Reelie Weldco, circa 1960s, False Creek Speedway

 Not sure if this is before or after False Creek was open. Gordon Reelie's Weldco Ford V8-60 at the track.

Gordon Reelie midget, Ascot 1978

Hank Butcher won a USAC midget race at Ascot driving Gordon Reelie's car.

Gordon Reelie's midget

Gordon Reelie's Weldco Offy midget at the Vancouver Art Gallery, 1968.

another old history article

This one about Gordon Reelie and Gim Wong. From the July 2001 Geared For Racing magazine.

Gordon Reelie photos

Gordon Reelie built and owned midget race cars for decades. He was an organizer and is a member of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame.

more midgets

I do like the midgets. This is Palmer Crowell in the Gordon Reelie Weldco number 75. Looks like it still had the Ford V8-60 in it for power. By 1968 Gordon had another midget built (number 12) with an Offy for power.

The team eventually won the Washington Midget Racing Association title.

Vancouver Art Gallery, 1968

This came up elsewhere. A car show of sorts at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1968. So some clippings from the Ubyssey UBC student newspaper, including a review, and a photo of the Gordon Reelie midget at the show. (Of course this didn't happen during the racing season as Gordon would have been out with his car, Palmer Crowell at the wheel.)

And I'll leave reviewing the reviewer to someone else. It would have just been neat to see cars at an art gallery. Happened in Coquitlam a few years ago, the Evergreen gallery space.

Gordon Reelie, midget race car owner

Looking at the 1978 Racing Wheels scans that Marty has put up on his photo website (check the history links) I see a couple photos of Vancouver, BC, midget car owner Gordon Reelie and a couple of his wins.

One at the Kingdome in Seattle, WA, with one of his longtime drivers, Palmer Crowell, at the wheel. And the other from Ascot Speedway in Los Angeles, CA, with northern California driver Hank Butcher driving.

Reelie was involved with midget car racing for close to 50 years. He was a builder/owner and helped get a few of the local speedways (Digney and False Creek) started. His success as an owner came in the B.C. Midget Auto Racing Association (BCMARA), Washington Midget Racing Association (WMRA) and the United States Auto Club (USAC).

It was for those above accomplishments, and much more, that he was nominated and inducted, posthumously, into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. He passed away a number of years ago but was preparing and bringing his car to the track right up until the end.