Catching up: Veteran racers gather after three-year absence
There were lots of smiles, backslaps and handshakes at the recent Speedway Park alumni breakfast monthly meeting on the Hamilton Mountain. For the first time in three years, the former local oval track drivers gathered in person to sit around, play catch-up and relive their past.
About 30 race veterans took part in this latest meeting, presented through the efforts of Lorne Overholster and Larry Woods, both former racers themselves.
Several attending presented racing photographs, including the one shown here of the late Eric Bradt with his late 1930s Ford Coupe at the Greatheads Garage on Locke Street circa 1950.
When asked if Bradt raced solely at Ancaster at that time, Mount Hope’s Al Banyard was quick to set the record straight.
“We raced at Ancaster, Brantford, Streetsville and Merrittville, and probably a few others that escape me now,” noted Banyard, now 89 years old and still playing an active role in the Can-Am TQ Midget Club of which he was a founder over 50 years ago.
Alumni racer Wayne Ready, who presented the photo, was quick to jump in.
“We flat-towed to all those places,” said Ready who credits Bradt for teaching him the quick way around the dirt tracks of the day. “He taught me a lot.”
Banyard, who raced with his brother Bob during this time, noted that the heavy crash bar on the front of Bradt’s car was common to most of the Flathead Ford coupes, “but you didn’t want to get a flat in the front,” he said. “The front of the car would sink into the dirt with that huge bar on the front and you would stop in a real hurry, usually with the rear end coming up in the air.”
Almost everything on the race car was homebuilt at the time. What little speed equipment that was available then was difficult to import from the U.S., and costly. Tires (with tubes) were the car’s weakest link, with drivers using heavy-duty car tires since racing tires were built only for Indianapolis-style cars. Fords, such as the one shown here, made up the majority of race cars due to their powerful (for the time) V8 engines, light weight and high volume.
Ready was featured in a 1965 edition of “The Harvester” (a company employee publication) that was passed around at the breakfast, courtesy of Bill Daniels.
Ready worked in the powerhouse of the International Harvester Company of Canada. He was featured in a three-page spread called “Stock Car Racing,” with photos of he and his 1939 Chevy-bodied Sportsman at Speedway Park. One shot is a dramatic, interior-lit portrait of Ready to do battle.
Also included in the story is a shot of Wayne Conroy at work as a draftsman and mentions his work at race tracks as a pit man. Conroy is one of the four original owners/ builders of Cayuga Speedway, which opened in 1966.
For anyone who wants to view some of the local action that took place in the past 70 years, there is a Facebook group set up under the
Gatornationals
The upcoming NHRA Gatornationals will feature several cars of the iconic Don Garlits on display during the three-day meet March 9 to 12 in Gainesville, Fla. Usually sequestered at his museum in nearby Ocala, six Garlits cars will be at Gainesville, including his Flatheadpowered dragster, the Swamp Rat 1, and the Swamp Rat 6B of 1964, the first car to run 200 m.p.h. in drag racing.
Ohsweken registration
Information and registration meetings for the upcoming season at Ohsweken Speedway will take place Feb. 26 at the Glenn Styres Racing Shop at 2159 Fourth Line in Ohsweken. Season and pit passes will also be available. Micro Sprints meeting and registration begins at 1 p.m., followed by the 360 and Crate Sprint Cars at 2 p.m., with Mini Stocks and Thunder Cars starting at 3 p.m.
Eight races of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series will be available for viewing on the TSN network, including the Indianapolis 500, as well as the Honda Indy Toronto, IndyCar recently announced
IndyCar on TSN
Eight races of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series will be available for viewing on the TSN network, including the Indianapolis 500, as well as the Honda Indy Toronto, IndyCar recently announced. Live streaming of all17 races in addition to coverage of all practice and qualifying sessions will be available on the newly launched TSN Plus.
TIM MILLER IS THE AUTHOR OF SEVERAL BOOKS ON AUTO RACING AND CAN BE REACHED AT TIMMILLERTHECARGUY @GMAIL.COM