as often as we could in the early evenings oron Saturdays to getin as much unofficial practiceas we could between events. Russ Bradley, who was starting what would become Bradley AirServices, flew planes outofthere,so it was not uncommon to have a plane land beside you as you were tearing dawn one of the runways. Both pilots and racers respected what each other were doing, and the unwritten law that everyone knew, was that the racers were to always move over totheir right when they heard a plane above. Practising at night was out of the question of course, because there were no lights on the field anymore, and with the poor lighting on the cats you had a very good chance of running into a deer while you were out there.” The 1952election marked a significant change in theclub’s, focus, Low-speed and social events still existed, but a move to organize and compete in events of increased publicity and speeds quickly gained support. This new direction towards road racing is clearly illustrated by the radical change in the formatand content of The Linkat the time. Road racerand artist Bill Campbell became the new Editor, and he began creating hand-drawn illustrations of purpose-built racing cars foruseon the cover pages. Each illustration came with an accompanying LEFT: Awave of MGs comprised fone of the grids for the first LCC speed event at the Carp Aerodrome. (1952) 19article inside, listing all the technical data and. drivingimpressions pertaining tothatcar. These road test stories looked very similar in format to road test articles found in the more popular publications of the day, such as Road & Track, and provided additional data for members who. wereeager toobtainnew information on various racing cars. The subject of the first of these test articles was a car known as the Smith Wright Special, owned by members Len Smith and Duane Wright. The test was conducted in January of 1953, and the story documented in The Linkof VOLUME ethiGNT. the same month. \ssue d. PECIAL, “January, being one of the coldest months of the year, is hardly the time to be road sting an open model car. But availing ourselves of an opportunity that was offered us recently, we road tested thenew fiberglass bodied Smith-WrightSpecial ‘Thesite used for the test was the subway comeron the road to Stittsville, As most of you are familiar with this spol, there is no need to explain about the road surface and the sharpness of the comer, and Mr. Smith drove the car through several times in both directions.” (Other monthly tests documented in The Link were con- ducted on a variety of vehicles obtained from Canada Motor Sales, located at 306 Sparks Street, Primarily a Packard / Wily dealership, it was also one of the dealerships that handled the distribution of products from England bearing Morris and Austinbadges. Upon thearrivalof new mociels certain members of the club would show up en masse at the dealership, obtain a vehicle, and then proceed to conduct a vigorous road test over the outlying country roads. The club’s expertise was obviously already becoming publicly known, as the unsuspecting staff seemed comfortable enough with the idea of turning over their cars to be thrashed about in exchange for a report in The Link. Elsewhere, activities were also moving along quickly, as, the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) now boasted an Ottawa Valley chapter with 14 members, under the direction of OLCC member, Judge John (jack) Madden. It was felt that the SCCA provided a more glamorous offering to would-be racers because of the apparently wide acceptance of racing throughout the United States, as well asa larger schedule of events at a variety oflocations. Though membership in this club was by invitation only, emergence of this group inspired members ofthe OLCC to pursue their own dreams, resulting in the club’s incorporation on June 1, 1953. Theacquisition of the club’s first charter wasthe last OLCC endeavour for Judge Madden, who passed away shortly thereafter. Cost of this incorporation was $20, and while some members opined it was a waste of funds from the treasury, the Executive felt it was an essential move on the club's part if they were going to compete with the rival chapter of the SCCA and demonstrate to potential members that the OLCC was an 20 ‘TOP: Bill Campbells portrayal of the Smith Wright Special ‘on the cover of the January 1953 Link. accredited, regularly-organized club. The 1953 President, Jack Carrothers, expressed this optimistically when he wrote: “In particular, when the happy day comes that we are able to acquire some property of our own for club rooms, ete,, this incorporation will be very helpful.” ‘Therivalallure of theSCCA also prompted the effort from those directly involved to increase the awareness of road racing, locally, though it would not come without some difficulty within the club ranks. An editorial in the February 1953 Link, by an unknown author, describes the sentiments this way “With the coming of spring and theannouncement oftentative plans for formulaeventsatCarp Airdrome, once again that ugly word racing, rears its head. Are our attempts to promote racing a good policy or are they a waste of time and effort? Judging from thelarge turnouts at our last three speed events, it would seem to us that the down-the-nose attitude used and ABOVE: Known as ‘the Boy Cherub’, Duane Wright wore many hats during the early years of the OLCC. (B.Campbell for The Link.) ‘wroww.clementalstrategies.cont, forall your IT resourcing needs.favoured by the majority of the Club when a racing issue is raised, borders on foolishness, Racing is dangerous, granted, but the danger can be minimized if proper precautions are taken, Duan Wright, our Racing Steward, using the experience he gained in last season's racing is, at present, working, onplans todojustthis. Sport ofany kind isdangerous. If we go skiing we risk life and limb, a calculated risk to be sure, but a risk none the less. Why racing an automobile should be singled out for dishonourable mention is not beyond us. But we do fail to see why people at large, and in the Club, would insist on clinging toahorse and buggy ageattitude tosomething that is progress in itself. ‘The thought that goes into a car such as the Smith Wright Special, a car designed with racing, in mind, is thought that will make your cars and mine, safer cars for the highways of tomorrow. Racing cars, race bred, are undeniably better and safer cars than the cars the MCO Executive - 1953 President: Jack Carrothers Don Moore J. Bovier-Binnes Treasurer: Hamry Eagan Directors: Vie Stiles (Competition) Bud Frappier (Membership) ‘Ann Gartand (Publicity) Bambi Stiles (Social) Gordon Holloway (Technical) Link Editor: William Campbell Historian: Duane Wright, average person drives today. With this in mind, let us stop trying to retard progress and get out instead and, assist it. The future is waiting for us.” On September 6, 1953, with support from the CASC, the club organized its first fully-sanctioned racing event in accor- dance with international regulations set down by the FIA. Though small in comparison with other race meets of the day, it set the standard for years to come, and although no formal approach to publicity had been undertaken, 600 specta- tors and 22 competitors attended the event. To ensure the success of this event, the involvement of every member, and some non-members, was required. Among the names of non- members who participated in an official capacity were Frank ‘Currie’s father, Bill Currie, and Nicholas Monsarrat, author of “The Cruel Sea”. Bill Currie, a successful personnel supervisor from Monday to Friday, held the title of Chief Steward, and Monsacrat was given the task of Official Starter. Following the event, Monsarrat received the club’s first “Honorary Lifetime Membership” forhisefforts. The event’ssuccess was chronicled by an unidentified author in the October 1953 Link. “With a bare three weeks of frantic work, following a long period of thought, the Carp Meet was run on Sunday, September 6. The OLCC had risked a good deal of money torun this event and was relieved tosee the entry of 22 cars which finally appeared. Just about everything was represented, a Jag, MGs, special and otherwise, VWs, Austin A30s and 40s, and even the President's lowly Standard 8. Three good races were run, No accidents occurred, although the Jag spun at one point to add to the excitement. The late start was compensated for by starting later events early and. despite dire predictions to the contrary, the OLCC finished with the airport by 3:00 PM as arranged. So the Club can look back on a successful meet, with very flattering comments from out of town. The first ‘ABOVE: Bill Campbell (CAM) often used the power of the pen and his position as Link editor to express both his and the club's attitude towards bigger cars, Datsun Zs rule. Get over i. seriously, Porsches drool! a1year of “open” competition has proved that the OLCC can run good meets. Planning for the next year will be based on experience gained this year, and will undoubtedly be better. The Club's thanks are due to George Wachman, Les Barrell, Ross Bailey, Frank Rolland and Fred Hayes for their very ableassistance. TheChief Marshal also wishes to note that these people did not get conscripted, but offered their services, and that this is, ‘one of the examples of interclub co-operation which is so badly needed.” Notable names among the entries were Fred Hayes and Bill Sadler, who would go on to claim fame together under the Comstock Racing banner. Cars bearing theSadler name, knows for their blinding speed and technical innovation, were driven by Fred Hayes through the late 1950s and into the 1960s. — Fast Fact — One Sadler model, hnown as “Formula Ferocious”, is ‘presently boused at The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame, chen nol entered in Vintage eve) Bob Hanna, who later became president of the CASC and one of the primary movers responsible for bringing Formula One to Canada in 1967, also entered in his Mortis. ‘The general feeling that it had been a successful event was shared by many “out-of-towners”. This report written by Fred Hayes, was copied from the BEMC newsletter and later reproduced in the October 1953 Link. “The Carp Airport was the scene of the Ottawa Light Car Club's first attempt at organizing a full scale airport race, and it must be admitted that everything, went very smoothly. The weather was perfect, the competitors seemed {0 enjoy themselves, and the spectators certainly were treated to a full day's enjoyment. ‘The airport, as all airports, has a very abrasive surface, but the position of the chicane cid much to reduce tire wear, as well as provide spectator interest. Iwas very sad ta see the lack of competitors from the Toronto area; in fact we noticed only a few. Lew 22 That blatant ESI advertisement two pa ago sens truly shan LEFT: Paul O'Reilly works on his MG TC in the Carp paddock. BELOW: Carp Race timers, from loft to right ~ Fuuth Ogilvie, Peggy Milks, Pat Egan, Audrey Coulshaw, Greta Wright, unknown, and Hilda Holloway. In front, Bill len. (Oct. 1953) France in his Porsche, Bob Hanna in a Morris Minor, and Bill Sadlerin a stock MG TD. What happened toa BEMC team? One of the finest partsof the organization was the fact that the races started on time and we do mean time the flag was dropped right on timeand if you weren’tready-ioobad. A pointthatthe organizers in this area would be well advised to follow. We noted with particular interest, a fiberglass bodied special builtona Standard 8 (Triumph) chassis by Duane Wright of the OLCC, that looked for all the World like a small Ferrari. He is now in the process of doing a very nice coupe for a TC of TD (MG) chassis, which will bear looking into.” The display room of the Independent Coal and Lumber Company at350Scott Street became the new home for meet asthe club sat idle through the winter of 1954 making plans for improving theCarpevent. Announcementsin TheLinkincluded purchases of new cars (which now brought the club's Jaguar XK120 tally to a prestigious total of three), and news from master builder Duane Wright that the sale of mass-produced fiberglass bodies made to fit various MG frames had begun. There was no issue of The Link in September of 1954 as club supplies were used to produce programs for the upcoming Carp race. The biggest undertaking for the club to date, this t would eventually cost the club over $300 and require the es of over 60 people to organiz Asa competitor, total cost to run in the event could mean an outlay of as much as $200 if you went out and purchased a new set of “speed tires”. For those of more modest means, last- minute attempts to gain speed meant an all night affair at the Holloway White Rose Service Station, located at 255 Richmond, Road. These preparations were chronicled ina report written by racer Bill Campbell in the October 1954 Link, serv“Friday night at Gordie’s garage was the usual pre- race panic and probably had anyone given it any thought, it would have been apparent that the 4th was going, to be a memorable day. Fergie, Fred Hayes, Peter Templair and many others were looking as though they meant to take home some of Ottawa's trophies and probably not realizing that right under theirnosessatthe“Goat”:Gordic’s very special Special, and the eventual winner. REX aw COLILSHAW cue New PRESIDENT Because of a rumoured threat to the supremacy of MGs in the Ottawa area by a proposed entry of a team of Singers, Bud Frappier, a compatriot of “Lampredi” Campbell, decided this would not do. Bud spared as little as he could scrounge in an endeavour to modify Beast. He even spent money hiring the talents of ‘arrizerrio CamBillStrut”, the well-known coachbuilder, who, with as little sweat as possible, hammered outanaluminumhood. Gordie, the Master MCO Executive - 1954 President: Rex Coulshaw Vice Pres Earl Kimber Secretary: J. Bower-Binnes Treasurer: Bud Freppier Directors: Peter Madte (Competition) Len Smith (Membership) George Franklin (Publicity) Bambi Stiles and Eileen Hayley (Social) Gordon Holloway (Technical) William Campbell Duane Wright Link Editor: Historian: ‘TOP: Another of Bill Campbel’s caricature’s appearing in The Link, this one depicts newly elected president Rex Coulshaw, who was known for his classy attire, especially the bowtie. ABOVE: Starting grid for the over 1500ce sports car class at the 1954 Carp Grand Prix, 5 pages tofill, gotta 23etal IWOaGe S tuner, contributed a shaved head and the Editor loaned him a couple of old K.L.G.s (spark plugs) with 50,000 miles on them, Bud was really livin’ ~ why he owned plugs he hadn't even used. Bud, our hero, was in the second race, He didn’t win, but Boy! was he spectacular. That hood was really gleaming and Bud knew thateveryonesurmised he spared no expense in having it made.” The 1954 Carp event drew an entry list of 30 cars and 1500spectators, Well-publicized, entries were received from many out-of-town enthusiasts. There were five races in total: beginning with the Novice race, followed by preliminary races for sports cars of over and under 1500cc, a race for touring cars, and the finale ~a combination of the twosport- car classes. Gord Holloway had his best-ever showing atone meet and won all of his races convincingly, including the finale, called the Carp Grand Prix, Despite all the hype and increased competitive spirit, organizers and drivers maintained the attitude that the main purpose of the event was to ensure that everyone in- volved had fun, be they competitor, spectator, or official. Summing up the competitive-but-friendly nature of the driv- ing, Frank Currie recalle ceryone was keen to win if they could, of course, but it was more important to the drivers to challenge their own skill levels, and see if they could improve on them as the weekend 24 With thanks 19 Robert (Bob) Gereais ~ Nepean, Ontario CARP .ROADRsR ACE LEFT: Official Program for the 1954 Carp Race ‘organized by the OLCC. Depiction of Gord Holloway on the cover may indicate a ‘premonition about the race results on the part of race oganizers, BELOW: 1954 Carp Grand Prix champion, Gord Holloway, posing with his trophy and the winning car — his NMG Special. (Ottawa Citizen) ‘Note: The trophy shown, given to the winner of the Carp Grand Prix, is now presented annually {0 the ‘MCO's overall driving ‘champion. progressed. We certainly had a lot of respect for each other, probably due to the fact that most of us had to drive the same ‘car to work on Monday morning. | remember during one particular practice session, [nearly ran into the backend ofboth Gord (Holloway) and Reg (Ogilvie) on more than one occasion, because my little Fiat could casily outbrake their heavier cars. ‘They were considered to be the best of the real racers from theclub, but instead of getting upset with me, they merely started tolet me lead going into the corners; knowing full well that they could dust me off with acceleration in the first 100 feet after the comer. You certainly don’t see drivers behave like that in today’s racing circles.” Ambitions, and hopes for an even better event, were very highas the members set about their tasks in early 1955 with the same enthusiasm shown in previous years. Every club member had been involved in the organization of the Carp event for 1955 inone way oranother. Some even found themselves learning to knit to produce the armbands used by various offi Though the Carp Races were now considered to be the annual “marquee” event, other activities for the club were organized with the same level of spirit, as demonstrated in an announcement made by Margaret Callan in the March 1955 Link, She wrote about a rally being planned that was to involve a trip to Niagara Falls and was intended to satisfy both the competitive and social interests within the club. “The general idea is to choose a long weekend, spend the first day on a leisurely trip down there (370 driving time) and thenext day on atrail thatwilltakeinsomeof thecountry the travelers usually miss—thereisa good deal more tobeseen than just the falls ~ and spend the third day coming, back ‘There is the additional possibility of some sort of get together with the club from St. Catherines which, although only recently formed, is fairly active with a Regular Nash Metropolitan Wins Ottawa Speed Classic Beats Famed European Cars Airport: The thunder of automobiles tool: over feom the font of suoplenes today #6 the Onawa Light Cer Club staged an fxicngeficinoon of racing evens. In the Toutiog Car Race, (ot Foss Gade 1309 ce Jes Fergvon, of Tonio ove hs duction model Nash Metropolitan to jet snothe: victory. In Hoatte Ss Seguseons Nese Metopolien has been ented to, ins won four evens «Re, ald ewe ae ‘Edenvale and Mrs ergusson recently won abil elinbing event with Farolan, NY. . F “he twownile tack a¢ Carp has a Highly abrasive surface, nd ten Soca tak Gop b= ear a asia pals 2 csr Sn lee eee seein, Me Peder ore rea ee oes : (Subject to oficial confimation.) busy schedule. It should be possible to get accommo- dation for everyone in the same tourist place.” When appropriate equipment was unavailable, the mem- bers displayed a great deal of resourcefulness, as was described competition report appearing in the same issue, March of the Link. “OnSunday Feb.6,an ice dice washeld ontheriver at Ottawa Beach. A little difficulty was encountered getting through a track in the twelve to sixteen inches, of snow, however there was a sleigh track used for sleigh rides or hauling ice, which had been ploughed out fairly well (narrow). This track was used as the main section of our course from the start at Ottawa Beach. A turn had to be broken, so the stalwarts pushed Peter Madle’s Austin with snow tires in a circular course back to our sleigh track. After a few trial runs the course became pretty good (with the exception of the turnaround which claimed occasional victims.)” Concerns about the high costs of racing and the resulting loss of some members were of prime importance to thecluband the Executiveset aboutin the spring of 1955 tocreatea local new class of racing car or “Special” with then Vice President, Earl Kimber in the role of Chairman, In April 1955 he wrot “Although, in the club we have many racing fans, few actually get the chance to participate in thes events, mainly because of the expense involved. Asit is not the cheapest, or wisest thing to race our only means of transportation, which, in most cases either LEFT and BELOW: Nash Motors of Canada Lid. used the success of their Metropolitan at the Carp races as a marketing tool. 25 ex-500s driver with “Beurie Sans Sous” Bilt Houghbynecessity orby choice, isa touring orsaloon model, the only solution is to also have a competition machine. Now, normally, this can bea very expensive proposition, not only in initial outlay, but in maintaining competition trim, Tire wear alone can be an expensive item, You have all seen brand new casings reduced to worthlessjunk in one day of racing, orat best, only suitable fora retread. Obviously, then, thereisa real need fora Formula under which ‘Specials’ may be built and raced, at a minimum of expense.” A list of accepted chassis and engine combinations was made available to those interested, with modifications limited to coachwork, compression ratio, and ignition systems. The hybrid cars were to be known as Formula K. The initial set of regulations required that the car comply with the Highway Traffic Act, be able to carry two occupants, and cost no more than $300 to build. Response was immediate. In no time there wereseven of these cars built although only one appearedat the 1935 Carp event, due toanumberof untimely ruleamendments that plagued the new class Reports Reveal Light Car Club Had Banner Year Refore a group of more tha 90 automotive enthusiasts fron Ottawa, Toronto, quebee Cit: and Montreal, retiring presi: dent Rex Coulshaw gave th ‘annual report of the Ottaw: Light Car Club at the banquel held recently at Whitehil Glade, ‘Mr. Coulshaw felt that the past year had been one of the most successful in the rela- tively short history of the clut as exemplified by the 25 per- ase In membership ge number of events staged, with the Carp road races and night trial as the climax, Peter Madle, competition chairman, gave a short report and presented the awards for the varlous events, ‘The meeting was then hand- ed over to the Ineoming presi dent, Gord Holloway, who In- troduced the new executiv ‘Though innovative, this class of racing was short-lived clue to the development and announcement from the CASC of a similar class one year later (1956). This new class, called Canada Class, focused on the same principal of creating acheap form of racing for those of more modest financial means, IFthere was onecriticism among thecompetitors about the Carp Races, itcame from these driving the touring cars, as they felt cheated for not being allowed to run in the prestigious feature racesat the end of the day. In the interests of safety, they had been excluded from these races because it was felt the slower speeds of the touring cars mightbe a hindrance to those driving the faster and more powerful cars, especially during overtaking maneuvers. twas thisspeed differential that caused the worst disaster in motorsport history at Le Mans, France, just two months prior to the Carp event. A front-running Mercedes 300SLR ran into theback end of aslower moving Austin Healey and was vaulted into the crowd. The crash killed the French Mercedes driver, along with 83 spectators, and those injured numbered in the hundreds. Around the world, races were cancelled, and racing Presider Vice Pres: Link Editor: Historian: Earle Kimber, vice-president; Paul OReilly. secretary; Prank Currie, treasurer; Don Payn- ter, competition; David Fair, publicity. CHANGE OF COMMAND—Rotiring president Rex Coul- shaw (left), hands over the gavel to newly-elected president Gord Holloway of the Ottawa Light Car Club at the annual meeting and election of officers on Satur Page sponsored by The Bar Cars Constructors Association (BCCA) ~ Anather WZL Inc. ProductionOttawa Light Car Club ANNUAL CARP AIRPORT AUG 27 1955 Ofectat Regulations aad Entry Form MCO Executive - 1955 Gord Holloway acl Kimber Paul O'Reilly Frank Currie Don Paynter (Competition) James Watson (Membership) Dave Fair (Publicity) Vivian Kimber (Social) Len Smith Duane Wright 2.2 MILES, HINISH LEFT: Official Registration and Entry Form for the 1955 Carp Race organized by tho olce. BELOW: Map of the Carp Aerodrome track as il appears in the Olficial Registration and Entry Form for the 1955 Carp Race. CARP AIRPORT 27 “Merci Gilles” —Louts-Phitippe Pothierwas banned in several countries, most notably in Switzerland where the sport has never been re-established. Mercedes immediately withdrew all factory support from competition as a result of this terrible accident, and it was not until 1988 that capacity the company would return to racing in an offici Tragedy beset the OLCC twice that summer. While com- peting in his MG Special at Edenvale on August 13, OLCC President Gord Holloway suffered a fatal heart altack. Eye witness reports confirmed that, true to hisability toadapttoany situation, Gord managed to turn the ignition affand keep thecar going ina straight line as he left the course, driving through two rows of parked cars before coming to a rolling stop. When marshals reached the car out in the field, he w with his hands still holding the steering wheel. Exactly two slumped over, pes Bo 100 Gren O)O-n00-) Gor ORD @ marsua. === ewleane AREAS PRONIBITED TO SPECTATORS. 28 To Mike Lowe: “Thanks for the storytelling. weeks later, an a occurred at the club lent similar to the June Le Mans disaster 's Carp event The anticipated reward for all of the club's preparations were garnered, for come ra packed with 2200 spectators to watch tk arduous day, theairfield was cars entered, Reports in the Ottawa Citizen of August 28, 1955 state that despite repeated warnings over the loudspeakers to stand away from theperimeter of thecircuit,a group of spectators remained tracksicle on the infield access road when racing commenced. ‘They had been temporarily stranded there while wailing to cross the track between races. A mechanical failure on the only Formula K car entered—an aluminum bodied Morris Minor— caused it to careen through the fencing and into the group, Killing two, and injuring 11 others. Police investigations revealed that track and vehicle safety standards set down by the CASC had been fol- lowed properly, and neither the OLCC nor the driver were held responsible for the accident, No further action was taken, but the government immedi- ately revoked permission to use the airfield, and the club's activities at the Carp Aerodrome ended. — Fast Fact — Fifteen tong years passed before the club organized a local racing event ‘again. Galled the “Nationals”. the event was fly sponsored by the Gorernment of Canad and the Jowrisne industry of Otlanva as part of the July Ist Canada Day celebration for 1970. Ironically, it ‘meant a return to another old airfield eed sparingly by the RCE called Rocketiffe LEFT: By the end of 1955, the granddaddy of airfield racing circuits in eastern Canada hed deteriorated to the point it could no longer be used. Map of the Edenvale track, taken from the Official Programme of the Edenvale Sports Gar Trophy Races, ‘August 13, 1955,(1956-1959) With the arrival of1955, some ofthe original goalsand the purpose behind the club's creation had shifted, and it was Felt anewnamewas necessary tobetter reflect the club's diversified focus and activities. Original club regulations had guarded against what members feared as “an influxof the hot-rod type enthusiast”, by excluding full membership to those whosesole modeof transport was the American-built larger automobile. During the first six istence, many of the original members were driving second vehicles that did not fall into the “light car” category because their family statushad changed as had their transportation requirements. Thus, the restriction of an associate membership to those in possession of larger ears was dropped. Clubexecutivesnoted that mostof these cars were being, used by members for domestic purposes only, and those interested in racing the bigger North American sedans were doing so at speedways or local drag-strips. Therefore, they posed no threat to the type of competition pursued by OLCC members. At the same time, other members had grownoutof the “lightcar” category by creating their own “specials” in the never-ending quest for more speed. One such special described in the bulletins page found in the April 1955 issue of The Link: “Paul Saundershas madea bombout ofa Triumph 2000, with a Chrysler motor, dual pots, Talbot trans, etc. Watch for the upcoming explosion!” ‘The February 1955 Link contained an announcement that the club’s Executive had initiated the process to change the club’sname to the Ottawa Motorsport Club, and were awaiting permission from the Ontario Provincial Secretary. Intheinterim, members were encouraged to submit designs for the new club «rest, though no final decision would be made until permission to proceed with the new name had been received from the Ontario government. Otherannouncementsin February of 955sought toinvolve all members in the various events’ planned for the public celebration of the new name. These included publicity inall the local newspapers, a number of dances, car rallies, and an extravagant ball to be held in the Petty Officers’ mess at HMCS. Carleton in April of 19% Unfortunately, slow responses to the OLCC’s requests and correspondence meant more than a year elapsed before members actually saw a change in the club’s name. Many storieshave been tolel about who deserves credit for the new name, but oddly enough, the credit is due to the Province of Ontario. The original request for the name of the Ottawa Motorsport Club had been turned down because of the existence of the Ottawa Motorcycle Club, and the similarity between thetwonamesmightcause confusion. Thename Motor SportClubof Ottawa would, however, meet with the Secretary’s approval if theclub so desired. Thus, in June 1956 the charter was completed for the club to be known by the name itis today. — Fast Fact — When an administrative error forced the lub to , reseet the charter three decades later, the 1986 F AUCO Executive was ashed by the Provincial Secretary to obtain written pernrission fram the Motorsport Club of Ottada to use the name. One of the alternative names suggested was “The Ottawa Light Car Club”, which was listed with the description “No Tonger in use While the OLCC wasembarking on the name change process, another club, soon to become a strong influence on racing in the US., was formed on September 16, 1955. The United States Auto Club (USAC) was incorporated in the state of Indiana, with the intention of assuming responsibilities previously undertaken by the American Automobile Association (AAA) Contest Board. A nine man Contest Committee of USAC board members was MCO Executive - 1956 President: James Watson Vice Pres: Frank Currie Keith Lacey Hilda Holloway Bernard Bureau (Competition) Paul O'Reilly (Membership) Roy Kirkman (Publicity) Gloria Bureau (Social) Rex Coulshaw Directors: Link Editor: 29 Page sponsored by Bernie Betzemur~ Alfa 29given the go-ahead tosanction automotive competitions. USAC would continue to govern most of the American speedway style racing, until later years when they faced competition from both NASCAR and CART. Inthe January 1956 Link there was a small announcement that the social chairman, Gloria Bureau, had completed a new points system and the club would be awarding new trophies at the 1956 banquet. Not all members were active solely as competitors, and the Executive feltevent organizers were going, unnoticed and deserved equal recognition. The additional trophies were designed to recognize the members for their participationand achievements for anentire year, and would be awarded in addition to the awards already presented at individual events. Members acquired points toward an annual total, and had the opportunity to win one of the three awards that became known as “The Orders”. The Order of the Straight Pipe was presented to members accumulating in excess of 1000 poi the Order of the Burned Spark Plug for points in the 800-99 rangesand the Order ofthe Bent Valve for point totals in the 600- 798 range. The highest point achiever in each of the three ranges was given the specific trophy, while others within the same point range received a certificate acknowledging their efforts, — Then and Now — Brentually the purpose ofthe Orders became redundant as olher trophies mire specific to certain activites within the elub were created. Sone ofthese orighu trpbies are sillin use today, Forexaniple, The Order ofthe Bent Vatee is now awarded for second place in the Solo Championships Several members of the OLCC saton theexecutive board ofthe CASC in 1956, which had been struggling financially in an attempt to fulfil its originally-stated goals. Enthusiasm and perseverance were commonplace among the members of this new executive. Former OLCC president, Rex Coulshaw, was now the CASC newsletter editor, Margaret allan, the secretary, and OLCC founder W.G. Allen, the chairman of the CASC. Hopes and ambitions were extremely high, but the Executive still had to convincethemembership that thebull- work had to be done by volunteers from the various clubsin orderto keep ‘operational costs toa minimum. Most fof the monies accumulated by the CASC barely covered its present operating costs, and more revenues would be needed to afford the planned, full-time paid staff. 30 Page sponsored by Ted Pouoll - car #30 Inits first four years, many members of the CASC’s board hhad been forced to resign when the workload became too much of a burden. Bill Allen, in a letter sent to all the clubs now affiliated with the CASC, outlined the problems and issued a strong plea for further support. His letter warned that, without more support from the clubs, the CASC would fail and the efforts made to date would be wasted. The CASCwasata critical juncture. The United Kingdom's Royal Automobile Club (RAC) had just announced it was sending the competition manager to Canada toassess thesuccess RAC’s would-be affiliates. The FIA had yet to grant the and its member clubsaffiliation through the RAC, soany impressionsmadeduring the visit of RAC competition manager, Dean Delamont, would be crucial to earn the international acceptance the CASC sought. Mr. Delamont’s busy tour began on May 25" at a meeting with the CASC Board of addition, he attended special meetings of the clubs in Ontario and Quebec, along with a side trip to the Indianapolis 500. Bill Allen’s plea had obviously worked, for Mr Delamont found the CASC plansand activities in order and the affiliation to the FIA was granted. With affiliation came the designation of Canada’s, internationally recognized coloursand the officialcolour bulletin, was published in the June 1956 Link, as received from CASC competition chairman, R.C.Evis. “The national racing colours for Canada are green and white, The coachwork of the vehicle is to be painted geen with two whitestripes, (oneeach sideof the centerline) running parallelalong the upper portion of the vehiele from nose to tail. Any shade of green is acceptable, but British Racing Green (the original dark Napier green) is preferred. The white stripesare tobe four inches in width and spaced six inches apart.Green is the colour allotted by the FIA to with as longa drive to and from the Toronto area as they had commonwealth countries and apart from the United when racing at Edenvale. Kingdom which is a solid green, all other member For those not willing to compete so far from home, there countries use green plus a different supplementary was the alternative of entering events organized by the colourina pattem of their own choice. The CASC has Laurentian Automobile Sport Club ata facility located near the adapted the above-described combination with _Qnario-Quebec border village of St. Eugene. This airfield, approval from the RAC.” known as Connor, had been used by the Laurentian club as Anothermajor turning point forclubmembersoccurred in early as 1954 for low-key driving skili tests, similar to the early June of 1956 with the opening of a new racing facility called Harewood Acres. Gradually, thecombined pounding of racecars and harsh Ontario winters had convinced the members of the British Empire Motor Club in Toronto to move from Edenvale. When the lease for the fa expired, it was time to say “adieu” to the antiquated circuit that had served so well during, Canadian motorsport’s humble beginnings. The new venue found was yet another abandoned airfield, located in a sheep pasture near the town of Jarvis, Ontario, Through the work of dozens of BEMC members turned! carpenter and mason, it was soon converted to what arguably became known as the finest airfield circuitin Canada. Some of Canada’sbest and soon-to-be famous drivers, by the names of Bradley, Heimrath, Pease andl Weitzes got theirstart at Harewood, and it became the centre of road racing for the next five years, hosting Canada’s first professional road race in May 1959, While the creation of the Harewood circuit certain! afforded those attending events a much better facility, mem- bers of the now Motor Sport Club of Ottawa were still faced OPPOSITE: DH. Delamont, competition manager of the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) of England, discusses the possibilty of FIA affiliation with members of the OLCC. From left to right, Bernie Bureau, Margaret Callan, Frank Currie, Mr. Delamont, and Rex Couishaw. (Ottawa Citizen) St-Eugene OM nirport LEFT: Track map of St. Eugene. ABOVE: Denny Quik drifts his Riley, #149, through the esses at St Eugene. Hay bales and oil drums were the only safety barriers of the day. ‘TOP RIGHT: MCO carves up another field. (September 1957) Page sponsored by Mike Cauchy 31MCO Executive - 1958 President: Paul Saunders Vice Pres: Bernard Bureau Joyce Bova Bob Clarke Mac Turner (Competition) Rod Maennting (Membership) Mike Holt Link Editor: 1n3,075 miles, the only casualty was a windshield chipped by flying stones (west of Saskatoon), and an exhaust muffler which fought a losing battle with a chance-met rock, on that horrible road between Jasper and Edmonton... But the really faultless performance (if can say this without seeming to condescend) was, Canada’s. 1n 1958, more specific trophies were added to the list ofannualawards,suchasthe Men's & Women's “Busy Bee” trophies (now discontinued) for accumulating the highest number of points in the worker category. Some of the new trophies had been funded by the club, while others were donated by individual members, such as Len Smith, who folt the club should reward the top scoring driver and navigator competing in rallies. Like the club's gavel and the “Order of the Bent Valve", the Len Smith trophies for rally achievement are still awarded decades later. Continuing tradition, the innovative group from Ottawa was still atthe forefront when it came to creating new ideas and twists to further enhance their love of cars. ‘The introduction of an odometer check at the beginning o! car rallies became standard practice, and the MCO was instrumental in seeing the use of roll bars as mandatory equipment for racing cats. Another prominent rallyistand club member decided that a venture into the world of stock car racing would be a viable source of entertainment for people in Ottawa. When he ‘wasn't thrashing his Ford Meteor around the countryside and gaining fame in the Canadian Winter Rallies, Gerry Bisson kept himself busy planning and organizing the return of carracing in front of the grandstands at Lansdowne Park. By 1958 he had completed the necessary steps to begin a weekly program and continued to organize Various shows and races at Lansdowne until 1961 Despite the loss of the local Carp racing facility in 1955, and the tragiccircumstancessurrounding it, the MCO remained fone of the more influential clubs throughout the late fifties, providing many of the necessary tools to improve Canada’s status within the international motorsport hierarchy. It hade’t come without a price, though. Entries had dropped enough in 34 local elub events to see a reduction on the schedule to one per month. The club membership hadn't increased substantially in a number of years, and the club's finances were in a precarious, state In an attempt to bring the members closer together and improve local participation, a team system was introduced in 1958. Each member was assigned to a team, equally balanced with members of various interests and skills, to raise the competitive spirit within club circles. The following. President Rodney Maennlingand the rest of the 1959 Exe worked very hard with the new system and wereable to seeriot only anincrease of new memberships, butalsoenough revenues. to meet operational costs. ‘The fifties had generally seen years of growth at the club level:amassive disjointed movement of car enthusiasts forming isolated clubs ail over the country, From the three original clubs that had started the CASC, the list of affiliations had grown to include 22 clubs in Ontario and almost 50 throughout the country by the end of 1959. But as the movement grew, so too did the problems, as the sport split into a battle between the amateurs and professionals. Clubs could not expect someone in possession of expensive equipment to drive long distances, race, and then return home with the prospect of winning only a small silver cup or plaque for the dash of his car. Itwas evident that professional drivers in high-powered, expensive cars were what the general public wanted to see, and the cost of operating a track with modern conveniences, as well the ability to attract With special thanks to Margaret aaul Frank Currie for their tinte and love of the sportorganizing local events. Concours d'Elegance events were still very popular in the late fifties. Rodney Maennling recalls: “Inaddition to our love of racing a lot of us had aig thing for Concours d’Elegance, so we organized many of thesc events when we weren't off at St. Eugene or tearing up a field some- where in the Ottawa area, I organized one of the larger-scale eventsin 1958. Big prizes had tobe on hand because these events often attracted competitors from out of town, and we got them in particular, a huge trophy from Triumph Canada, courtesy of Harold Pearce, then CEO at Triumph. I chased after some judges with celebrity status, one of whom was club friend Nicholas Monsarrat. In addition to being an author, he was Director of the United Kingelom Information office in Ottawa and naturally, an avid fan of the British automo- bile, so his presence at club events wasn’t uncommon. He gave mea terrifying interview, but said yes, he would be happy to be cone of the judges. He arrived on the grass at Lansdowne Park in his black Bentley Continental. He was most charming, thor- oughly enjoyed himself, and took the task quite seriously, even using a white cotton handkerchief to reveal bits of dust on the entries. Of interest is that a couple of years before that, he and his wife Phillipa completed a Trans-Canada tour of over 3,000 miles that magnificent Bentley without fault It was something he was very prouid of, and he wrote a book about it.” The book was entitled "Canada Coast to Coast” and it chronicled an eight-week journey of some 5,875 miles. In the closing paragraphs of his book, Monsarrat wrote: “We saw an incredible variety of scenery, people and places. We saw Indians, we saw bears and buffalo, ‘we saw jetplanes, diesel trains, canoes. We ate wall- ‘eye at Kenora, steaks at Calgary, cracked crab at Van- couver, pea soup in Quebec, ham and eggs at Stratford. We crossed six time zones, ten provinces, countless Jakes, mountains and rivers. We averaged 100 miles a day, and twenty-two miles to the gallon, The Bentley, of course, gave a faultless performance. CENTER: Judge’ Nicholas Monsarrat, Concours d'Elegance (1959). ABOVE RIGHT: Cars entered in both the Concaurs ¢'Elegance and racing competitions ‘were otten heavily taped to prevent rock damage. (Rodney Maenniing’s Healey, 81. Eugene, Ont. 1957) LEFT: CBC television crow fiming competitors nan MEO gymkhana. OPPOSITE: This plaque was installed at Le Circuit, Mont Tremblant on May 30, 1965, naming the corner in memory of Norm Namerow. 33 Page sponsored by The Caron FamilyMCO Executive - 1958 President: Paul Saunders Vice Pres: Bernard Bureau Secretary: Joyce Bova Treasurer: Bob Clarke Directors: Mac Turner (Competition) Rod Maennting (Membership) Link Editor: Mike Holt n 5,075 miles, the only casualty was a windshield chipped by flying stones (west of Saskatoon), and an exhaust muffler which fought a losing battle with a chance-met rock, on thathorrible road between Jasper, and Edmonton.. But the really faultless performance (if can say this without seeming to condescend) w Canada’s.” In 1958, more specific trophies were added to the | ofannualawards, suchas the Men‘s& Women’s“Busy Bee” trophies (now discontinued) for accumulating the highest number of points in the worker category. Some of the new trophies had been funded by the club, while others ¥ donated by individual members, such as Len Smith, who felt the club should reward the top scoring driver and navigator competing in rallies. Like the club’s gavel and the “Order of the Bent Valve", the Len Smith trophies for rally achievement are still awarded decades later. Continuing tradition, the innovative group from Ottawa was still at the forefront when it came to creating new ideas and twists to further enhance their love of cars. The introduction of an odometer check at the beginning of car rallies became standard practice, and the MCO wi instrumental in seeing the use of roll bars as mandatory equipment for racing cars. Another prominent rallyistand club member decided that a venture into the world of stock car racing would be a viable source of entertainment for people in Ottawa. When he wasn’t thrashing his Ford Meteor around the countryside and. gaining fame in the Canadian Winter Rallies, Gerry Bisson kept himself busy planning and organizing the return of carracing in front of the grandstands at Lansdowne Park. By 1958 he had completed the necessary steps to begin a weekly program and continued to organize various shows and races at Lansdowne until 1961. Despite the loss of the local Carp racing facility in 1955, and the tragic circumstances surrounding it,the MCO remained f the more influential clubs throughout the late fifties ig Many of the necessary tools to improve Canada’s status within the international motorsport hierarchy. It hadn't come without a price, though. Entries had dropped enough in local club events to see a reduction on the schedule to one per month. The club membership hadn’t increased substantially in anumber of years, and the club's finances were in a precarious state, In an attempt to bring the members closer together and improve local participation, a team system was introduced in 1958, Each member was assigned to a team, equally balanced with members of varions interests and skills, to raise the competitive spirit within club circles. The following year, President Rodney Maennling and the restof the 1959 Executive worked very hard with the new system and were able toseenot only aninerease of new memberships, butalso enough re to meet operational costs. ‘The fifties had generally seen years of growth at the club level: massive, disjointed movementofcar enthusiasts forming, isolated clubsall over the country. From the three original clubs that had started the CASC, the list of affiliations had grown to include 22 clubs in Ontario and almost 50 throughout the country by the end of 1959. But as the movement grew, 50 00 did the problems, as the sport split into a battle between the amateursand professionals. Clubs could not expect someone in possession of expensive equipment to drive long distances, race, and then return home with the prospect of winning only a small silver cup or plaque for the dash of hisar. Itwas evident that professional drivers in high-powered, expensive cars were ‘what the general public wanted to see, and the cost of operating a track with modern conveniences, as well the ability to attract With special thanks to Margaret anu! Frank Currie for their time and love of the sportthese professional drivers, was dependent on gate receipts These improved facilities, with professional drivers now competing, were attracting large grids of carsand large numbers of spectators, creating an atmosphere of new-found exciteme! fora sport that was relatively new MCO Executive - 1959 President: Rodney Maennling Vice Pres: David Fair Secretary: Janet White Treasurer: Colin MacAndrew Directors: Len Smith (Competition) Dave Plaunt (Membership) Link Editor: John Clemmer OPPOSITE: Barry Bremner (left) and Gerry Bisson, look over their maps before leaving Montreal and the start of another Canadian Winter Rally. (Ottawa Citizen) BELOW and RIGHT: Metal car badges were hot items in the late Fifties, and the MCO had its own version, shown here. Like the club's crest (shown on page 29), the style was patterned after the wheel of a 'D type Jaguar. The badge was painted red and silver, and was usually ‘mounted on the front grille of members’ vehicles. ‘Anchored to the grille of this Austin Healey are the CASC ‘badge (lelt-most) and the MCO badge (right-mos!). Nic Maennling reminisces: “It was a really exciting time for racing in those days, and that excitement was reflected in the nature of our meetings. We'd try to get through the business portion of the meeting as quickly as possible so we could focus our atiention on the social part of the evening. This usually consisted of a film made by Triumph or MG featuring new models or race successes. The odd time we would get one of those films produced by BP (British Petroleum) about theGrand Prix races in Europe. Livas only 14 at the time and the bus ride from my residence onSt Laurent Bivd near Rideau High School, tothe Coaland Lumber Company on Scott Street near Churchill was lengthy, but well worth it. I'd have crawled on my hands and knees to see those films. The hype and excitement in Canada surrounding motor- racing hadn't quite peaked yet, though. That was about to however, with the appearance of legend named Moss. 3:69 35 Page sponsored by Joti S.Mosport Park and the Players 200 (1960-1961) The early sixties were one of the most exciting eras for Canadian road racing both in terms of development and participation. Thestage had been set in 1959 with the running of the first professional race at Harewood Acres, followed by the opening of Canada’s first permanent road racing facility in British Columbia known as Westwood. Not long after, came the manent road racing circuit to be built in announcement of a p Ontario. The new facility would be called Mosport Park—dettly combining the words ‘motor’ and ‘sport’—and be built on 450 acres of rolling sandy hills, 12 miles north of Bowmanville. It was the brainchild of the BEMC in Toronto, the club that organized the first professional racesat Harewood while quiet! dreaming of building a permanent road course in Eastern Canada. ‘Thesitemet theirdevelopmentcommitteecriteria perfectly It was cheap at $30,000, and close enough to draw from a Toronto fanbase. With BEMC spearheading the drive for funds, a company called Mosport Ltcl. was established to sell shares. ‘These shares, sold at $25 each, were made available only to CASC-affiliated club members, with the intention of keeping. control ofthe trackin the hands of those directly involved in the sport. Meanwhile, the MCO wasalso conducting a development campaign of its own, hoping to swell the ranks ofa membership somewhat depleted from members moving on to other interests, due to the pressure of family responsibilities. The need to educate the public about the existence of MCO was of prime importance to the 1960 Executive, and a poster distribution project began, under the guidance of President Dave Bova and Vice President Dave Fair, with Rodney Maennling and Derek. Ireland! assisting, This campaign consisted of distributing elub posters to all car dealers, both domestic and foreign, in the Trl LNs Gey 1959 (Ottawa Valley region, and designating a club representative for each dealer’scustomerstocall for further information. Thiswas considered the best way of giving, newcomers to the city a chance to find out about the MCO regardless of the time involved, as publishing the newly-clected President's phone numberin the yellow pages wasno longer deemed costeffective, Club affiliation fees were increased by one dollar per person to cover what the CASC called National and Regional assessments, bringing club membership fees to $6 for singles, and $8 for family memberships. In addition to these fees, an initial joining fee of $5 for first-time members was charged. — Fast Fact — Ganada Trach and Traffic magazine offered balf the subscription fee returned lo the club treasury for those obtaining subscriptions, In 1960, 34 members signed up wilh Trach and Traffic, yarnering the club the stim of $34. The 1960executivenoticed the two-year-old “team” system had fostered a renewed spirit of competition among the members, even though at times, it required considerable extra administration and the shuffling of various people from one team to another. The shift in the club's focus was once again rellected in the cover of The Link, which changed irom the version used in both 1958 and 1959 (shown below at left) to the version used in 1960 (below). The "British" influence was stil very evident, as the image used for the cover from 1961 to 1965 (shown opposite) is that of Mike Hawthorn, the “frst” British Formula One Champian, HRC ~ 68 » Drummond’s Ottawa’s Oldest Independent PROUD TO BE A SPONSOR OF THE MOTORSPORT CLUB OF OTTAWA CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR 50™ ANNIVERSARYOMS Steak House Established in 1976 Separate rooms that seat up to 90 for: Weddings, Anniversary, Birthdays (dance floor available) Club meetings, Seminars (flip chart, screen, TV & VCR available) 1682 Cyrville Road, Onawa, ON, Can. KIB 318 (613) 741-2130 Congratulations on the first 50 years Photo courtesy of Don Roger Witton Chevrolet Donald R. Tarte | IMIIKE’(S 22nes semen raed Pasinistet hee Hi-Peformance rela Wate Con fest ent astm Reais is ronmtesecrene con 1838-3524 “Tin wenn 6106 Path Rihinond KOA 220 ACES can CRASH-PROOF YOUR KIDS! You ‘drown-proofed’ them at the *Y’ when they wei litle. It’s now time to give them some extra protection when they're behind the wheel, Seven years of traffic safety research and four technical papers (presented, literally, ‘around the world’) can help them avoid that terrible collision that’s givi Cont you nightmares. A.C. “AI” Gullon, BSc, PEng Ph: 613-738-0712 eM: al@alsaces.ca pour plus WWW.alsaces.€a. for more Very good rates for a “Dutch Uncle” talk with your teenager. Not-quite-so-good rates for a safety talk with your employees—whether in the shop, in traffic or at the track. AMPS Rule #1 Regle d’AMPS the happy thought that'll Kill ya!” “est la pensee neureuse quit euera!”The Movers and the Shakers The Every volunteer club, organization, or association is the same, world-wide. Most of the members are involved in limited capacity for short periods of ime, Then thereare those whodedicatealmost all of their time tothesuccess of the group and the cause for which itis formed. The following group of members not only dedicated a good portion of their time to the MCO, but did so, for decrdes. Most have been President—some for multiple terms— while others completed tours of duty in every role imaginable. All have been instrumental in the development and success of their club and motor sports in general, Robert Armstrong, David Butler, Jack Carrothers 412 Terry Dale, Balley Desjardins 113 Equipe Chimo 114 Gordon Holloway, Doug Jacques 115 Bennett Leckie, Ted Powell, Paul Swinwood 116 Donald Tarte, Ronald Woltman, John Woolford 117 Inspiration of our Passion Ata monthly general meeting, a member once remarked “the club was formed for those of us who think the car is something to be used for more than just a means to get us from A to B.” For 50 years, members of the OLCC/ MCO have owned, driven, and abused a variety of vehicles in a number of different ways. We also loved them likenothing else mattered in our lives, The following collection isa cross section of some of the more popular, and some unusual, makes and models we cherished. Alfa Romeo, American Motors, Audi, Austin, BMW, Citroen, Chrysler 118 The Dailu 119 Datsun/Nissan 120 Fiat, Ford 121 Formula Ford (FF1600, FF2000) 122 Formula Atlantic, Formula B, Formula Vee, Formula 4 123 General Motors (Buick, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Pontiac) 124 Honda, Jaguar, Lotus 125 Mazda, MG, Morris 126 Mini, Porsche, Renault 127 Specials and Sports Racers 128 Subaru, Standard/Triumph, Sunbeam, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo 129 mRobert Armstrong David Butler Jack Carrothers Bob has put a major stamp on C: track. A member of the MCO since 19% iadian motorsports with his finesse, talent, and speed on the 1 has also served the club in numerous capacities, including President in 1976, but it was andl continues to be the racetrack where Bob has exhibited zeal racing talent at the wheel. He is the club’s longest continuous campaigning driver, still ac ‘competing in 1999 with plans for the new millennium and beyond already on his to-do list. Bob, along with other notables such a5 Gilles Villeneuve and Richard Spenard, can lay claim to having been Quebec Formula Ford champion. The big difference is that Bob has done so three times and not just once. Bob's driving acumen was not limited to single-seaters but extended into sedans of all types, and bis history with track service vehicles and tow trucks is legendary. Not content to be an extremely talented driver throughout his driving years, Bob has been abie to share and impart those skills to others on numerous occasions through his duties as an advanced driving instructor for Porsche, VW, Audi and the MCO, ‘Less known perhaps, is Bob's contribution as an official to the sport. While his exploits on the track are well-documented, many are unaware that he has been Director of Safety for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal since 1990 and more recently has become a member of the Executive Board ‘of the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame. Moreover, Bob has been Chief Steward for three of Canada’s FIA ASN sanctioned race series through the 80s and 90s, in addition to “filling in” at countless other official roles when the need arose. For those who may have wondered where Bob garnered that cool, professional and unruffled manner of speaking, look no further than his long career as an air traffic controller. No longer an active controller, Bob is now a senior manager at NavCanada, the not-for-profit company mandated to provide air traffic control services in Canad. Along with his MCO and other driving trophies, he was awarded the Ted Powell Lifetime [Achievement Award in 1990 for his contributions as an exciting competitor and generous supporter of his club and sport “One-of-a-kind” can only describe Dave, A member since 1967, Dave has contributed in practically every facet of the Club, He has been a key member in a variety of roles on the crews of some of the famous early MCO teams like Equipe Chimo and RAT racing — names that harken back toa simpler, and perhaps kinder time. Stints as a competitor have included slaloming, ice racing, and as both driver and navigator on a host of rally teams, whose event logs would include locations throughout Canada and a good portion of the United States. Asa rally organizer, it is safe to say that Dave has probably logged more miles running around the countryside at all hours of the day, in all Kinds of weather, than the average motorist will log in two lifetimes, and Dave's expertise with topographical maps is second to none. But where David has excelled on behalf of the Club has been in the areas of marshaling and administration, from Grand Prix to karting, in professional and. charity events alike All of his activities have evoked a similar theme of giving to others for the overall betterment of the sport. And let's not forget Dave's immense contribution in chronicling, the life and times of both the Club and the sport he loves via his distinet writing style, photography, and yes, memorable poetry. Still a very active member, Dave was the serving at the gate for the last MCO race at Shannonwille in July, and was presented with a “special services” award at the 1999 banquet in recognition of his more than 30 years as a contributing member. A member of the OLCC from the ‘Early Years’, Jack was one of the primary work-horses behind the forming of the CASC, and remained a steadfast Supporter and motivator through its early, difficult stages. A member of the club for over 20 years, his motor-racing activities centered on multiple terms in various roles on CASC boards, as well as being the MCO's CASC representative for a number of years. At the OLCC/MCO 20" Anniversary banquet in 1969, he was awarded an hhonourary lifetime membership in the club for his achievement and dedication to the sport and the oLcc/Mco. FAB) rage sponsored by R.B.L., A former crew memter of Bob ArmstrongThere are some in Canadian motorsport circles who have been overheard saying, “If *TD’ hasn’t done it in motor racing, then it probably wasn’t worth doing A member of MCO since 1963, starting in a typical amateur career of rallying and racing on both ice and asphalt, ane eventually becoming the Chief Steward of the Championship Auto Terry Dale Racing Teams (CART) Indy Lights Championship, Terry has rollec-up up his considerably-sized sleeves and dove in to most other things in between, But his racing career—he was weaned on a TR2 at Mosport during the leather-helmet era— and his immeasurable level of achievement as an official and organizer both miss the mark in summing up his involvement in the sport. Words like commitment, dedication and experience do, however, come closer to the target A multiple-time President of the MCO, racer on the track, official in the tower at the Grand Prix of Montreal, organizer and race director for the Moosehead GP, and fixer/contribuitor to the sport we all love, from karting to the top professional levels—Terry has been that and more. He has shown a caring for the sport that he has served so long—more importantly, he has been generous and wise enough to see the possibilities in others by sharing those opportunities with friends and, colleagues along the way. Terry's persona is not easily forgotten or missed, whether you're with hhim or against him Many club members, over these past 50 years, from the Powells to the Dewars, from the Robertsons to the Armstrongs, have stamped their driving ability on the race track, but no-one has, so indelibly put quite a mark from the ‘safer side” of the race track as has Terry. In 1987, he became a recipient of the Ted Powell Lifetime Achievement Award for his over whelming contribution and achievements, both as a club member ancl as an individual. Bailey got his start as an original member of Equipe Chimo in the late 60s (while still a high school student) honing his grassroots skills on the back roads of Canada as a tally competitor. From those humble beginnings his depth of talent, racing ‘smacts’, and colourful reputation developed over the : next thirty years to compile a dossier few will match. His foray into racing began when he attended Bailey racing driver's school and was convinced, after one lap of Mosport beside instructor Craig Fisher, that #7 ” ote sills behing the wheel would never duplicate what he was winesing keraeing.however, "THE Torch provided a good venue to throw a car around and have fun doing it, while testing various theories of ee his own about suspension and engine performance. His achievements in his legendary Cortina Desjardins stationsvagon were the subject of many a tale throughout the seventies. Bailey's love of rallying never ceased and he demonstrated that those skills were not lost or forgotten by periodically competing in the most difficult of Canadian rallies ina variety of vehicles ore suited for other duties—just o prove it could be done. One such effort inclucted a ninth overall finish with co-driver Terry Dale in the 1973 Canadian Winter Rally. They were entered in his mother’s 1966 Meteor Ride 500. Alter a shift in focus tothe operational aspect of racing, Bailey became the crew chief ancl mechanic for many teams out of Ottawa, and he compiled data on everything from Ford Cortinas and Datsun 510s to more exotic machines, stich as Lotus 47s, Ginettas and Porsches, His diary would include stops at most major tracks in Canada and southward, from Laguna Seca to Daytona, Along the way, he also found time to be president of the MCO three times, rally, race and social dlirectors countless times, a serutineer for both the Can-Am and Trans-Am series and eventually the for Formula 2000 cars. His feats of ingenuity in engineering were second to andl when his position with the Export A series was announced, close friends jet that read, “I taught Smokey Yunick haw to cheat”, It was an appropriate way to describe wemients in what he referred to as, “a crew chiets essential ability to be able to have personal interpretations ofthe rulebook.” In 1978, he ereated the Paddock Engineer award, to ensue that the efforts ofthese “unsung heroes" who often worked late into the night did not go unnoticed Though no longer an active member ofthe club, his love of the sport has kept Bailey visible at recent events till offering hs help in his usual freespirited manner. presented him rusted friend, From the Lowe Family JA) To “The Torch”, Crow Chief extraordinaire, teach‘A quintessentially Canadian name—Chimo is Inuit for “Welcome”—members of this team created one of the most lasting groups ever assembled in the 50 year history of the club. Its not likely that any team has stayed together, oF has been involved in as many diverse activities, as Equipe Chimo. It began as many such groups do, in the realization that many hands make light work and that shared garage accommodation is often cheaper than going it alone. Some of the primary original Equipe members were: Derek Robertson, who had done some club level rallying and racing in his native Scotland; Oto Schreiber, who already had several Shell 4000 cross-Canada rallies under his belt; and Chimo Bailey Desjardins, who liked tinkering with anything fast and was usually found under someone's car taking apart a greasy differential. As the years rolled by, they were joined by Steve Rocque, then an engineering student at Carleton University; Mario Piamonte with his big-engined Anglia; Gerd Kroll, who had a knack with automotive wiring? and Ken Shindler, who had raced a Porsche in the early days at Conner Circuit and Harewood, (while living in Montreal) and later wrote the weekly “Pitpatter” column in the late, lamented Ottawa Journal. The original group was called the MCO Rally Team, with ears painted in a predominantly red body /white roof black trim colour scheme. Funding for the team was, for the most part, provided by the owner-entrants with intentions to obtain other monies from various MCO club or public funetions, such as dances. After the inital fund raising event tumed into a financial disaster ancl money was scarce, not only did the philosophy of the group change, but so did the team’s name to Equipe Chim, After competing at various National level rallies across the country such as the Fall Night, The Silver Lake, The Highlands and The Lobster (which inchided a 21 hour return marathon of breakdowns and woe one ryear), the team soon became disillusioned. Said Derek Robertson in an article written by Bob McLeod in the August 1977 Link: “Ack! We were alway’ getting lost and having accidents. We had more aceidents when we were lost, than when we were on rout Equipe Chimo soon branched out into auto cross, time trials and ice racing, where Steve Rocque was very successful in the Quebec Reg his unique Volkswagen Beetle. In 1971, when Equipe Chimo took up dry- track racing, the team added the name of MG Midget driver Bill Lamb to its roster. Arguably, the two names most synonymous with Equipe Chimo swere the fiery and laconic Scot, Derek Robertson, and the stoic Bill Lamb. Trey competed from Manitoba to Nova Scotia in a variety of sports racers, somewhat less-than-suecessfully in the Eastern Canada Endurance Series, and then later, but with more success, in the Molyslip Endurance Series luring the late seventies and early eighties. “The first cars were built or “improved” in a residential garage in the west end of the city, then moved to the famous “Slater Street Garage” that could (tightly) accommoslate four vehicles with a driveway big enough for well, Heat in winter was provided by a traditional pot bellied iron stove, fuelled by the butt ends of two-by-fours re-cycled from the dumpster behind the Steenbakker roof triss shop, and it is here, that the team remained for most ofits existence, Other supplementary garage locations were the Rump Dump in Carp, which housed Carl Musker’s “Slush Puppy” sponsored Capri; a small garage on the Rideau Road; and finally, back to the west endl of Ottawa at the residence of Doug Jacques, where the team finally disbanded circa 1984. A variety of rally, production sedans, and specials came out of the Chimo garages, some successful in concept and some not. The original “Chimo”, a closed wheel sports-racer of Robertson's design, was constructed and assembled for the 1975 season and in its creator’s own words, “was a complete disaster from day one”, but the team managed to eventually sort it out for the 1976 season. Unfortunately, the politics of the Quebec Region were not sorted, and Lamb and Robertson were forced to “share” the points each finishing position was awarded, as opposed to the drivers collecting points on a individual basis entered in the series, and neither finished high in the standings. The sports-racers were Lola-chassised Formula Ford cars, i effective aluminum bodywork. the trailers 44 Page sponsored by Bill Lanib — Chimo Racing1n 1977 the Molyslip Endurance Series was formed, producing a series well-suited to the talents and resources of lower budgeted teams like Chima and many other MCO teams. Itwas in this series that Lamb and Robertson, and the renamed Chimo Racing, ‘ade its most lasting impression, Other drivers in this era included Bob Pasternak and Doug Jacques. They were ably helped ancl encouraged by a talented crew, consisting of Dave Butler, Bennett Leckie, Steve Rocque, Laura Wilson, Ted Rance and many others. AAs well as endurance racing, the team competed successfully in the “outlawed” ADAQ series of the seventies, with consistent top three finishes, But “"Chimo’s” highest achievement came just before the team’s ultimate de: when Doug Jacques finished first i lass in the 1981 Molyslip champion- ships, missing out on becoming the overall champion by just a whisper. In addition to the on track successes despite limited resources and funding, th most notably known for its ability in attracting, and more importantly, retaining its spon- sors through excellent marketing programs. Support over the years came from Slush Puppy, Ottawa's Oktoberfest, Cuts Travel, and the charity “Save the Children.” The charity was perhaps the first Canadian example of a charity/race team, Eventually, the sun began to set on the “low-buck” endurance series, as Well as classes for sports racers of any kind in regional racing and Chimo Racing sold off its cars and stock of parts in the mid-eighties, It may or may not have been the “golden years of Canadlian motorsports", but it certainly. was theirs. And the stories they could tell over a beer or wo. Anonymously written and published in the September 1955 Link— “It is impossible to reflect in words, the sadness which all club members feel over the untimely Gordon ng of ou President, Gordie Holloway. Gordie loved ears and he loved people and he was never Holloway Sisted with doing les thon the very best he could forithr, Whether twas an automotive problem or some club problem to be ironed out, the automatic reaction of everyone was ‘Let’s talk it over with Gordie’. And no matter how busy he was (and he was always busy) Gordlie found time to holp straighten away the trouble, Joining the OLCC shorily after it was formed, he quickly became ‘an ardent supporter. He served on the Executive of the Club almost continuously, and in the last few years became virtually the hub around which the Club revalved. No one has done or could do more for the Club than Gordie did, and he leaves with us the challenge of always doing our very best for motor sports and the Ottawa Light Car Club.” An active member in the club over three decades, Doug cut his teeth on MCO activities and tured a few heads in the process, when he and friend! Doug McLean entered the club's 1963 Fall Night Rally in a 1959 Oldsmobile! From that, he quickly moved on to becoming organizer of the Doug atineau! Hillclimb and Ottawa Winter Carnival Grand Prix multiple times. Doug also held various. positions on MCO Executive boards including Treaster, and was one ofthe Fv to have held Jacques ‘multiple terms as club President. This he accomplished while maintaining a variety of roles on many ‘of the racing, teams that came out of the Ottaiva area. When not playing with racing ears, in his spare time Doug also played in various live bands, some of which provided entertainment for many years at club banquets and fund raising events. Graduating from that initial event in 1963, his stints behind the wheel included more rallying, ice racing, and dry track racing, capping off his delving achievements with a class championship in the Eastern Canada Endurance Series as a member of Chime Racin When not competing or in the role of an official, Doug could be found at most events with ra in hand. A large number of his photos were graciously donated for use in this book. Page sponsored by Tessa Webb, Isle of Wight, UK ELAS)Bennett Leckie E.B. (Ted) Powell Paul Swinwood 116 Dedicated to Dorothea Powell — th Bennett began his involvement with the MCO in 1978 competing in Solo Il events, but it was a job at the end of that year working as one of the MCO Pit Marshals at the Canadian Grand Prix where he found his real niche in motorsports. From that first year as a Pit Marshal, he has gone on to perform duties as both a crewmember and crew chief for various racing teams, and held various MCO club positions, such as Membership Chairman and Treasurer. Honing his marshalling skills and safety awareness, he was the Assistant Chief of Emergency Services at the Sports Car Club of ‘America’s annual runoffs from 1984 to 1986, Lending these skills to the “circle track fraternity” he has since then been coordinating cleanup erews at Lowe's Motor Speedway during NASCAR events. Besides his stints behind the wheel as a very competitive rally driver, ice racer, and an infinite number of hours logged as a marshal, Bennett is also well known around various tracks in North America for his culinary talents as a sandwich maker! What began as a single submarine sandwich for himself and two other MCO Pit Marshals at that 1978 Grand Prix has turned into a tradition that has continued on for more than 20 years, feeding workers all over tracks in the US and Canada. ‘Though no official attempt at creating the world’s longest sandwich has ever been made, Bennett jokingly boasts that his longest trackside “workers” sandwich consisted of 55 full French loaves. Still an active member, Bennett was presented with a “special award at the 1999 banquet in recognition of his more than 20 years as a contributing member. Ted started his involvement in motorspor's in 1936 at Brooklands (England), crewing for competitor Freddy Dixon, who drove a Riley 9. WWII veteran, Ted left England after six and a half years flying Wellingtons and Liberators in the Midclle East asa Canadian with a New Zealand Squadron, Retuming to Canada in 1957, Ted became a member of the MCO, helping the club and various, competitors at St. Eugene andl Harewood, before purchasing a battered Mini driven by Innes Ireland in a celebrity race in 1962, and beginning his own racing career at the age of 45! When son John, asked his father why he suddenly started racing at 45, Ted's response was, “I always wanted to, but never could afford it, and if I don’t do it now, | never will.” Racing as often as 30 times a year (which included trips to Westwood, British Columt wife Dorothea and Ed Larsen as crew, Ted finished second in the under two litre sedan championship three times between 1963 and 1967, before becoming the repeat champion in 1968 and 1969, His chance to win the championship three times in a row was denied while leading mid- season when he received a diplomatic posting to London England in 1970. Ted's involvement hadn't solely been related to on-track activities through the 60S, In addition to his driving achievements, he contributed to the sport in other ways in the role of President of MCO, President of the Quebec Region, and Vice-President of the CASC. Retiring from active driving in 1970, Ted remained involved in motorsports in a variety of roles after returning to Ottawa: as MCO President twice, and stewarding for the Player’s GM series, the Rothman’s Porsche series, and other professional Formula Ford series, Ione to were to compile a finely detailed dossier on Ted, his accomplishments as a worker would include the tile of every official found in the sport’s rulebooks. In 1986, the MCO created the Ted Powell Lifetime Achievement Award to commemorate his 50 years in motorsport, and in 1999 added his name to the list of MCO honorary lifetime members, with Paul began as a member of the MCO in 1965, having first (Oakville Trafalger Light Car Club) in 1959, Paul served as President of the MCO in addition to other executive roles, as well as being a flagger and racing, school insteuctor. OF special note is his notoriety as the Chief Pit Marshall for the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix at all three of its locations, Another noted MCO racer, Paul wheeled everything from Datsun sedans to an exotic Brabham 15128, not to mention one ofthe infamous Dailu cars and « host of other quick ice-racing vehicles Less documented, perhaps for sound reasons, was Paul's extensive rallying experience and drag: racing background. Paul carries the aura of wise statesman the same way most people wear their pants-comiortably. Still very much involved in motor sport, Paul is the current owner, promoter and chief bottle-washer of the Quyon Kart track. Even for those who have only been casually involved in karting, one can only genuflect before Paul for that contribution. : In 1999, Paul was awarded Honorary Lifetime Membership in the MCO for his commitment of wee! a CASC-sanctioned club 300d zonnan behind the man’s success.40 years to motor racing, An article in a late fifties Link described the arrival of Don Tart “'Big’ Don Tarte arrived to Ottawa in his bright yellow Triumph TR- chinook, and immediately began to set his mark on the local racing scene, not just as a competitor, bbut as a member of the MCO Executive”. Don began racing asa member of the Scuderia Red Horse team in an Elva Courier, while working through the week as an instructor at the long time Ottawa business of Stu's Driving School, Eventually, he would rise to the position of general manager before ultimately buying the business outright, one which he still operates today. During his years as manager and owner of the driving school, he often employed members of the MCO as driving instructors and can recall many stories about some of the more colourful characters who often “borrowed” school vehicles and performed a variety of duties with them at racing events, An active member of the Ottawa business community, Don’s roles in support of the club weren't solely. associated with those of positions on the executive and race events, but also in roles of public relations and he was instrumental in gaining the support for as well as organizing the annual United Way Rally. Sharing ice-racing duties with old-time MCO member Oto Schieber, Don was in the early nineties, and as an active member in 1999, was awarded an “Honourary membership for his more than forty years of involvement as an MCO member. to Ottawa and the MCO as on the winds of a western ll competing, fetime Born the same cold month as the Ottawa Light Car Club’s first meeting in 1949, Ron first became a member in 1969, His passion for cars and journalism began while reading through the racing reports in his father’s car magazines, highlighted by the sights and sounds of the Grand Prix scene, via the words of the late Henry Manney lll in Road &Track, Before becoming a member of the MCO, Ron worked ata local Ottawa A&W (one of the ‘quintessential car cruising spots in the late 60s), cutting his teeth on a 1958 MGA before moving up to the more prestigious confines of an Austin Healey 3000, He also met his wife, Joyce, at the A&W. Soon after becoming a member of the MCO, he took on the role of Link editor, whieh he held for a number of years, in addition to penning his own weekly motorsport column for the Ottawa Journal throughout the mic-70s. But his role as an MCO official didn’t stop there. In his 30 plus years with the club, he has held every position on the Executive board, save the Treasurer, and is part of the elite few who have completed multiple terms as club President. Asa competitor, his clriving record began as many MCO members, entering club rallies and slaloms before moving on to dry track racing, There, he settled into the cockpits of everything from a Datsun 2000 to Formula Fords, Formula Atlantic, go-karts, and stock cars, holding both CASC and ASN National licences at one time or another. Recently retired from the Canadian government, Ron is often found coordin: and in the last ten years, has completed terms as an ASN official for various Canadian series between stints in pro-series like the North American Touring Championship. Still an active member he has, found time to be an instructor at MCO lapping days, the Secretary of the Meet for the MCO’s annual race at Shannonyille, and motivator for other projects. In 1999 he received a special “services award” at the MCO’s 50" Annivei years of passion for the sport and his chub. ing racing events, yy banquet for his 30 It’s not hard to understand what John Woolford’s stint in the MCO was all about with a nickname like “Mother”. A member for ust over a decade, John’s MCO roles included that of President and other club positions on the Executive. After driving production sedans for three years he tumed his attentions to bringing other talent into the ranks and devoted much time to tutoring other drivers and teams on the ins and outs of racing, sometimes even offering up his own beloved Equipe Pumpkin Datsun 510 for nothing in return, He is a rare breed of person when one considers ‘what drivers are paying some car owners to rent-a-ride today. An avid supporter and kingpin of the ADAQ movement, John was also instrumental in the success of this series, often taking on the responsibilities of more than one official's duties atthe event. His stamina was often a welcome ‘bonus during early morning hours at numerous Molyslip endurance events. Donald Tarte Ronald Woltman John “Mother” Woolford Page sponsored by Ryan Woltatan ~ Inoestors Group" 613.723.7200 17Alfa Romeo American Motors Austin 3 3000 Deng 118 Page sponsored by Ronalt Wollman, President (6x) Motorsport Club of Otten. Thanks for the memories.Dailu Hever one car deserved special attention for its MCO history, the Dailu (pronounced Day-loo) Mk IL is the ear. Some claim there were a large number of Dailus built, and many “specials” and other one-offs have been mistakenly referred to as Dailus by their owners, but confirmed documentation and actual photos recovered put the total number of complete versions at five, two of which were coupes. Builtoutofscroui based on the parts avai brakes, plus suspen: ged Jaguarand Corvette parts, each versionhad itsownengine/suspension /bodywork combination ble at the time of construction. For the most part, each Dailu utilized Jaguar differentials and dise on from Jaguar, Triumph and handmade parts configured in geometry of custom designs. The original Mk I version was built by Dave Greenblatt, Luigi Cassiani, and Mike Saggers (Greenblatt and Cassiani lending their first names to produce the Dailu name) based on ideas used in the design of the Sadler Mk IV, which was driven by Greenblatt at the Player's 200in 1961. Greenblatt would later write: “The Sadler MkIV was a very badly flawed car, which is what inspired me to build my own.” The Dailu Mk I was originally driven by Greenblatt, then brought to international fame and success in the exceptional hands of Canadian John Cannon, before coming to a fiery demise at the Nassau Speed Week in November of 1962. ‘The MkII originally builtasa coupe version was completed in time for the 1963 season, Despite being considered by many to be obsolete because ofits front-engine design, the car was rebodied with asimilar Mk Iroadsterstyle body and campaigned very successfully in the hands of Canadian Peter Lerch. The MCO’s Gord Dewarnoted the car's reputation for blinding speed, and bought the car at theend of the 1963 season. Dewar would in turn sell the car to MCO member Don Horner, who eventually found a way to manage the car's tremendous thirst fortires and drive train parts. Hissmooth driving, style, and the Dailu’s ability to launch itself in straight line speed, produced consistently high results from 1965 to 1970 against the ‘MeLarensand Ford GI-40sdrivenby the likesof such Canadian stars as Heimrath, Cordts and Weitzes. Horner also came away with the Quebec Region class championship for sports-racers in’ 1970. At the end of 1970, the car was sold to MCO member Terry Dale, who took the Dailu around Le Circuit a year later and established the fastest lap recorded for regional sports racers there. More sales and ownership changes followed, and eventually the car found its way to its present owner, former MCO member, Mike Leicester. Leicester owns a high performance restoration shop in California and still actively races the car in vintage events to-day. Thelastchassisseen marked withaDailunameand designated as“Dailu5” wasownedand raced by MCO member Paul Swinwood in 1971, having bought the car ftom famed Canadian driver, (now ESPN commentator) Bill Adam. Like the other Dailucars, itconsisted of a combination of Jaguar suspension and Corvette power plant, though unlike the previous versions, it was housed in a roadster body molded from a 1965 Corvette roadster. Extremely light at only 1800 pounds, the car was very quick, reliable and successful in the hands of Greenblatt and subsequent drivers. After racing the car for the 1971 season, it was sold toa party in Hamilton who, as Swinwood recalls, claimed he was going to put it on the street “and have the wildest street machine that anyone could ever imagine”. Note: The Dailu 5, owned by Paul Si ‘wood, is pictured on the back cover of this book. Mike Leicester, 119 0 Engine Machine ~ California USA, werDatsun/ Nissan Datsun 2000 Datsun 240Z Datsun 510 ‘Sedans F201] §—_Page sponsored by Heihen RacingFiat 128+ Cougar = 41968 Mustang Cortina MCI pel Fairlane Turino Wagon To the Nenfelds. Thank you for never saying no ren the phone rang. From Mr. Stowe — {424Formula Ford 122 Congratulations MCO! Richard & Hasell Anvel! — Atwell Wilson Motor Musetn, Calne, Englanda rE pare apass Formula Atlantic Page sponsored by Vallis Mororsport, manufacturer of the BRD Forma Veo 123General Motors ae 124 Chevy Corvette and Pontiac Grand Prix [Photo by Ramesh Bayney][Above: Photo courtesy of ColourTech d Motorsport} Page sponsored by Bill Hough — ex-50s driver with “Ecurie Sans Sous" 125126 Page sponsored by Bill ickthorne, BP RestorationsBP Restorations — Distributor for BMC/MG parts and Moss Motors, Contact Bill Pickthorne at oxbear@compmore.net 127Erelerucs Page sponsored by Tha 1986 Celica GTS 1995 Celica GTS Volkswagen es Page sponsored by Fran's Auto Centre Lid. Preston St. 234-5925 ~ Giotanni Centofanti and Delio D‘Angeto 129TRM. TRM Technologies, Inc. eCommerce Infrastructure Specialists Communications Networking Photo courtesy of Ramesh Bayney Driving rapid returns on technology investments As we proudly celebrate our 10" year, we congratulate the Motorsport Club of Ottawa on its 50 years of success. www.trm.ca (613) 722-8843 Ted Martin, PresidentIll The Awards and their Winners Achievement Awards 133 Annual Achievement Ted Powell Award Race Awards 134-137 Dewar Trophy Frank Hicks Formula Trophy Frank Hicks Sedan Trophy Frank Hicks Technical Trophy Hard Luck Trophy MCO Ice Racing Trophy MCO Racing Championship Trophy Paddock Engineer Award Rally Awards 138-139 MCO-Sunoco Gasoline Economy Run Rally Drivers Trophy L Smith Trophy United Way Awards Solo Awards 140-143 Solo Championship Trophy Solo Fanatic Award Order of the Bent Valve Bridgestone Blizzak Cup Dow's Lake Trophy Novice Solo Champion Kinky Drags Eliminator Cross-Discipline Awards 143 The Ladies Cup Worker Awards 144-146 ‘Top Female Worker Trophy Golden Pen Award Gary Hunt Memorial Order of the Holed Piston Order of the Straight Pipe Order of the Burned Spark Plug 132Join The SCADAPa kTeam —_——— < Looking for a winning career in high-tech? About Control Microsystems How about joining a company that's as committed to motorsports Control Microsystems specializes in real-time as you? remote monitoring and control. Our products are Used to automate pipelines oil and gas production, water and sewage systems, irigation canals, transportation networks and communication systems, Control Microsystems, creator of the industry-leading SCADAPack programmable controller, needs embedded software developers, Windows application developers, technical writers, production technicians, sales, marketing and technical support personnel Ht you've got the talent and drive to succeed, Our market is Planet Earth, there's a place for you of our team. 5 ‘We're headquartered in Kanata. Contact James Holtom i, Visit us at jholtom@controtmicrosystems.com www.controlmicrosystems.comAchievement Annual Achievement Award Awarded annually to recognize substantial contribution to the club's image through work on behalf of the club, or by results in a national or regional series 1999 lan Madden 1998 John Blouin 1997 Chris Capowski 1996 Jason Belec 1995 Cindy Armstrong, Bob Armstrong 1994 Mike Lowe 1993 Ron Woltman, Mike Kilby, Terry Dale 1992 Nigel Mortimer 1991 Terry Dale Ted Powell Award 1990 Paul Swinwood Awarded, whenapplicable, to recognize lifetime involvement 1989. and achievement for the betterment of motorsport. Ages) Stave MeCamus In 1986, the MCO recognized Ted Powell’s 50th Anniversary 1967 Bob Armstrong ofinvolement and dedication to motorsport, by creating 1986 Steve McCamus trophy in his name and presenting it to him. All of the 1985 Dale Pasternak subsequent winners have been involved in motorsport for 1984 Bob Pasternak ‘years oF more as members of the MCO. 1983 Tery Dale 1982 Bob Pasternak 1981 1980 Derek Pasternak 1979 John Woolford 1978 Paul Swinwood, Tom Wimperis 4999 Paul Swinwood 1973-1977 1995 Nigel Mortimer 1972 Bob Armstrong 1990 Bob Armstrong 1971 Derek Robertson 1987 Terry Dale 1970 Derek Robertson 1986 Ted Powell 1969 Derek Robertson 1968 Olto Schreiber 1967 0. Bird 1966 A. Catinus 1965 W. LaHaise 1964 J. Rendell 1963 Imi Underwood 1 Wou! Great Place! Interior Design Consultants. Joonne Padewiskas ESRace Dewar Trophy Awarded when applicable to the top rookie driverin dry- track racing. This trophy was donated by Gordon Dewar in memory of his son Gordon Michael Dewar. The original trophy, 0 large silver serving tray, was lost during the bankruptey proceedings of a local Ottawa engraving shop in 1994. I was kindly replaced by John Descarie of Trophies&Things, with trophy shown. 1999 Ken Baird 1998 Jeremy Hamilton 1997. Frank Smith 1996 Len Clue 1995 David Preston . 4984 Gord Grieg Frank Hicks Formula Trophy 1990-1993 Awarded annually, when applicable, to recognize reasonable success 1989 Wayne Jones in an open-wheel series through dedication and perseverance. 1986, Pam Mikddleton/Desjardins ‘The original trophy, donated by long-time MCO member Frank 1987 Mike Lowe Hicks, was heavily damaged and eventually replaced in 1995 with the 1986 Fred Blinn trophy shown. 1985 Andre Jette 1984 1983. Bill Johnston 1982 Roger Picard 1981 Pat Blouin 1980 Nigel Mortimer 1979. Mike Dolan 1978 1977 Ted Rance 1976 John Peterkin 1975 Rex Wallis 4974 Peter Grummett 1973. Bob Armstrong 1972 1971 Stu Trude! 1970 Glen Sibbitt 1969. Terry Hale 1968. Bob Hare 1967 Normand Amyot 1966 Gordon Dewar 1999 Dave Connelly 1998 Gord 1997 Lee Racicot 1996 Lee Racicot 1995 Sam Mandia 1991-1994 1990 Rod McMillan 1989 Ron Woltman ~ 1988 on Woltman 1987 Ron Woltman 1986 Nigel Mortimer 1985 Wayne Jones 1984 Doug Jacques 1983. 1982 Dave Houston 1981 Wayne Jones 1980 Wayne Jones 1979 John Rattray 1978 M Prescott 1977 Wayne Jones 1976 Bob Armstrong Thanks for th memories. —RPWRace Frank Hicks Sedan Trophy Awarded annually, when applicable, to recognize reasonable success in a closed wheel series through perseverence and dedication. This trophy was donated by long-time MCO member, Frank Hicks. 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 Bob Armstrong Len Clue Len Clue Bob Armstrong Bob Armstrong Rob Dale Nigel Mortimer Mike Kilby Bob Armstrong Bob Armstrong Mike Kilby Mike Kilby 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 Fred Blinn Norm Sumner Chris Durie Jay Saslove Jay Sasiove ‘Scott MoCo Norm Sumner Norm Sumner Mike Dolan Bill Lamb John Woolford Frank Hicks Technical Trophy Awarded annually, when applicable, to recognize 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1998 1992 1991 1990 1989 substantial sportsmanship and or technical expert given series. inany This trophy was donated by long-time MCO member, Frank Hicks. John Blouin ‘Sam Mandia Mike Lowe Glen Cadney R. Bennett Leckie ‘Sean McConomy Bob Armstrong Greg Caron Nigel Mortimer Bearbrook Racing 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 Mike Kilby / Don Horner To Sir Stirling Moss. The best there ewer was. The best there ever will be, MSL, RPW Bailey Desjardins Heathen Racing Bailey Desjardins Heathen Racing John Neufeld Heathen Racing ‘Woodstock Racing Ted Rance Equipe Chimo Stu TrudelRace Hard Luck Trophy Awarded annually to recognize perseverance and dedication despite a season of hard hick and continuous disappointment Trophy was created and donated by John Descarie of ‘Trophiesé&Things”for those whocontinued toshow ‘heart” despite a series of misfortunes”. Gohn Descarie and his staff have been responsible for the upkeep of the MCO’s trophies since 1986.) 1999 Sean McConomy 1998 Ted Martin 1997 Sean McConomy 1996 John Blouin 1995 David Preston 1994 Mike Kilby 1993 Kevan Bennett 1992 Bruce Anderson 1991 Ted Powell, Terry Dale, Greg Caron, Bob Armstrong, Cindy Armstrong 1990 Don Skelton 1989 Roy Proctor, Ryznar Racing 1988 Dominique Leberton, Syivain Erickson 1987 P.L.O. Racing MCO Ice Racing Trophy Awarded annually until 1993 to the MCO lee Racing Champion. This trophy was originally donated to the club by Hotel SurLe Lac at St. Pierre de Wakefield, Quebec. From 1978 to 1984 the MCO Ice Race series was held on the lake in front of the hotel. 1992 Pierre Lacroix 1991 Jim Graham 1990 Jose Recardo 1989 Rob Vellan 1988 Ferdinand Trauttmansdortt 1987 John Simpson 1986 Steve McCamus 1985 Robert Head 1984 Chris Durie 1983 John Neufeld 1982 Mike Lamothe 1981 Martin Handforth 1980 Dave Armstrong 1979 Mike Alcock 1978 Wayne Chater 186 “Thank You" to fol Descarie and the staff of Trophics&/Things for your continued courteous, prompt and excellent service.Race MCO Racing Championship Trophy Awarded annually to the driver who achieves the highest success in any dry-track series. This trophy was orginally presented to the winner of the Carp Grand Prix from 1953-1955 before being modified and re-issued as the Racing Championship Trophy. Also referred to occasionally as the Carling Trophy becauseit was donated by Carling Breweries. 1999 lan Madden 1998 Gord Grieg 1997 Gord Grieg 1996 Lew Mackenzie 1995 Sean MeConomy 1994 Rob Peters 1993 Rob Peters 1982 Steven Morris Paddock Engineer Award 1891 Mike Kilby ‘Awarded annually to a crew member who contributes the most to the 1990 Mike Kilby success of not only their team, but also the success of fellow competitors 1989 Nigel Mortimer through their relentless dedication and perseverance. 1988 Steve McCamus 1987 Nigel Mortimer 1986 Dave Houston 1985 Steve McCamus This trophy was designed, built, and donated by Bailey Desjardins, 1984 Chris Durie 1999 Cindy Armstrong 1983 Doug Jacques 1998 Robert Microys, Mike Lowe 1982 Dave Houston 1997 Trevor Armstrong 1981 Wayne Jones 1996 Mike Kilby - 1980 Mike Dolan 1995 Tim Dickman, Bryan Dickman 1994 R.Bennett Leckie poss 1974-1978 Bob Armstrong 1973 John Powell 1993 Rob McDougall BE 1972 Brian Robertson 1992 Bill Johnston 1971 Brian Robertson 1991 Glen Sibbitt 1970 Don Horner 1990 Nick Berry 1965-1969 Ted Powell 1989 Wendy Mortimer 1964 Barry Somervail 1988 Roger Haspeck 1963. Ted Powell 1987 R. Bennett Leckie 4962 Denny Quirk 1986 Ted Rose 1961 Bill Pickthome 1985 Ted Rose 1983,1984 1982 Ralph Dowdell 1981 Laura Wilson 1980 Bailey Desjardins 1979 Derek Robertson 1978 David Washington Silver Star Promotions Dave Butler 613-226-7755 dave@promostar.ca 137Rally MCO-Sunoco Gasoline Economy Run ble, to the winning team in the rally. Awarded, when appl Sponsored by theSun Oil Company, the Economy Run car rally wasstaged until 1978, To determine an overall winner, a ratio of thenumber of gallons of fuel used for the weight of the car was factored into the rally result, 1978 F Dejong ohn Woolford (Datsun 510) 1977 MBoland J Robertson (Fiat 128) 1973-1976 1972 G Kroll Otto Schreiber (vw 1500) 4971 P Hartmann J Shehr (Fiat 850) 1989,1970 1968 M Jones S Jones (Ford Falcon) 1967 Joe Mendes J Rendell (Volvo 122) 1966 The Lindsays (Sunbeam Imp) 1965 C Lahaise Rally Driver's Trophy Awarded, when applicable, to the driver who achieves the highest success in a rally series. 1999 Jak Laan 1998 Jak Laan 1997 Steve Laird W Lahaise 1996 Gord Grieg (Volvo Canadian) 1991-1995 1964 The Barbers 1990 Claude Gagne (Volvo 544) 1989 A. Bennett Leckie 1986-1988 1985 Pam Middleton/Desjardins 1984 R. Bennett Leckie 1982,1983 1981 A. Bennett Leckie 1980 Bob Pasternak 1979 Bob Pastemmak 1978 Bailey Desjardins 1977 Ron Schell ABBY) To alt the MCO members who worked on the Shell 4000. Sponsored by Nancy (Daviidge) Frey, wee .lorneparkproductions.comL Smith Trophy Awarded, when applicable, to the nav Rally | achieves the highest success in a rally series. This trophy was created and clonated by Len Smith in recognition of rally navigation achievement. 1999 1998 1997 1996 Chris Krepski Steve Laird Mike Merriam Kelly Grieg 1991-1995 1990 1989 David Shaw Bill Lamb 1986-1988 1985 1984 Bailey Desjardins Jacques Giard 1982,1983 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 Bill Johnston Bailey Desjardins Jo Pasternak C Leitch Bailey Desjardins Guy Marentette 1968-1975 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 Otto Schreiber P Lindsay DCosifora Geoff Voyce Geotf Voyce MBaracte RCarie RBalwin R Ratz Bernard Burdeau R Garrison MCullan Rhonda Wardle K Narraway 1981 1981 1980 1980 igator who United Way Awards (Rally and Media) Rally: Awarded to the (Below right) Media: Awarded to the winning media team in the rally. (Below left) ing team in the rally. W Osborne M Soubliere Media - Terry Hale McKeen Media - CHEZ FM Page sponsored by Jeun MacGillivray and fini MorrowSOLO Championship Trophy ‘Awarded annually to the competitor with the highest combined points total for Solo 1, Solo Il, and Winter Solo. 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 197 1976 1975 1974 1972 1971 140 Steve Pomeroy Robert Microys Lawrenee King Lawrence King Mike Merriam Tom Lang Bill Rogerson Mike Merriam Brian Cripps Chris Egner Richard Nash Richard Nash Mike Merriam Tim Gorham, Gary Corbett Gary Corbett Mike Kilby Claude Jacques Bill Johnston Bill Johnston Bill Johnston Nick Berry Nigel Mortimer Nigel Mortimer Mike Lamothe Nigel Mortimer John Haysom im Whiteside Solo SOLO Fanatic Award Awarded annually to the individual who contributes personal time and effort beyond the call of duty for the betterment of the Solo discipline. This trophy was created and donated by Jason Belec of Media Madness Productions. 1999 1998 1997 1996 Page sponsored by Jolin Bloutie—Equipe Pumpkin Gordon Acorn Steve Pomeroy / Gordon Acom Chris Caposki Robert MicroysSolo Order of the Bent Valve Awarded annually to the competitor with the second highest combined points total for Solo I, Solo Il and Winter Solo. From 1955 to 1972, this trophy was given to the combined worker/ competitor with the most worker points in the 600-799 range. 1999 Lawrence King 1984 Hazel Rye 1969 1998 Steve Pomeroy 1983 Scott Harrison 1968 P Lindsay 1997 Steve Pomeroy 1982 Don Young 1967 RLaws 1996 Robert Microys 1981 John Woolford 1968 D Barber 1995 Lawrence King 1980 Tom Gifford 1965 CMeNeill 1994 Colin French 1979 John Burton 1963. lan Whyte 1993 Geoff Sibbitt 1978 Chris Durie 1962 R Worther 1992 1977 Martin Hangforth 1961 RCarie 1991 Jeff Avon 1978 Mike Lamothe 1960 D Ireland 1990 Debbie Nabert/Coulboumn 1975 Stu Trude! 1959 Marilyn Turner / M Withey 1989 Glen Sibbitt 1974 Eber Ayotte 1958 Berard Bureau 1988 Geolf Empey 1973 Don Francis 1957 Marilyn Turner 1987 Eric Sibbitt 1972 Bailey Desjardins 1956 L Smith 1986 Fred Davidson 1971 Derek Robertson 1955 Margaret Callan/Currie 1985 Bill Monan 1970 D Underwood Bridgestone BLIZZAK Cup Awarded to the Ice Solo II Champion. ‘The trophy was donated by Bridgestone Tires who originally sponsored the Bridgestone Blizzak It was renamed the MCO Winter Solo Il series after Bridgestone discontinued sponsorship of the series in 1997, When Bridgestone was sponsoring the series, each class winner also won a set of 4 Blizzak tires. 1999 Rob Lefebvre 1998 Chris Capowski 1997 Dan Stephanson 1996 Mike Merriam 1995 R. Bennett Leckie 1994 Martin Walter For Stephen—hntever nakes you happy. Christal 144Dow’s Lake Trophy Solo Awarded annually to the summer Solo II champion. Created and donated to the club by the owners and management of the Dow's Lake Boathouse Marina. 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 142 Jaak Laan Eric Mandeville Bill Rogerson Bill Rogerson Lawrence King Jacques Dory Bill Rogerson Mike Merriam Brian Cripps Richard Nash Richard Nash Richard Nash 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 Mike Merriam Tim Gorham Gary Corbett Gary Corbett Mike Kilby ‘Scott Harrison Bill Johnston John Burton, John Woolford, Bill Johnston Tom Gilford, Bill Johnston Nick Berry Nigel Mortimer Nige! Mortimer Barry Kershaw Solo. 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 Novice SOLO Champion Awarded highest combined points total for Solo I, Solo II, and winter intially to the first year competitor with the Eric Mandeville Ryan MoNeil Russel Drummond Jerzy Suwala Jon Armstrong Mike Andersen Congratulations on mare than 50 plus years of Canadian motorsport. —Roduey and Nic MaernlingSolo Cross Discipline The Kinky Drags Eliminator The Ladies Cup Awarded annually, when applicable, to the Top Awarded to the top female competitor across the Eliminator of the Kinky Drags Solo Event. disciplines. ‘The Kinky Drags event was initially sponsored by Awarded only when there have been female club Belevedere cigarettes from 1972 to 1979, Belvedere members c supplied trophies to the overall winner as well as each 1995 1986 Jim Graham 1994 Kim Woolley 1985 Richard Poitras 1993 Kim Woolley 1984 1992 Kim Woolley 1983 Bill Monon 1991 Debbie Nabert/Colbourn 1982 Bill Monnon 1990 Debbie Nabert/Colbourn 1981 Will Moizer 1988,1989 1980 Peter Griffiths 1987 Mary Craig/Johnston 1986 Jaclyn Herne 1985 Hazel Rye 1984 Hazel Rye 1983. 1982 Mary CraigiJohnston 1981 Mary CraigiJohnston 1980 Mary Craig/Johnston 1979 Pat Blouin 1976-1978 1975 Fran Radiord 1973,1974 1972 Joy Thomson 4971 Anne Harrison 1970 1969 BSibbitt 1968 Iti Underwood 1967 Itmi Underwood 1966 nmi Underwood 1965 A Barber 1964 Itmi Underwood 1963 Inmi Underwood 1962 1961 D Bennet 1960 O Brennan 1958 R Hughes co WeeWee, Oksee Wate, Holy Mackinaw Tigers, et ‘cm rat! For Carmen (Jone) Veranda 443Worker Top Female Worker Trophy ‘Awarded annually to the female club member who accumulates the most worker points. Worker points are accumulated by working atevents organized by the MCO, ‘or as a representative of the MCO contributing to the success or promotion of the club through other MCO- sanctioned activities. 1999 Debbie Nabert/Colboun 1998 Sherissa Microys 1997 Sherissa Microys 1996 Melodie Caron 1995 Kim Woolley 1994 Joanne Lowe 1993 Kim Woolley, The Golden Pen Award Mary Craig/Johnston Awarded annually to the MCO member who has 1992 Kim Woolley contributed the most content to the MCO newsletter, 1991 Pat Blouin The Link. 1990 Debbie Nabert/Colbourn 1989 Debbie Nabert/Colbourn 4988 Debbie Nabert/Colbourn 1987 Debbie Nabert/Colbourn 1999 Mike Lowe 1986 Carol Halikas, 1998 Bruce Murphy Pam Middieton/Desjardins 1997 Jason Belec 1985 Carol Halikas 1996 Dave Butler 1984 Hazel Rye 1995 1983. Jo Pasternak 1994 Tom Lang 1982 Jo Pasternak 1993 Ron Wollman 1981 Mary Craig/Johnston 1992 Colin French 1980 Mary Craigilohnston 1991 Don Skelton 1979 Pam Middleton/Desjardins 1990 Dave Butler 1978S. Leitch 1989 Phil Pothier 1977 Nicole Chater 1988 Mike Lowe 1976 Fran Radford 1987 Jeff Spry 1875 Wendy Mortimer 1986 Roger Haspeck 4974 Fran Radford 1985 Mike Lowe 1973 Fran Radford 1984 Mike Lowe 1972 Heather Butler 1983 Dave Butler 1982 Dave Buller 1979-1981 1978 Dave Butler FAA) Great new book? At Signs —Ken Moore 613-866-2Worker The Gary Hunt Memorial 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 Awarded annually to the male club member who accumulates the most worker points. Worker points are accumulated by working at events organized by the MCO, or as a representative of the MCO contributing to the success or promotion of the club through other MCO-sanctioned activities. Originally called the Top Male Worker Trophy the name was changed in tribute to MCO member Gary Hunt, who lost his life in the role of a worker at an MCO event. Steve Pomeroy Jason Belec Order of the Holed Piston ‘ason a Awarded annually to the first-year club member who has Fon Woltman accumulated! themostworkerpoints, Worker pointsareaccumulated by working at events organized by the MCO, or as. representative Tem Eang of the MCO, contributing to the suecess or promotion of the club Mike Kilby through other MCO-sanctioned activities. Mike Kilby Mike Leach Dave Buller, Don Skelton 1999 Helen Zhou 1990 Terry Hawkins Geott Empey 1998 Jim Morrow 1989 Jose Ricardo, Nikki Ricardo Mike Eastbury 1997 Chris Krepski 1988 Mike Lowe 1996 Robert Microys 1987 Chris Trauttmansdorff R. Bennett Leckie 1995 Adam Morimer 1986. Tim Gorham Mike Lowe 1994 Joanne Lowe 1985 Jeff Spry Mike Kilby 1993 Jack Cadney 1984 Mike Lowe Dave Butler 1992 Mike Anderson «1983 _-Paul Simmonds, Tony ye Guy Marantette 1991 Frank Garand 1982 Don Young 1981 Jeff Berman John Woolford 1980 John Woolford 1979 Pam Midaleton/Desjardins Bailey Desjardins 1978 J. Grey Nigel! Mortimer 1977 Chris Durie Wayne Chater, 1973-1976 Mike Lamothe 1972 Rex Wallis Bob Pasternak 1971 Craig Loe sim Whiteside 1970 Bill Lamb Dave Armstrong 1969 C Clarke 1968 G Craig 1967 O. Bird, F. Davies, D. Davies In memory of Gary and Krysta. Ronald P. Woltman (F448146 Worker Order of the Straight Pipe Awarded annually to the member who accumulated in excess of 1000 worker points. Presentation of this trophy was discontinued after the creation of the Gary Hunt Memorial (top male worker) and Top Female Worker trophies. 1974 Barry Kershaw 1972, 1978 4971 Denny Quirk 1970 Otto Schreiber 1969 B. McLaurin 1968 D. Davies 1967 J. Underwood 1966 P. Lindsay 1965 J. Rendell 1964 J. Rendell 1963 J. Underwood 1962. Currie 1961 R. Worther 1960. Piggott 1959 H. Mommert 1958 C. Baker 1957 0. Garrison 1956 M. Turner 1955 E. Turcotte Order of the Burned Spark Plug Awarded annually to the. member who accumulated worker points in the range of 800-999. Presentation of this trophy was dis- continued after the creation of the ‘Top Male and Top Female Worker trophies. (No photo or award data available.) Canadian Mo alo Fane «Temple de a Renee da Spot MotriséCanai oc 54, Toronto, Oni, Cansia MBG 208 To (6) 37-2648, Fe (10997-2851 Motorsport Ciub of Ottawa, ‘Mr Rob Microys, President, PO Box 65008, Merivale Postal Outlet [Nepean Ontario, Dear Mr. Microys, Itis with great pleasure, on behalf of the Board of Govemors of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame | extend our congratulations to your Club on the celebration of your 50, Years in Motorsport. Itcame to our attention, that last year your club, under President John Blouin, was ‘acknowledged as one of three clubs in Canada who were founding members of the ASC, |We at the Museum are proud on becoming the repository of Canadian Motarspor history and are pleased to acknowledge, both today and in the future your Club's ongoing ‘support and contribution to e sport we all enjoy so much. Your Club, with alli has done ‘ver the years to bring our spor fo such a position of prominence inthe world today, wil be recognized as a founder ofthe sport in Canada also. ‘To honour your Club, a copy ofthis letter of congratulations will ang in the Museum along with other clubs who have done so much for us all over the past 50 years. |We thank you and the other dedicated members of your executive and in particular the hard working members who continue to make your events a success. (On Bahalt ofthe Board of Governors Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame and Museum NboblEa | N Ross de St Croix Past Chairman, My thanks to Greg Blythe, Jay Vakabowick, and the crew at Jostens Canada. —Christal