Class of 2017 announced

Induction ceremony for Maritime Hall of Fame in Summerside

The new 10-member class is set for induction into the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame, and four Islanders are part of the 2017 inductees.

Each are being recognized for their accomplishments and/ or contributions in Maritime motorsports.

The induction ceremony is Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Loyalist Country Inn in Summerside.

The Island foursome includes Kevin Power and James Merrill Cronin going in as builders of drag racing and stock car racing, and track owners Wayne Gaudet, builder in stock car, and Carl Livingston, who received the nod posthumously for his work as a stock car competitor and owner.

Power started drag racing in the early 1970s with a 1956 Ford sedan, and Cronin helped establish stock car racing on P.E.I.

In 1981, Power, Cronin and Doug Young purchased the Oyster Bed Bridge drag track, then bought out Young.

After a 1984 fire the pair expanded the facility to include a quarter-mile dirt track, and eventually paved the track in 1987.

Power sold the stock car track in 2010.

The track is the longest-running drag track in Canada.

Gaudet started in motorcycle drag racing throughout the Maritimes before switching to motorcycle road racing.

From there, Gaudet worked with Rodney MacDonald on the Sherwood Do It Centre car before moving to Ottawa as crew chief for the Randy MacDonald entry.

That eventually led to gig a with the NASCAR Winston Cup team of Chad Little. Then Roush Racing hired him to manage its fabrication shop.

Gaudet was the first P.E.I. resident to be part of a Winston Cup championship team.

Carl Livingston began racing on P.E.I. dirt tracks in 1966.

In 1985, he moved to the new Raceway Park in Oyster Bed Bridge, where he raced street stock and modified.

There he had multiple triple wins, and finished third in the season points in 1987, then moved on to the MASCAR Tour in 1989 and 1990.

Livingston retired due to health reasons, but became owner and sponsor for his son, Kent, from 1992-2007, winning the modified championship in 1996.

The inductees from New Brunswick are Donnie Beers, posthumously, stock car competitor; James Cowie, drag racing competitor; Cyril Hall, stock car promotions and track announcer, and Kevin Taylor, tractor pulling competitor.

Nova Scotia’s group includes Cy Harvey, stock car competitor; William Clark, drag racing competitor and motor sports builder, and Gary Pozzebon, drag racing builder and competitor.

Thirty nominations were considered by the MMHF induction committee.

Tickets are $80 each, including dinner, and are available at 506-756-2110.