| 1979 |
I had recently joined the Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada (VARAC) on the insistence on my friends at the Alfa Romeo Club of Canada. I was driving a 59 MGA as well as a 72 Alfa GTV. The president of VARAC, Louw Broadfield welcomed me and encouraged me to take my MGA racing. Having Solo raced my Alfa, I knew the difficulties of dual use vehicles! That year I purchased from Louw, the Teubler special, since his recent heart condition precluded him from competition. The Teubler restoration was and is a long and arduous one, surviving two other restorations and a divorce!
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| June 1992 |
I sell my Teubler special to a good friend and DKW racer Frank Johansson in Pennsylvania.
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| June 2005 |
I learned that my car had passed hands again and the new owner was interested in sending the car home to Canada. A trip to Florida brought home my Teubler DKW special.
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| Mar 12, 2006 |
I have a very nice set of photos of my car and am interested in tracing its history. I knew that Helmut Teubler raced it in 61 sold it to Günter Decker, who raced it in 62 and 63. What happened to it from then till 1977 when Louw bought it, is a mystery. A business contract in Toronto has brought me closer to the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame (CMHF)archives; I have been living in Ottawa since 1992. A good chat with George Daszkowski, the archives keeper, is allowing me some access to do some research and help out at the archives as well.
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| Mar 23, 2006 |
As the saying goes, in for a penny, in for a pound! Well, while I’m researching my car, I thought, what would it hurt to do the other cars as well? How many could there be? 10, 20? As they say, famous last words!
The CMFH archives, from an Ontario Road racer standpoint, is a wonderful resource! Rule books, hundreds of race programs, entry lists, steward reports, etc. to peruse! It wasn’t long before I found a lot of material! It is also very excited to find more pictures of my car racing with other Canada class vehicles. Entry lists with my car were all there. I discovered the next owner of my Teubler special was Rob Young, in late 1963 and 64. One of the most exciting aspects of my research is finding the original documents that lead to the creation of Canada Class. In 1955, there were a number of discussions and proposals. These can be found in the rules section of this site.
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| March 25, 2006 |
I was taught to share, and sharing I will do. With the kind help of my wife, Mary McClure, who is the web master, we have created this site for you to enjoy and contribute. If you have enjoyed the material, we encourage you to donate to the CMHF.
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| Apr 2, 2006 |
Life beyond the archives! I have been a regular member of the Canadian Motor Sport History Group (CMSHG), a Yahoo chat group. This group covers all level of discussions about the history of Canadian motor sport, road race, drags, oval racing, paved and dirt, boat and bikes. Something for everyone! Much of it is not directly pertinent to my research, but it is gratifying to meet and chat with other kindred spirits from the different disciplines. In some cases I’ve been able to contact individuals such as Bob Hanna, who was deeply involved in the early days of the class..
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| Apr 11, 2006 |
One discussion on the CMSHG chat brought me to meet with Linc Kinsman. Linc was an early Canada class racer from the 1950’s! We got together in Hamilton and exchanged knowledge and pictures. I received some great photos of his Crosley Special that he raced in the early years. Linc is still active in Vintage racing.
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| Apr 18, 2006 |
Another discussion occurred with John Lindsay, on old friend and very knowledgeable man about Coopers. At the Ancaster flea market, he met a gentleman who had found the Canadaire special. A two-seater Canada Class car that was raced in 1957 by Lew Franco. Pictures included, details to follow.
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| Apr 19, 2006 |
This month included a change of ownership of the Wheeler special, the second Autosport car built in 1962. Mike Liechester of Kingston, after restoring the car realized he really couldn’t fit in it. It is now in the capable hands of VARAC members Jeff and Jamie Bateman, who also own a Stebro FJR.
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| Apr 21, 2006 |
From the CMHF archives, I’ve received a copy of Canada Track and Traffic, which is available for sale on CD. www.cmhf.ca I’ve been reviewing it for race results and Canada class cars for sale in the classified section. Many Canada Class cars exchanged hands through this magazine which ran from 1959 through 1972. WheelSpin news was also very instrumental in documenting road racing from the late 60’s through the 70’s. Often it has been considered as a drag/ oval race newspaper, which it was only in its formative year. Since then, there has been a considerable section, devoted to road racing in Canada that shouldn’t be over looked!
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| May 1, 2006 |
I had been concentrating my research to the 1950’s and early 60’s. I’ve now started to investigate the post years of Canada Class to see what happened to the cars. In 1968/69 on through 72 they were listed as Formula C cars. Many survived and continued to be raced. Des Corran captured the FC championship in 1970 with the 1962 Wheeler special!
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