Road to success
Debert superbike racer enshrined into national motorcycle hall of fame
Gary McKinnon’s passion for racing motorbikes dates back more than four decades.
As an 18-year-old, McKinnon remembers watching his first road race at the old airport in Debert.
He was hooked.
“We went and watched the last race of the year in 1970 and I thought, ‘golly, that looks like a lot of fun and a fairly safe place to go do it,”’ said McKinnon, of Debert.
The following year, McKinnon bought a bike from a friend and made his racing debut in 1971 at the airport track.
“After that first race, I knew it was something I wanted to do,” he said.
That season, he was named the circuit’s rookie of the year.
It would be the first of several honours bestowed upon him during a highly successful racing career that has spanned 46 years.
Last month, McKinnon was recognized for his accomplishments on two wheels when he was inducted into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Montreal.
“It was hard to believe, quite humbling; it’s not something I really ever thought about or expected,” said McKinnon, 65. “It’s great to be acknowledged for something like that. I’ve known a lot of great racers and contributors that have been inducted
in the last 11 years – a lot of great people to be put in there, so I’m very honoured.”
McKinnon raced in New Hampshire, Quebec and Ontario in the early 1970s before Atlantic Motorsport Park, near Shubenacadie, opened in 1974. He has been a weekend regular at AMP and has won numerous races and series titles at the 2.5km, 11-turn layout.
MacKinnon, a retired salesman from Nova Enterprises Ltd., competes in the Atlantic Road
Racing League. He rides a 650 Suzuki in Sportsman 2 and Formula 46 classes and rides a 250 Kawasaki in the lightweight GP class. He won all three classes in 2016 and set a new lap record in the lightweight GP class.
“I’ve been around that racetrack in Shubenacadie so many times, it’s like the back of my hand; well, I probably I know it better than the back of my hand,” he laughed.
MacKinnon says he is still highly competitive, and enjoys
racing against the younger generation of riders. He said the region is full of talented racers.
“I kind of keep them on their toes,” he said. “They’re all happy when they beat me and I don’t mind shaking their hand. Because if they beat me, I know they’re working hard because I try to give 100 per cent.”
And while McKinnon is the most veteran rider on the circuit, he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
“I love doing it. You keep active and you feel good and it’s exciting and it’s kind of rewarding.
“I’m hoping I can stay healthy enough to do another eight years. That would be the 50th anniversary of the racetrack.”