2015 Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies

Tickets for the 2015 Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame’s Induction Ceremonies to be held on Saturday October 17, 2015, are now available.

This year’s Canadian inductees are: John Chisholm (posthumously), Ralph Luciw, Alex Tagliani, and Don Thomson Jr. The International inductee is Sir Jackie Stewart.

All of this year’s inductees, and several past inductees like VARAC’s Bill Brack, Eppie Wietzes, Ron Fellows and Mark Rotharmel, have confirmed their attendance at the ceremony so this is a unique opportunity to rub shoulders with some of racing’s greats.

The ceremony starts at 7:30 pm at the Glenn Gould Studio Theatre, 250 Front Street West, Toronto. Doors open at 6:30 and there will be a silent auction held in conjunction with this event.

Tickets are $85.00 and can be ordered online at www.cmhf.ca.

The CMHF looks forward to seeing all of you there!

VARAC Racers End The Season In Style at CASC/CTMP Celebration of Motorsports

TORONTO, ON (Sept 16, 2015) – The Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada will be competing this weekend, September 26 and 27, 2015 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (Mosport) for the end of season race.

“This is the last race of the year in Ontario,” says VARAC Pit Signals Editor Jeremy Sale. “There will be grids for Vintage/Historic and Classic (G70+, G90) cars. It promises to be an exciting weekend, with contenders ready to pick up valuable VARAC championship points. Come out and join us! Find out what vintage racing is all about!”

This is the last kick at the can for most VARAC racers, unless they are heading south, so they will be competing for the last available championship points on Canadian Tire Motorsport Park’s challenging 2.459-mile track.

You will see cars from the fifties and sixties like MGB, Lotus, Austin Healey, Triumph and Porsche as well as the more modern cars from the Classic class.

Great racing, the way it used to be. In addition there are the modern grids, GT Sprints, F1200 and Formula Libre.

Best of all, tickets are free!” Check here: http://www.casc.on.ca/sites/default/files/8_cel_sept_26-27_wicket.pdf

David Holmes Makes News In The ObserverXtra

A passion for MGs … and speed

Excerpt by Scott Barber from the ObserverXtra

There’s a thunderous roar as David Holmes revs the engine of his iris blue 1959 MGA Twin Cam.

Pumping out 140 horsepower and weighing just 1,600 pounds, the speedy import once owned by legendary Canadian vintage racer Dick Baker can reach speeds upwards of 145 miles per hour.

After being purchased last spring from Baker’s sons, the rare British sports car became the fourth racing certified vehicle in Holmes’ ever-growing fleet. Now, with some minor tuning and a test-ride at the track in Grand Bend out of the way, the longtime Elmira resident is ready to put the car back in the race.

Read the full article from the ObserverXtra here…

VARAC Racers Head to CTMP for BEMC Indian Summer Trophy Races

 

TORONTO, ON (Sept 7, 2015) – The Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada will be competing this coming weekend, Sept 12 and 13, 2015 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Mosport) for the 61st Annual BEMC Indian Summer Trophy Races.

“This is your opportunity to come and find out all about Vintage Racing” says VARAC Membership Director Ivan Samila. “There will be VARAC grids for Vintage/Historic and Classic (G70+, G90). This event also hosts the 7th round of the CASC-OR Regional Race Championship and the final race of the Toyo Tire F1600 Championship. Other race groups will include a 3 Hour Enduro for GT cars, GT Sprints as well as Formula Libre and F4. It promises to be an exciting weekend, full of action. Come out and join us!”

Founded in 1928 as a motorcycle racing club, the British Empire Motor Club has organized more motorsports events than any other club in Canada! Back in 1958, the members – on a huge gamble – took an option on a piece of property north of Bowmanville and put on the first competitive event, a motorcycle scramble, on May 24, 1959, at what became Mosport Park, more recently CTMP. The club, with partners, operated Mosport until 1966 when it was sold to private interests. The club celebrates its 87th anniversary this year.

The first winner of the famous Indian Summer Trophy was Fred Hayes in a Triumph back in 1955. Other winners include names like Denis Coad, Francis Bradley, Peter Ryan, John Cannon, Peter Lerch, Ludwig Heimrath and Gary Magwood. As the VARAC championship season begins to wind down this will be the second last Ontario race of 2015, with valuable points for Vintage Historic and Classic race cars.

For more information please contact [email protected]

 

 

2015 MCO Ted Powell Races – Calabogie Motorsports Park

VARAC had a great weekend of racing at Calabogie Motorsports Park on August 22&23, 2015 as part of the MCO Ted Powell Races.

Check out our photos!

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VARAC Racers Head to Calabogie for MCO Ted Powell Memorial Races

TORONTO, ON (August 14, 2015) – The Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada will be competing August 22, 23 at Calabogie Motorsports Park, a world class, 5.05 km long race track facility with all the challenges of elevation, camber changes and 20 challenging turns. Calabogie has quickly built a great reputation for exciting racing.

The VARAC grid will include Vintage/Historic and Classic (G70+, G90) and will be a Points Race for the club championship. Other grids will include: GT Sprints, F1600, GT Challenge/Quebec Super Production, F1200, RADICAL/Formula Libre.

VARAC vice president Ted Michalos says “Calabogie is known as a great track to race on, it’s challenging with 20 corners to master. It is a real driver’s circuit and also has good spectator vantage points.”

Created in 1949 as the Ottawa Light Car Club, MCO has grown to become the largest Motorsport club in Ontario with nearly 400 members. The Ted Powell Memorial races are named after Canadian racer Ted Powell.

Ted was at Mosport for a camping weekend with his son, John. They watched Innes Ireland, the Team Lotus Formula 1 driver; roll a Mini Cooper in a celebrity race. Ted bought the Mini and fixed it up, campaigning it with Ireland’s number (30), which he took for his own. He dominated his class at the Mosport, Mont-Tremblant and Trois-Rivières tracks.

Ted was a Canadian national racing champion in the late 1960s and early ’70s and was inducted into the
Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2007.

For more information on VARAC at the calabogie event please contact [email protected]

August 2015 Pit Signals

The August 2015 edition of VARAC Pit Signals by Jeremy Sale has been released!

Click here to download your personal copy.

VARAC Pit Signals

Features this month include:

  • Andrew Celovsky’s tales of The Pittsburgh Grand Prix
  • Brits on The Lake by Bob DeShane
  • The Collier Cup at Watkins Glen
  • Jim Holody Awarded the “MG Collier Cup”
  • Alfas at the Glen w/ Christopher Creighton
  • PIRC by Joe Lightfoot
  • HMSA at Mont Tremblant
  • Waterford Hills Report by Jeremy Sale
  • Classifieds and More!