The 2024 Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame Induction Gala is presented by Clubine Motorsports, the OTSFF Sports Marketing Group and TNG Exotics & Limited Editions.
On behalf of Bill Clubine, Andre Laurin and Angelo Paletta, congratulations to the members of the CMHF ‘Class of 2023,’ as well as to all of your families, teams, fans and supporters.
And on behalf of Canadian racing fans, ‘thank you all’ for your contributions to Canadian motorsports.
Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
John Bassett Theatre • Saturday, February 17, 2024
4:30 p.m. Doors Open for Guests. Silent Auction Opens (4:30-5:45 p.m.) and runs until 10:15 after the Inductions
5:45 p.m. Doors to Studio Open for Guests
6:00 p.m. Lights Down, Opening Video, Opening Comments by Emcee Todd Lewis & Peter Lockhart
6:10 p.m. In Memoriam, Supporter Recognitions and Nomination Procedure Updates
6:25 p.m. International Category Award Announcement
6:30 p.m. Induction of Class of 2023 Begins
8:15 p.m. JMF Motorsports Rising Star Award Presented
8:25 p.m. Closing Remarks
10:15 p.m. Silent Auction Ends. Bar Closes
10:45 p.m. Function Closes
Peter Lockhart (Board Chair)
Greg MacPherson (Vice Chair)
Bruce Thompson (Treasurer)
Robin Virtue (Director & General Manager)
Jeff Atkinson
Denis Cadotte
Irene Chambers
Laurence Himel
Nicole Lascelle
Dr. Hugh Scully (Chair Emeritus)
Paul Cooke (Honourary Board Member)
Ron Fellows (Honourary Board Member)
Todd Lewis
Lindsay Riddell
Joel Robinson
Scott Samuel
Michael Taylor
John Magill (Honourary Board Member)
Sid Priddle (Honourary Historian)
For information about the CMHF, visit www.CMHF.ca or contact us at info@cmhf.ca.
The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame would like to thank the Presenting Sponsors of the 2024 Gala Induction Ceremony, Clubine Motorsports, OTSFF Sports Marketing Group and TNG Exotics & Limited Editions.
The Hall would also like to recognize the support of the many companies who have helped to make the Gala and the Official Event Program possible.
We encourage you to support those who support Canadian motorsports, whenever possible.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Hall, I am pleased to extend a warm welcome to everyone attending tonight’s Induction Ceremonies.
With tonight’s 31st Induction Gala we will have welcomed 290 Honourable Members (in the form of individuals, teams and organizations) into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame.
On behalf of myself and the Board, it is an honour to pay tribute and to celebrate the individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to Canadian motorsport throughout the many decades that our sport has existed.
Tonight, we celebrate and welcome 15 new Honourable Members. Thirteen represent drivers (including the rally racing Sprongl brothers), owners, team members and builders and two distinguished themselves in the Media category.
Congratulations to all the new members, as well as their families and team members who supported them through their careers and afterward.
In addition to the Class of 2023, the Board has selected Dario Franchitti as our 2023 International Inductee. Our 2023 Rising Star Award Recipient is outstanding young road racer Patrick Woods-Toth.
I would especially like to thank our trio of Gala Presenting Sponsors, Clubine Motorsports, OTSFF Sports Marketing Group and TNG Exotics & Limited Editions for their wonderful support. I would also like to welcome our new long-term Rising Star Award sponsor, JMF Motorsports. As well, I would like to thank the entire volunteer CMHF Board for their efforts and support in making this event possible.
Thank you all for being part of tonight’s special event celebrating Canadian motorsport and those who distinguished themselves in many ways. I hope you enjoy the evening.
Sincerely,
Peter J. Lockhart
Board
Chair,
President,
Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame.
Canadian Motorsport Heritage Foundation.
The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame (CMHF), operated by the Canadian Motorsport Heritage Foundation, is a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to honouring and recognizing the efforts, achievements, and contributions of Canadians in the realm of motorsport, both domestically and internationally.
Established in 1993, the CMHF began inducting members in its inaugural year. With tonight’s inductions, the Hall of Fame has now welcomed 290 distinguished members, teams, and/ or organizations in recognition of their accomplishments in Canadian motorsport.
These men, women, organizations and companies have earned their privileged place in the Hall of Fame. Induction categories include Competitors, Motorsport Builders, Team Members, Significant Contributors and Media, along with an International category that honours individuals and corporations significantly contributing to Canadian motorsport.
Originally a physical museum, the CMHF transitioned to an online presence, as maintaining a physical location proved unsustainable. The CMHF now permanently resides online at CMHF.ca, offering an accessible and continually updated platform to share Canadian motorsport stories, both within and beyond Canada.
Annually, the CMHF hosts an induction ceremony, a highlight of the Canadian motorsport industry calendar. Recently, these
ceremonies have been integrated into the Canadian International Auto Show at the Toronto Metro Convention Centre.
Over the years, the gala has featured notable guest speakers such as John Surtees, Dan Gurney, Jacques Villeneuve, Andrew Craig, Ron Fellows, Don Panoz, Brock Yates, Johnny Rutherford, Ross Brawn, and others.
Recent ceremonies have attracted over 300 attendees and have included a highly successful Silent Auction. The induction event, silent auction, and the CMHF’s popular Celebration of Speed track event are the primary fundraising activities for the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame.
The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame now accepts nominations all year round, with the deadline for the Class of 2024 submissions set for July 31, 2024. The public plays a vital role in this process, submitting nominations through an online portal at CMHF.ca.
“People often wonder how inductees are chosen for the Hall of Fame. It really comes down to motorsport enthusiasts taking the time to nominate someone they admire. It’s about sharing the stories of those who have made a significant impact in the highly competitive world of Canadian racing,” said Peter Lockhart, CMHF Board Chair.
To be considered, nominees must have retired from competition for at least three years, or if still active, have been involved in motorsport for a minimum of 21 years. Details on the nomination process and the online submission form are available at www.CMHF.ca.
Nominations should be submitted electronically to the Chair of the CMHF Nominee Selection Committee and the CMHF General Manager. They will vett each nomination, accept modifications and forward them to the independent CMHF Nomination Selection Committee at the close of nominations at the end of July for evaluation and scoring.
In early September, the Selection Committee will meet to recommend a “cut-off” score for the new class of Inductees. The Committee Chair will forward the recommendation to the Board for confirmation. The names of the successful nominees will
then be shared confidentially with the Board, and the CMHF Board Chair will then have the pleasure of informing successful candidates and their nominators before a public announcement later in September.
The inductees, chosen through this thoughtful and community-driven process, will be celebrated at an induction ceremony in February 2025, acknowledging their remarkable contributions to Canadian motorsport.
The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame (CMHF) operates on the proceeds of its annual Induction Gala, Silent Auction, and the popular Celebration of Speed track day. These key events form the cornerstone of our fundraising efforts, enabling us to honour and preserve the rich legacy of motorsport in Canada.
We recently announced a new longterm collaboration with JMF Motorsports, who have become the presenting sponsor of the JMF Motorsports Rising Star Award. This initiative not only spotlights the exceptional talent of young Canadian racers but also provides them with substantial financial support to chase their dreams. Beginning with this year’s Gala, the recipient of the JMF Motorsport Rising Star Award will be awarded $25,000.
We are extremely grateful to our current donors and sponsors for their generous contributions. As a charitable organization, we are pleased to offer tax receipts for all donations.
The CMHF is eager to forge new partnerships with individuals and organizations passionate about celebrating and promoting Canadian motorsport. We welcome your interest and involvement in our efforts. For those interested in partnering with us or contributing to our cause, please reach out at info@cmhf.ca for more information.
(Please note: A Charitable Tax Receipt for all donations will be issued by the Canadian Motorsport Heritage Foundation, Charitable Registration # 856357660RR0001).
By Bryce Turner / Inside Track Motorsport News
Over the years, the CMHF has regularly presented its Rising Star Award to up and coming Canadian racers who display a high level of skill and a strong determination to have a successful career in motorsports.
New for 2024, JMF Motorsports has signed on as the presenting sponsor of the JMF Motorsports Rising Star Award. As part of a five-year commitment, the recipient of the award will receive a $25,000 cash prize to assist them in achieving their goals.
This year, the JMF Motorsports Rising Star Award recipient is talented road racer Patrick Woods-Toth.
The racing career of 20-year-old Patrick Woods-Toth (then 19) was given new life, as he took advantage of unexpected opportunities to win the F4 U.S. Championship.
Woods-Toth made the transition from karts to cars, when the ROK Senior champion in the Motomaster Ron Fellows Karting Championship was selected by the Fellows family to participate in the Radford Racing School in December 2022. The scholarship allowed him to get used to the F4 car at slower speeds, while also catching the eye of Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport.
Following a successful test and with funding from the Fellows, Woods-Toth made his F4 U.S. debut in the season opener at NOLA Motorsports Park. He finished on the podium in all three races, with a runner-up and two third-place finishes. He says the biggest adjustment to F4 was the braking, which required more pressure, plus use of the gear box, to slow down the car.
Woods-Toth picked up sponsorship for Road America and took the event by storm, winning two of three races. The victories were a needed boost for what was becoming a title campaign.
“If I wouldn’t have gotten my first win so early on, who knows where we would’ve been sitting championship-wise, sponsor-wise, confidence-wise as well,” said Woods-Toth. “I’ve won championships in racing, that’s how I got here, but when I’m going into something so unknown, it’s like ‘do I belong here?’…to have that come so early on, that sealed the deal for me, I knew that we were ready to go.”
Woods-Toth recorded a win and six podium finishes between weekends at Mid-Ohio, New Jersey Motorsports Park and Virginia International Raceway. He entered the finale weekend with a comfortable lead in the standings, focused on staying under the radar and driving his own race.
With the championship clinched after race one at Circuit of the Americas, he returned to his normal driving style, finishing third and scoring a win to conclude the year.
“I was focusing on my driving, while everyone else was focusing on getting a really good lap time (by drafting),” said Woods-Toth. “I just wanted to have good references and be prepared for the race. When you’re leading and you’re not able to follow someone,
it’s a lot tougher… the last two races, I was able to really drive and earn my results. I think I surprised a lot of people.”
Woods-Toth says that speed and competitiveness were keys to his success this season, noting the importance of wins in racing. He says that teamwork, managing relationships and keeping up with learning are also important.
The Montreal, QC driver is staying busy with school during the off-season. He thought he’d need a degree to live a good life but has now established the goal of potentially racing for a living.
“This time last year, I was pretty much done racing, and I got an opportunity of a lifetime, just for fun, to drive cars,” said Woods-Toth. “To end up where I am now…(it’s) something I never expected. I was just so happy. It’s an accomplishment for me but also for Ron and the Fellows family, for the sponsors that helped us, for everyone. I was happy to win for myself but there are a lot of people behind me.”
The domino effect of surprise opportunities will continue next season. The F4 U.S. title has earned Woods-Toth a scholarship to the FR Americas series, which uses spec F3 cars.
“I think that car is amazing, it requires so much more racelike driving ability, it’s a much more difficult car to drive,” said Woods-Toth. “It’s a much more fun car to drive because it’s so much more rewarding when you get it right…I think I’m going to have a fun time, but at the end of the day, we need to focus on continuing the success, so still got a long road ahead of us.”
Woods-Toth will start his 2024 season in the five-round FR Oceania Championship this winter, before the FR Americas schedule gets underway. FR Americas will feature seven race weekends, including a visit to CTMP on the Labour Day weekend.
COMPETITOR / BUILDER
Following a suggestion by his wife, the late Claude Aubin started his racing career at Autodrome Laval (then named Riverside Speedway) in 1966. He won the Hobby Fast class title in his rookie season, before moving up to Sportsman and Late Model competition. He won four championships in the ACAQ touring series in the 1970s, following them up with five titles in the ACCAS series in the 1980s.
Aubin competed in select NASCAR Late Model Sportsman (now Xfinity Series) events in the 1970s and early 1980s, including the Dogwood 500 at Martinsville Speedway. He won multiple NASCAR Late Model Sportsman races at Catamount Stadium in Vermont. He also competed in a Daytona 500 qualifying race in 1978 and won a pair of NASCAR North Series races in Quebec in 1979. He later raced in the GM Players Championship and CASCAR.
Away from the driver’s seat, Aubin helped grow stock car racing in Quebec. He purchased Autodrome Laval in 1979, renovating the track and giving it that new name. He also leased the St-Félicien race complex in 1981 and purchased Le Circuit Deux-Montagnes in 1982. In 1985, he sold Autodrome Laval to the city and moved the modern facilities to Deux-Montagnes, where he re-paved the oval and re-named it Autodrome St-Eustache.
Aubin founded his own stock car driving school, as well as the Légendes Modifiées series, with the latter helping many drivers begin their racing careers due to the cars being less expensive to build. He sold St-Eustache in 2006, after 21 years of ownership. Aubin passed away in August 2022 at the age of 82.
COMPETITOR / BUILDER / MEDIA
Jeremy Dale spent more than a decade racing sports cars, before shifting his efforts to the ownership side of the sport. He attended three racing schools in 1983, finishing at the top of his class at each school. He then raced two seasons in the Skip Barber Northeast Division, winning Rookie of the Year in 1984, before moving to the Barber Saab Pro Series, where he won seven of 27 races over multiple years.
In 1989, Dale won the IMSA Firehawk Series championship, while in his second year as a Dodge factory driver. He also drove for Dodge in IMSA GTU, winning his season debut and adding three more victories; he nearly won the championship, despite missing the first four races.
Dale competed in the 1991 24 Hours of Daytona, where his team was leading in the 20th hour before a tire failure ended their race. He won his class in the 1994 24 Hours of Daytona and added two overall wins that season, where he ended up losing the IMSA WSC championship by just two points.
Following a career-ending injury, Dale spent time as a TV analyst and held a managerial role with the Barber Dodge Pro Series, before becoming the president of a new race team, called RuSPORT, in 2002. He held that role until 2007, with the team winning the CART Toyota Atlantic Championship title, multiple Champ Car races (including the Molson Indy Toronto) and finishing runner-up in Champ Car points during that span. Dale started his own JDX Racing team in 2007, focusing on sports car competition, where his team won the Porsche Carrera Cup North America title in 2022.
Mark Dilley started his professional racing career on the short tracks of Ontario and the northern U.S., recording 27 feature wins in super stocks and super late models between 1984 and 1989. He continued stock car racing between 1990 and 2006, where he notched seven CASCAR national wins and 14 CASCAR east victories. He won the 1994 CASCAR national championship and finished Top10 in the series’ points standings in every year that he raced.
Dilley also won the 1992 CASCAR track title at Barrie Speedway and recorded 52 Top-5 finishes in national CASCAR competition. The newly-branded NASCAR Pinty’s Series (NPS) debuted in 2007, where Dilley became the seventh driver to win a race under the NASCAR banner. He added two more wins and remained active in the series until 2022, recording 37 Top-5 finishes.
Dilley’s involvement with short track racing extended to the business side as well. He was instrumental in the re-opening and renovation of Barrie Speedway in 1999 and was GM of the track until 2002, when he transitioned to co-owner from 2003 to 2004. He later became involved with nearby Sunset Speedway, where he was vice president from 2009 to 2016. During his time at Sunset, he oversaw a $1.5 million renovation and helped the track gain NASCAR sanctioning.
During his time with both Barrie and Sunset, Dilley owned and operated the Mark Dilley Driving Experience, providing racing experiences to over 6,000 participants. He went on to co-own Sauble Speedway from 2017 to 2018, helping the track gain NASCAR sanctioning, and is currently a car owner and manages sponsorships in NPS.
A household name in Canadian motorsports, James Hinchcliffe started racing karts in 1995 before making the jump to cars in 2003. He climbed the ladder through the Bridgestone Racing Academy F2000 Series, Formula BMW USA and Champ Car Atlantic Series, before competing in the Indy Lights Series in 2009 and 2010.
Hinchcliffe made his IndyCar Series debut with Newman-Haas Racing in 2011, recording his first Top-5 finish in his second start and winning Rookie of the Year, despite missing the season opener. He raced for Andretti Autosport from 2012 to 2014, picking up his first win in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, in 2013, and adding victories at Sao Paulo and Iowa. He moved to Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in 2015, winning at NOLA. In a practice session for that season’s Indianapolis 500, a suspension failure caused a crash that nearly claimed his life.
After months of recovery, Hinchcliffe returned to IndyCar in 2016; he won the pole position for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, where he finished seventh in the race. He remained with Schmidt Peterson through 2019, adding wins at Long Beach, in 2017, and Iowa, in 2018. He then returned to Andretti Autosport for 2020 and 2021.
Outside of the race car, ‘The Mayor of Hinchtown’ endeared fans through his social media presence, podcasts and second-place finish on Dancing with the Stars. He transitioned from the driver’s seat to the broadcast booth in 2022, joining NBC Sports as an analyst for their full slate of IndyCar broadcasts, a role that he continues to hold.
COMPETITOR / BUILDER / RACE SUPPORT
Ernie Jakubowski started his motorsports career in off-road racing, where he was the Canadian Off-Road overall or class champion between 1973 and 1984. He participated in other forms of racing early on, including the CASC Studded Ice Race, where he was the champion in 1976. He was also named to the Wheelspin News All-Canadian Racing Team, alongside notable names such as fellow CMHF inductees Junior Hanley, Gilles Villeneuve and Pete Bicknell.
Jakubowski was the Molson Supercross champion in 1984; he finished third in Montreal and first at the Hoosier Dome, in Supercross competition, all while driving off-road Dune Buggies. He won 28 of 32 features in a three-year period, winning his last race in a customer Mantis Spyder at the 1986 Oktoberfest in Kitchener, ON.
Jakubowski ran 121 races in Porsche Club Racing from 2004 to 2019, winning in nearly half of those events. He was a Modern Class winner in the 2003 and 2005 Targa Newfoundland events and won GTS Rookie of the Year in the Pirelli World Challenge, where he raced from 2010 to 2013. More recently, he competed in the CTCC series and CASC/VARAC vintage races.
Away from the driver’s seat, Jakubowski was a driving instructor for Porsche and BMW, teaching Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain at CTMP ahead of the NASCAR Truck Series race in 2013. He founded Mantis Racing in 1976, designing several off-road cars, including the Mantis Spyder, while building customer cars, engines and transmissions until 2021. He also developed a four-year wind tunnel program for motorsport testing at UOIT.
Having to wait until he was 19-years-old to start racing, Norman Jennings made his karting debut in 1978. He won class championships at the North Halton Kart Club in 1981 to begin a stretch of full-time seasons at the club, regional, national and international levels. He competed in 160 kart races over a nine-year span, recording 82 podiums and 116 Top-Five finishes, while winning championships in 1985 and 1987.
Jennings was one of two Canadians to compete in the Yamaha Challenge at the 1986 FIA-CIK World Karting Championships. He raced for Ultra Kart Team in the 1988 Ontario Kart Racing Association (OKRA) season and for Kart Klinic, in OKRA and CanAm Series events, in 1989 and 1990. He then worked as a mechanic for Kart Klinic, where his Ultra Kart Team mechanic, Marilou Whaling, was now the driver. The team won the OKRA championship in 1992.
Following 195 kart races over 18 years, Jennings concluded his driving career and took on leadership roles in the sport. He became the first National Karting Steward for ASN Canada FIA in 1997 and was Chief Steward for OKRA regional events from 1998 to 2005. He worked closely with Paul Cooke at ASN Canada FIA from 1999 to 2019, participating in training sessions and meetings, where he helped with the creation and updates of national regulations.
Jennings held official roles at various events over the years, including being the Chief Steward for the ASN Canadian Karting Championships from 1999 to 2019. Most recently, he’s worked as Chief Steward for the Motomaster Ron Fellows Karting Championship, since 2019, and became the GDS ASN Canada National Karting Steward in 2020.
Before ascending to the top level of NASCAR, in leadership positions, Brad Moran’s motorsports career began as a driver, competing in motocross and ice racing, as a teenager, in the 1970s. He later moved to stock cars at Sunset and Peterborough speedways, before racing regionally in the 1980s and driving Legend cars in Ontario and the United States.
Moran sold his two businesses and became the owner of Barrie Speedway from 2000 to 2008, where he transformed the track from a 1/4-mile to a 1/3-mile oval, adding a pit road, heated grandstands and banking. He also signed a TV deal with Rogers in the early years, which saw races broadcast live province-wide, and he was at the helm when Barrie Speedway became a NASCAR-sanctioned track.
Moran’s climb through the NASCAR ranks began as Series Director of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series from 2008 to 2012, where he oversaw day-to-day operations. He became Managing Director of NASCAR Touring Series from 2012 to 2015, overseeing 60-plus sanctioned tracks and seven regional/international series under the NASCAR banner. He developed the spec engine for the NASCAR Modified Series and composite body for ARCA/K&N Series during that time.
Moran took on the role of Managing Director for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series from 2015 to 2021, implementing the Ilmor spec engine program and overseeing the series during the coronavirus pandemic. He was most recently promoted to Managing Director of the NASCAR Cup Series, in 2022, where he was at the helm during the introduction of the Next Gen car and the implementation of new inspection procedures.
Patrick Richard achieved success in rally racing, competing in events across North America in the 2000s. He won the Canadian Rally Championship four times (2002, 2004, 2008, 2009), the North American Rally Championship in Group N twice (2002 and 2004), and the North American Rally Cup title once (2004).
Richard was part of four victories by Subaru in the North American Rally Brands Cup in the early 2000s, while winning overall and Group N SCCA ProRally championships in 2004, with his sister and fellow CMHF inductee Nathalie Richard. He won the Rally America overall and Group N title in 2005 and won the Pikes Peak championship twice in Group N.
Richard was one of few North American rallyists to compete in Europe, along with John Buffum and Ken Block. He raced in the British Peugeot 206 Super Cup, often leading and recording fastest lap times, and won the Group N class in the Rallye Sezoens and Rallye Wallonie events in Belgium. Back at home, he founded Rocket Rally Racing, a Squamish, BC-based rally builder that operated the Subaru Rally Team Canada from 2008 to 2012.
A medical setback, related to neck and head compression, forced Richard into an early retirement in 2014, bringing an abrupt end to his battles with eventual 10-time champion and fellow CMHF member Antoine L’Estage. While his career was cut short, Richard was still able to inspire the next generation of rallyists through videos of his flat-out driving style.
Didier Schraenen started his motorsports career in two-wheel competition, before moving to four-wheel vehicles and working as a broadcaster. He raced in regional Quebec motocross events starting in 1975, before moving to the Honda Michelin Series in 1988. Three seasons in the tour were followed by a two-year stint in the Player’s/GM Series, from 1991 to 1992.
Schraenen joined the Quebec-based F1600 Canada series in 1993, starting a decades-long tenure that continues to this day. He’s raced in more than 300 events over 31 years, winning championships in 1998, 1999, 2006 and 2009. He’s the all-time podium record holder at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with 15, and has 20 podiums in the prestigious Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières street race.
For nearly as long as Schraenen has raced, he’s been involved in the media side of the sport. He started as a radio host in Ste-Agathe, QC in 1979 before moving to radio station Energie, where he did 250 motorsports reports per year and covered 30 years of Bike Week in Florida, reporting on Canadian racers.
Schraenen joined RDS as a TV commentator in 1992, serving as an analyst on 130 programs per year, ranging from snowmobiles and karting to NASCAR and IndyCar. He’s also held the role of pit reporter on RDS, using his experience behind-the-wheel to explain the nuances of the sport. In addition to RDS, he covered CART/IndyCar, Indy Lights and Formula Atlantic for the Player’s racing team, from 1993 to 2013, and has 25 years of experience as a writer for Pole Position magazine.
Competing together in rally racing events across North America, brothers Frank and Dan Sprongl became the dominant drivers of the 1990s in their Audi Quattro. The duo won six Canadian Rally Championship (CRC) overall titles between 1991 and 1999, while claiming four North American Rally Cup championships between 1994 and 1999. They added two CRC two-wheel drive championships in the mid-2000s, recording 36 overall rally victories during their time in the series.
The Sprongl’s competed in and won rallies in six Canadian provinces, from Newfoundland to Alberta, while also taking their talents south of the border. They won 14 SCCA national rallies in the U.S., with major victories in six states, including four overall wins in the prestigious Mount Washington Hillclimb in New Hampshire.
Frank and Dan competed in a variety of racing events during 23 years as drivers, with ice racing, hill climb, slalom (solo) and stage rally on their resumes. Outside the car, their popularity as rally stars on European TV allowed them to import and distribute competition parts from manufacturers, helping improve the quality, speed and safety of Canadian rally cars. They also enticed Suzuki to build ten identical entry-level rally vehicles for a one-make championship in 2003.
The Sprongl’s remain active in the shop, running Four Star Motorsports, alongside their parents, where they prepare rally, race and movie cars. The team’s success with other drivers includes Peter Thomson winning the 2005 CRC title, André Leblanc winning the 2021 CRC title and Mark Rittenhouse taking the overall victory in the 2016 Targa Newfoundland.
William (Bill) Vallis has played a significant role in Canadian formula racing, over multiple decades, helping drive the entry-level of the sport as a builder and team owner. Starting out as a driver in 1970, it didn’t take long for Vallis to shift focus to building and maintaining race cars. He started Vallis Motorsports in the mid-1970s, opening the rental side of the business in 1980.
Vallis purchased the rights to build the BRD Formula Vee/F1200 car from the Rochester, NY-based manufacturer in 1992, where he went on to build 32 cars for the Canadian and U.S. markets. He’s provided trackside mechanical support at road and street course events in Canada and abroad, working on cars for series/disciplines including FV1200, F1600, F2000, Prototype 1, Prototype 2, Radicals, Sports 2000, Indy Lights and New Beetle Cup.
As a team owner, Vallis has won many championships over the years, while his arrive-and-drive rental seats have created consistent entries in F1200 since 1980, helping keep the series alive in Canada. His indiscriminate approach to his business has helped his team provide the average person with an access point into formula racing, whether they’re a kid climbing through the karting ladder or a middle-aged worker looking to fill their bucket list.
Vallis has helped notable drivers over the years, including fellow CMHF inductees Scott Maxwell and Andrew Bordin (AIM Autosport). More recently, he’s helped Megan Gilkes climb the motorsports ladder, with her experience at Vallis Motorsports, behind-the-wheel and in the shop, helping her land a W Series ride and a Formula One engineering role.
As a motorsport builder and ambassador, through his sponsorships and involvement with teams, John Waldie has built an impressive resume in drag racing. His career started with a dragster in the mid-1960s, before he became a team leader, with an ex-Wally Booth Super Stock Camaro, in 1969.
Waldie recorded seven NHRA event wins in the Pro Stock division in the 1980s and 1990s, with driver Jerry Eckman, including the 1990 U.S. Nationals and the 1992 GrandNats in Montreal. The team was also the National Record Holder at Pomona in 1992 and won a special NHRA Winston All-Star event.
Following his involvement with the Pro Stock class, Waldie went on to help teams in the Pro Modified division. He recorded wins in the U.S. and Canada in the 2000s, including victories at Edmonton and Toronto Motorsports Park in 2007. He won two world IHRA Pro Mod titles in 2008 and 2009, with driver Kenny Lang, and has a career total of 34 major Canadian and U.S. wins at sanctioned NHRA and IHRA national events.
Waldie also worked with professional Pro Modified teams for several years to present a race package for national NHRA events, which ultimately led to the creation of the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. He works as an official with the series, which competes at select NHRA events. Waldie’s accolades include a pair of drag racing awards and induction into the Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame. Elsewhere in motorsports, he’s been involved with Scott Steckly’s team in CASCAR and the NASCAR Pinty’s Series.
Kuno Wittmer’s racing career took him from regional touring cars to the top level of sports car racing in North America, where he experienced success in marquee IMSA events. Wittmer won the Quebec Sedan GT championship in 2002, before winning the Canadian Honda Michelin title in 2005. He then shifted his efforts south of the border, where he finished runner-up in the SCCA World-Challenge Touring Car class in 2008.
Wittmer started racing in ALMS and Grand-Am in 2012 and 2013, before achieving new levels of success in the newly-merged IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. His team recorded victories at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (road course) and Circuit of the Americas en route to winning the GTLM class championship in 2014.
Wittmer switched to GTD in 2015, scoring the class win in the prestigious 24 Hours of Daytona. He ran limited events in IMSA over the next several seasons, where he recorded the GTLM class victory in the Petit Le Mans, at Road Atlanta, in 2017. His sports car schedule included a variety of series and events during that span, where highlights included a runner-up finish in the SCCA World-Challenge GT3 class in 2016, a runner-up finish in the 2018 24 Hours of Nurburgring, and an IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series victory at Daytona in 2021.
Away from the driver’s seat, Wittmer has served as mentor and coach to over 25 drivers, teaching safety, speed and how to overcome obstacles. He’s also helped with multiple street driving clinics for young drivers and has assisted McLaren, BMW, Chrysler, Honda and Acura with development of street car technology.
A national ambassador of Canadian motorsport, through his roles as a host and executive producer, the late John Massingberd joins the media category of the CMHF. In the late-1980s, Massingberd and Bruce Mehlenbacher co-established Promark Motorsport International, a company that brought Canadian racing to a greater audience through a pair of media ventures.
Raceline Motorsport Television provided coverage of drag racing, stock car racing, road racing, and tractor pulls, while Snow Trax Television was a snowmobile program syndicated throughout North America. Massingberd co-produced, anchored and moderated Snow Trax Television; he then went on to co-found and co-anchor Raceline Radio, in 1993.
Massingberd was the executive producer of the Raceline Radio Network, along with fellow CMHF inductee and host Erik Tomas, helping break ground in radio coverage of motorsports, with Raceline becoming the first nationally syndicated motorsport radio program in Canada. That legacy continues through 30-plus years, with Raceline Radio airing on stations across the country, including flagship outlets Sportsnet 590 in Toronto and CHML 900 in Hamilton.
Massingberd became known for his no-holds barred comments, perceptions on the sport, knowledge and professionalism. He passed away in December 2008, following a long battle with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease; he was 54-yearsold. In addition to the ongoing success of Raceline, his memory lives on through The John Massingberd Memorial Award, presented by the Pro Modified Racing Association to an individual who represents the same commitment, dedication and passion that Massingberd had for auto racing.
Through 36 seasons as a motorsports journalist, J. Wally Nesbitt has written it all. Nesbitt started his media career in 1986, producing a seasonal motorsport column for the Port Perry Star and the (Scugog) Standard through 2016. He was the track reporter for Mosport Speedway from 1998 to 2013, self-publishing a book about the speedway in 2014, and he’s also written reports and driver profiles for the Toronto Star.
Nesbitt produced press releases for the Canadian Touring Car Championship from 2016 to 2017, while doing similar work pro-bono for various drivers and teams over the years. He joined Inside Track Motorsport News in 2007, where he was senior writer and on-line editor through his retirement in December 2022.
With Inside Track, Nesbitt wrote race reports, news and driver profiles about multiple disciplines, from short track and regional road racing to Canadian touring series and international support series. He’s also contributed to the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, VARAC Vintage Grand Prix and Canadian Motorsports Expo / Motorama programs, while compiling schedules for the annual Canadian Racing Guide.
Nesbitt has covered events ranging from the Vancouver IndyCar and Montreal NASCAR races to the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, while reporting from tracks such as Circuit ICAR, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and virtually every short track in Ontario. He’s also attended tracks in the U.S., including Daytona International Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His international contacts include such notable names as Emerson Fittipaldi, Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya, while he’s interviewed many notable Canadians, including Ron Fellows, Scott Goodyear and James Hinchcliffe.
1993
Bill Brack
John Cannon
Billy Foster
Imperial Tobacco
Bob McLean
Chuck Rathgeb
Peter Ryan
Bill Sadler
Gilles Villeneuve
Eppie Wietzes
1994
David Billes
George Chapman
Ross de St. Croix
Mike Duff
George Eaton
Bob Hanna
Jimmy Howard
Horst Kroll
Norm Namerow
John Ross
1995
Dale Armstrong
Francis Bradley
Trevor Deeley
Brad Francis
Frank Hawley
Ted Hogan
Norm Lelliott
Harvey Lennox
“Dizzy” Dean Murray
Derek Oland
Kay Petre
Ron & Eve White
1996
Warren Coniam
Doug Duncan
Bernie Fedderly
Craig Hill
Harvey Hudes
Graham Light
Molson Breweries
Ted Sturgess
John Williams
Walter Wolf
1997
Wallie Branston
Craig Fisher
Jim Gunn
Billy Kydd
Ed Leavens
1999
Gary Beck
Maurice “Mo” Carter
Castrol North America
Yvon DuHamel
Grant King
Ray Peets
2000
Gordie Bonin
Jacques Couture
Junior Hanley
Bob Hayward
Ludwig Heimrath
Ron Hodgson
Gordon Jenner
Ernie McLean
Greg Moore
Earl Ross
Dr. Hugh Scully
2001
Art Asbury
Don Biederman
Jean-Paul Cabana
Terry Capp
Eldon Rasmussen
David Sehl
Bill Sharpless
Richard Spenard
Jacques Villeneuve
2002
Ken Achs
Dick Baker
Pete Bicknell
Jacob DeRosier
Scott Goodyear
Jim Hallahan
Guy Lombardo
Barry Paton
Bob & Leone Slack
Roy Smith
2003
Walter Boyce
British Empire Motor Club
Jack Canfield
John Cordts
Harry Greening
Taisto Heinonen
Bert Straus
2004
Larry Bastedo
Alice & Jim Fergusson
2005
Bill Adam
Frank Allers
John De Gruchy
George “Pete” Henderson
Brian Robertson
Jack Smith
Jim Thompson
Harold Wilson
2006
Bob Atchison
Alec Bennett
John Bird
Jacques Dallaire
John Duff
Lorne Leibel
Dan Marisi
Ted Powell
Lloyd Shaw
Bruce Simpson
Robert Theoret
2007
Jack Christie
Scott Fraser
Geoff Goodwin
Ted Gryguc
Alan Labrosse
Bill Mathews
Tony Novotny
2009
Carl Bastedo
Alan Bunting
CRCA
Doug Fairchild
Wayne Kelly
Bill Lefeuvre
Norm Mackereth
Michel Mercier
Jim O’Donnell
F J Smith
Bruce Vessair
Gary Vessair
Carroll Shelby (Int’l)
2010
Paul Cooke
Jacques Duval
Bob Elliott
Roger Peart
Herbie Rodgers
Jean Theoret
John Webster
Norm Woods
2012
Bob Armstrong
Jimmy Carr
John and Sharon Fletcher
Ron Fellows
Stompin’ Tom Walters
Mario Andretti (Int’l)
2013
Diana Carter
John Magill
Scott Maxwell
Norris McDonald
Paul Tracy
Nigel Mansell (Int’l)
2014
John Chisholm
Ralph Luciw
Alex Tagliani
Don Thomson Jr.
Sir Jackie Stewart (Int’l)
2015
Antoine L’Estage
Peter Gibbons
John Edgar Petrie
Jordan Szoke
David Whitlock
Multimatic Mtrsprts.(Int’l)
2016
Drs. Jacques Bouchard
& Ronald Denis
Terry Dale
Peter Lockhart
David Mathers
Major-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie
Chris Pfaff
John Powell
Sid Priddle
Legendary Motorcar (Int’l)
2017
Doug Crosty
Francois Dumontier
DJ Kennington
Jim Robinson
John Sambrook
Scott Steckly
Jim Tario
Jacques Villeneuve
Honda (Int’l)
2018
Len Coates (Media)
Bruno Spengler
McLaren Racing (Int’l)
2020
Myles Brandt
Jim Bray
Danny Burritt
Kevin Dowler
Louis-Philippe Dumoulin
Roger McCaig
The Mehlenbacher Family
David Wildman
Scott Wilson
1998
Tom Burgess
Sandy Elliott
Ron Farmer
David Greenblatt
Tom Johnston
Tom Jones
Jim Kelly
David T. Morris
Al Pease
Ross Pederson
Jack Greedy
Helen & Bob Harvey
Doug Kennington
George LeMay
Rollie MacDonald
Jean-Paul Perusse
Gordon Reelie
Mark Rotharmel
Brian Stewart
Bobby Rahal (Int’l)
Professor Sid Watkins (Int’l)
2011
Rudy Bartling
Ben Docktor
Robin Edwardes
Norm Ellefson
Dick Foley
Paul Manson
Greg Sewart
Michael Andretti (Int’l)
Gerald Donaldson (Media)
Dave Franks (Media)
Graham Jones (Media)
Pierre Lecours (Media)
Dean McNulty (Media)
Tim Miller (Media)
Jeff Pappone (Media)
Dan Proudfoot (Media)
Erik Tomas (Media)
2019
Gary Magwood
Allen Berg
Robin Buck
Ed Hakonson
Larry Caruso
Normand Legault
Mike Miller
Alex Nagy
Nathalie Richard
Anne Roy
Steve Robblee
Dr. Robert F. Seal
Ron St. Clair
Kenny Wilden
Doug Woods
Lawrence Partington (Media)
Bernie Ecclestone (Int’l)
2021
John Bondar
Patrick Carpentier
Bertrand Godin
Brian Graham
John Graham
Colin Hine
Kandy Mitton
Howie Scannell
Glenn Styres
Bill Zardo Sr.
Philippe Brasseur (Media)
Clare Dear (Media)
Gerry Frechette (Media)
James (Jim) Martyn (Media)
Frank Orr (Media)
Allan de la Plante (Media)
Wally Dallenbach Sr. (Int’l)
2022
AIM Autosport
Uli Bieri
Chris Bye
Gary Elliott
Terry Epp
Robert Giannou
Carl Harr
Dave Lloyd
Derek Lynch
Bob MacDonald
Dick Midgley
Scott Spencer
Bruce Biegler (Media)
Pfaff Motorsports (Int’l)
2023
Claude Aubin
Jeremy Dale
Mark Dilley
James Hinchcliffe
Ernie Jakubowski
Norman Jennings
Brad Moran
Patrick Richard
Didier Schraenen
Frank & Dan Sprongl
William (Bill) Vallis
John Waldie
Kuno Wittmer
John Massingberd (Media)
John Wally Nesbitt (Media)
Dario Franchitti (Int’l)
We are excited to announce the return of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame’s 12th Celebration of Speed event to holiday Monday, August 5, 2024. The Celebration of Speed (COS) is a Ride-Along and Track Day program on the Grand Prix circuit at the legendary racing facility, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), located an hour northeast of Toronto.
Open to automotive and racing enthusiasts, the event is a fundraiser for the CMHF that matches members of the public (10 years of age and older) with experienced race and track day drivers and their incredible vehicles.
The Ride-Along tickets give the guests four, threelap sessions in the participating vehicles of their choice. When the event was last held, in 2023, the exotic fleet of Ride-Along machinery included the following marques: Audi, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes Benz, McLaren, Mustang, Porsche and others.
Upwards of 30 Ride-Along drivers and their high-performance cars are expected to be in action during the August 5th event.
“We bill this event as taking people for ‘the ride of their life’ in some very exciting automobiles, with some
very experienced racing car drivers,” said Peter Lockhart, Board Chair of the CMHF. “The event is a ‘winwin’ for everyone involved, as Track Day participants also have an opportunity to have a day of high-speed action, piloting their own cars on the challenging CTMP Grand Prix circuit.”
All proceeds from the COS go to help support the Canadian Motorsport Heritage Foundation which operates the CMHF, a charitable organization founded in 1993.
The CMHF works tirelessly to recognize the achievements of those individuals and institutions that have realized significant accomplishments and have made outstanding contributions to motorsport in Canada by honouring them at our annual Induction Gala and then recognizing their legacy via the Hall’s website – www. cmhf.ca.
The Celebration of Speed is not a timed speed event or a contest of speed. The Ride-Along and Track Day drivers are instructed to drive well within the limits of their cars and their individual skill levels.
The Hall is grateful to all the participating Ride-Along car owners / drivers for helping to create special memories for our Ride-Along guests.
Ride-Along tickets and Track Day Passes will be available on the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame website www.cmhf.ca in early May of 2024.
The Silent Auction is a great opportunity for Induction Gala attendees to bid on exciting racing tickets, gift certificates and other various items in support of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the Silent Auction go directly to the CMHF.
This year’s Silent Auction items include:
• 2024 Honda Indy Toronto Tickets at Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto - Two 3-Day VIP Club Credentials. Event and Trackside Suite access. IndyCar Paddock access. Food and beverage service included. Two Pit Passes with Race Mode stickers. Access Pit Lane throughout the entire event weekend.
• 2024 Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada Tickets at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal - 2 three-day Platinum Grandstand Row A tickets.
• 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Chevrolet Grand Prix Tickets at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park - 2 three-day Grand Prix Club passes with trackside VIP Hospitality.
• 2024 Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame Celebration of Speed Tickets track day at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park - 2 ride along passes Monday August 5, 2024.
• 2024 Coca-Cola 600 VIP Tickets - 2 VIP all access passes including garage access; plus 2 tickets to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Sunday May 26, 2024. Note: Travel and accommodation not included.
• Buff-It Car Detailing Gift Certificate.
• European Automotive Gift Certificate.
• Montblanc Jimi Hendrix Special Edition Rollerball Pen.
• Kuno Witmer signed McLaren Factory Driver Suit and BMW Motorsport Driving Boots.
• The Driver’s Gearbox Leather Toiletry Bag.
• Justin Wilson Signed Photograph.
Bidding takes place throughout the evening and will close shortly after the conclusion of the induction ceremony.
Thank you to everyone for your generous donations, and to those of you who bid on, and purchase our Silent Auction items!
The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame (CMHF), in partnership with Caju Multimedia, is committed to enhancing the CMHF.ca website. Planned updates include a section to celebrate previous Rising Star Award winners and a Patron page to honour our supporters.
The website serves as a tribute to past inductees, featuring regular profiles and stories that celebrate their legacies and highlight emerging talents poised for future Hall of Fame acclaim.
CMHF.ca is the definitive source for the latest news about the Hall of Fame, providing details on major events like the annual Induction Gala and the Celebration of Speed. The site also streamlines the process of submitting online nominations, enabling racing enthusiasts to propose candidates for future induction.
Digitally, the CMHF actively engages with its audience through various social media channels:
- Facebook: facebook.com/CanadianMotorsportHallOfFame
- Twitter: twitter.com/CanMtspHF
- Instagram: instagram.com/cmhfofficial/
- The SHIFT Newsletter (sign up at CMHF.ca)
The CMHF is also undertaking a significant project to digitize and display a vast array of historic Canadian racing videos on its YouTube channel.
: The CMHF recently launched a new online store selling official merchandise, including T-shirts, hoodies, sweaters, ceramic and travel mugs and more. Shipping is free for orders over $100. Go to CMHF.ca and click on STORE in the top menu bar.
This collection, dating back to the 1970s, covers a broad spectrum of Canadian motorsport, including road racing, stock cars, rallying, drag racing, and more. The YouTube channel will also feature inductee profile videos from past Induction Galas, offering a rich visual history of the evolution of motorsport in Canada.
While we celebrate the new Members being inducted into the CMHF this evening, we also remember the Members who have passed away during the past year. The CMHF extends condolences to the families and friends of those who have left us. We celebrate their accomplishments and thank them for their contributions.
This year, the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame proudly inducts Scottish racing legend, Dario Franchitti, as the International Inductee.
Born in 1973 in Edinburgh, Franchitti’s racing journey began at age 10 with karting, then quickly advancing through the ranks of British Formula Vauxhall Junior and Formula Vauxhall Lotus, clinching championships along the way.
His fourth-place finish in the 1994 British Formula 3 Championship marked a significant milestone in his early career.
Franchitti’s move to European touring car racing in 1995 with Mercedes-Benz in DTM and ITC further honed his skills. He achieved a fifth-place finish in the DTM Drivers’ Championship and third in the ITC, with multiple podiums and a victory at Suzuka in 1996.
Transitioning to the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) World Series in 1997, Franchitti’s success continued with Team KOOL Green and Andretti Green Racing, later joining Chip Ganassi Racing.
His career in open-wheel racing is highlighted by 31 victories, 33 pole positions, and over 100 podium finishes. Notably, Franchitti is a four-time IndyCar Series champion and a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner.
His success extended to Canadian races, where he won the Molson Indy Toronto and Vancouver and the admiration of Canadian fans. Franchitti also competed in NASCAR and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, earning a victory in the 2008 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Since retiring, Franchitti has become a respected commentator, analyst, and mentor in motorsport. His induction into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame recognizes his outstanding achievements and enduring impact on the sport.
