Car FYI

  Auto racing activities in Canada exploded during the 1960s. The opening of Mosport (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park) and the emergence of lucrative sponsors led to the establishment of some Canadian motorsport legends. Billy Foster, Al Pease, Craig Fisher, Eppie Wietzes and Earl Ross were some names that emerged in the 1960s with several finding massive success in the following decades. Running from 1961 to 1971, the Shell 4000 Trans-Canada Rally was a major sponsored event where elite drivers competed across the rich mosaic of our country. Beyond attracting Canadian competitors, the event proved enticing to many international drivers including three-time NASCAR champion David Pearson being a notable face at the 1965 edition of the event competing with Dodge. The call of the challenging Shell 4000 Trans-Canada Rally was so alluring that a handful of brave, intrepid women entered the event competing in the special Coupe des Dames award. Disarming observers as an attra...

In addition to the headline NTT IndyCar Series, the 2025 Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto on-track activities include a range of other types of racing. The CASC Miata Cup Canada cars were part of this year's festivities for the first time. Pictured above is the Operation Motorsport-supported 1999 Mazda Miata of Huw Leahy. (Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/Car FYI Canada)     Summer in Canada goes by so quickly but we certainly know how to make the most of the longer daylight and warm weather. A steady summer ritual for me in July involves a visit to Toronto’s Exhibition Place where the sound of engines is like a siren song. Getting closer, sights are delighted by shapes and colours in motion being handled by a handful of speed warriors. Of course, I’m talking about the 2025 edition of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto that took place from July 18th to the 20th delighting with a weekend of racing activities.  To go back to what I had written about this season moving ...

Kay Petre behind the wheel of one of the many race cars she drove between 1932 to 1939. (Photo Credit: Newspress) Even as motorsports have resided as a male-dominated domain since its inception in the early 20th century, the majestic scene of an automobile in motion refreshingly won the attention of some women. When it comes to the history of women in auto racing, it’s intriguing to realize how a Canadian-born driver became one of the sport’s earliest female stars.  Born in 1903 in what is now part of Toronto, Ontario, Kathleen Coad DeFries spent her young life in both Canada and England. She would be popularly recognized as Kay Petre after her 1929 marriage to her second husband Henry Petre, a decorated First World War aviator and pioneer pilot who remained an active enthusiast for airplanes and other machines throughout his life. It was Henry who introduced her to the spectacle of auto racing with Kay’s affection for the sport quickly resulting to her getting behind the wheel. Co...

  Earl Ross #52 Chevrolet on pit road during the 1974 Delaware 500 NASCAR Cup race held at Dover International Speedway.  “I still can’t believe it. I just don’t believe it.” On September 29th of 1974, those words were heard by the late Ken Squier as a response to a massive, historical triumph by a Canadian at the conclusion of an NASCAR Cup Series race in Martinsville, Virginia. With Canada’s Maple Leaf Flag part of a historic triumph the Prince Edward Island-born driver rooted in Ailsa Craig, Ontario Earl Ross drove a #52 white and red car across the finish line first at the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville Speedway.  While every NASCAR Cup Series season boast traits and events defining it against others, the 1974 season for the stock car division involved a number of unusual occurrences. Due to the lingering effects of the 1973 oil crisis, the first 15 races ran shorter than advertised distances including the Daytona 500 that completed 450 miles with the race starting ...

The temptation of speed can be such a captivating sensation. This immense feeling resides as passion within the hearts of many who make the choice to get involved with auto racing. One’s desire to experience the full world of speed in any form is something so great it would be disgraceful to believe it should be held by just one group of people. Thanks to affordable, entry-level tiers of auto racing, we’re enjoying a brilliant unity through on-track competition. Competing in her first full season in the Radical Cup Canada series, Alana Carter desire for a fast on-track life has taken her from a dirt track in Alberta to road courses overseas. For the young racer from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, her first exposure to motorsports was made possible by her father. Progressing as a fan to a driver took place early for Alana Carter first driving go-karts and would quickly advance to oval track racing. At 14 years old, she secured the Future Stock Season Champion at Edmonton International Race...

Sterling Moss' #1 Lotus 19 at the 1961 Player's 200 (Photo Credit: Unknown Photographer) untitled Sixty years ago on this day (June 24th), motorsports in Canada officially christened a grand, new stage for racing. The roaring engines, peeling rubber and the sight of the era’s most sensational pieces of high-speed machinery being handled by brave competitors became a fixture constructed close to Bowmanville, Ontario. Mosport Park or now known as Canadian Tire Motorsport Park opened in 1961 with its first major event held on June 24 th on windy, overcast early summer weekend. Estimated to cost between $600,000 and $650,000 (roughly between $5,250,000 and $5,687,500 in 2021) Mosport Park raceway opened as a much-needed permanent, purpose-built home for sports car and major motorsports in Ontario as well as Canada. In 1961, the only other significant race track operating was Westwood Racing Circuit in British Columbia. Westwood opened in 1959 but would close afte...

Photo Credit: Sam Bloxham/LAT/Formula E Since 1978, the City of Montreal has been known for showing hospitality to the global open wheel racing stars of the Formula 1 championship. A month and half later Lewis Hamilton won the 50th year anniversary edition Canadian Grand Prix, a new world auto racing tour prepares to put on a show unlike any other seen at such a scale in this country. Formula E makes its debut in Canada for what is the season three finale with the Montreal ePrix. Consisting of all-electric open wheel race cars fielded by well-rated teams and some established professional drivers, FIA's Formula E first became a spectacle in 2014 when the series debuted in Beijing.  Competing with an identical chassis designed by Dallara and built by Spark Racing Technology, Formula E teams have been permitted to develop their own electric power units since the second season. Electric powertrain options have opened the door to major automakers such as Jaguar and BMW currently i...

Photo Credit: Jack Webster Trois-Rivieres (or sometimes translated to 'Three Rivers' in the United States) has been a rich and beloved French-Canadian contribution to motorsports for almost five decades. Often depending upon smaller racing series, the event has provided the opportunity for rising stars of motorsports to claim limelight. Races within the  Grand Prix Trois-Rivieres have been contested by many auto racing legends in the making with past victors including Michael Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Ron Fellows and Patrick Tambay. A great deal of other drivers have been deprived a win at the tricky, street race  In recent years, racing has taken place during two weeks as the FIA World Rallycross and Formula Drift Canada compete on a paved/dirt track on the first weekend while a more traditional event on the all-paved street course takes place on the second weekend. Fact #1: The Grand Prix Trois-Rivieres was first held on September 8th and 9th of 196...