Did I post this before?

Not sure. If I did I didn't label it properly. From the Johnny Wright/Dick Downes collection.

From The Willows in Victoria back in 1935.

1935 Willows program

A few pages from the 1935 race program. The race was held at The Willows in Victoria.

These pages include the autographs of Mario Bianchi and Jimmie Wilburn.

early vancouver, part 20

A Victoria auto race, no doubt to feature the talents of Jack "Lucky" Smith, transplanted from Alberta, who would become the "daddy of Victoria racing" in the 1930s and 1940s. He wasn't the only one but he was one of the more important founders of the racing tradition Victoria has gained a reputation for.

45--August 25, 1926, The Willows

--mile against time
1st, Geo. Smith, Snyder Special 1:05
2nd, Jack Ross, Dodge Special 1:05 4-5
3rd, Jack Smith, 1:06 3-5

--light cars, 5-miles
1st, Gus Duray, Stutz
2nd, R. Burnstrom, Burnstrom Special
3rd, R. Benson, Benson Special
time, 5:48

--5-miles, open
1st, Jack Ross
2nd, Jack Smith
3rd, Geo. Smith
time, 5:32 1-5

--3-mile match race, B.C. Championship
1st, Jack Ross
2nd, Jack Smith
3rd, Phil Churchill
time, 3:22 1-5

--15-mile free for all
1st, Jack Ross
2nd, R. Burnstrom
time, 17:17

recent research finds

Haven't gone to the microfilm much lately. Holidays and trying to catch up with all the loose pieces of papers stacked up around here.

Two older bits of information that will have to be incorporated into what is already known:

May 22 and 24, 1915 -- Motorcycle races at The Willows in Victoria. Vancouver riders including professionals "Sandy" Bennett, Alan Ross, George McEwan, Fred Bell, C.H. Edwards and amateurs Rayner, Kenneth Craig, Pat Pettipiece, Bob McEwan and W. Olson. Olson was said to be the present holder of the B.C. 5-mile championship. Will have to get the Victoria newspapers out for further details.

June 12, 1915 -- First automobile race of the year at Seattle's Madison Park. Some drivers scheduled to race were Joe Thomas, Rae Lentz and Charles Latta. Eddie Pullen, of the Mercer racing team, was supposed to officiate as starter. No results found but worth digging for.

early vancouver racing, part fourteen

Big ad for the big races during the Vancouver Exhibition.

The first race noted below is from Victoria. The Foster is Phil Foster, one of a handful of Foster brothers who helped develop racing in the Victoria area. Phil's nephew was Billy Foster.

30--July 1, 1922, The Willows

--one mile Ford race
1st, Olson
2nd, Flesh
3rd, Foster

--5-mile Ford race
1st, Olson
2nd, Foster
3rd, Newman
4th, Flesh

--5-mile Ford race
1st, Olson
2nd, Foster
3rd, Newman

--many motorcycle races that day


31--August 26, 1922, Hastings Park

--25-miles
1st, Jack Ross, Stutz, No. 8
2nd, George Smith, Kimbro
3rd, Walter Bloom, Dodge, No. 4

--light cars
1st, ???
2nd, Bloom

--mile against time
1st, Jack Ross

--2-miles
1st, Jack Ross


32--August 27, 1922, Hastings Park

--2-miles
1st, Jack Ross, Stutz
2nd, George Lott

--6-miles
1st, Walter Bloom, Dodge
time, 7:26 7/8


--6-miles
1st, Jack Ross, Stutz
time, 7:46 1/4

--25-miles
1st, Jack Ross, Stutz
time, 29:06

early vancouver, part twelve

Second part of the 1920 story. There's probably some, if not a lot of overlap here. I've already done the International Motor Contest Association's adventures in western Canada from this time frame. But what's a little redundancy amongst nutbars?

Friday, September 17, 1920, Vancouver, B.C., Hastings Park, 1/2 mile

--event no. 1--light cars--five miles--1st, Dodge, No. 2; 2nd, ONO, No. 5; 3rd, Oakland, No. 10--time, 6:41 2-5

--event no. 2--5 miles--1st, Fred Horey (No. 44); 2nd, Toots Reynolds (No. 1)--time, 6:44 2-5

--event no. 3--light car race--8 miles--1st, Toots Reynolds (No. 1); 2nd, Fred Horey (No. 44)--time, 11:41 1-5

--event no. 4--special match race--10 miles--1st, Jack Ross; 2nd, Henderson--time, 12:00

--event no. 5--pursuit handicap--7 laps--1st, Henderson (No. 43--scratch); 2nd, Meyers (No. 24--started first)--time, 4:35

--event no. 6--1st heat--5 miles--1st, Horey (No. 44); 2nd, Hoffman (No. 9)--time, 6:40

--event no. 7--Dominion Sweepstakes--2nd heat--1st, No. 43; 2nd, Reynolds (No. 1)--time, 7:12 3-5


Saturday, September 18, 1920, Vancouver, B.C., Hastings Park, 1/2 mile

--event no. 1--consolation race--five miles--drivers who did not win Friday--1st, Hoffman (No. 9); 2nd, Maley (No. 17); 3rd, Meyers (No. 24)--time, 7:27

--event no. 2--match race--2 miles--1st, Henderson (No. 43); 2nd, Horey (No. 4)--time, 2:24 1-5

--event no. 3--light car race--15 laps--1st, Meyers (No. 24); 2nd, Reynolds (No. 1)--time, 9:35 3-5

--event no. 4--Dominion Sweepstakes--final heat--5 miles--1st, Henderson (No. 43); 2nd, Fred Horey (No. 44); 3rd, Hoffman (No. 9)--time, 6:13

--event no. 5--novelty race for commercial travellers--1st, Ernest Bulmer; 2nd, Norman Lindsay--time, 1:20--Henderson drove the winner.

--event no. 6--free-for-all--10 miles--1st, Henderson; 2nd, Hoffman--time, 13:18--dead heat at end, toss of coin won

early vancouver, part eleven

1920 in both Victoria and Vancouver with AAA cars and in late September IMCA cars. First off two races featuring northwest drivers like Jack Ross, Gus Duray, George Lott as well as some interesting local names like Arleigh Pilkey.

More about Arleigh can be found elsewhere on this blog.

24--May 22, 1920--The Willows, Victoria

--mile against time
1st, Jack Ross, Stutz 1:06 1/5
2nd, Gus Duray, Stutz 1:07 4/5
3rd, Geo. Lott, Lott Special 1:11 1/5
4th, J. Healey, Stutz Special 1:12 4/5
5th, W.R. McDonnell, Ford Special 1:15
6th, J. Buttera, Buttera Special 1:18 4/5
7th, C. Erickson, Erickson Special 1:19 3/5
8th, B. Giddings, Oh No Special 1:21 1/2
9th, G.W. Stewart, Pepp Special 1:30

--heavy cars, 5-miles
1st, Jack Ross, Stutz, 5:51 3/5
2nd, Gus Duray, 5:52
3rd, Geo. Lott, Lott Special
4th, Carl Erickson, Erickson Special

--light cars, 5-miles
1st, W.R. McDonnell
2nd, Bill Giddings, Oh No Special
3rd, James Buttera, Buttera Special
time, 6:53 2/5

--heavy cars, 8-miles
1st, Jack Ross
2nd, Gus Duray
3rd, Bill Giddings, Lott Special
4th, Carl Erickson
time, 9:19 1/5

--small cars
1st, W.R. McDonnell
2nd, Jim Buttera
3rd, Jim Healey, Oh No Special

--20-mile Victoria international free for all
1st, Jack Ross
2nd, Carl Erickson
3rd, W.R. McDonnell
time, 21:24


25--June 12, 1920--Hastings Park

--mile against time
1st, No. 8, Jack Ross 1:05
2nd, No. 7, Gus Duray 1:07
3rd, No. 11, Jim Healey 1:09 1/2
4th, No. 10, Charlie Latta 1:10
5th, No. 14, MacDonald 1:13 1/2
6th, No. 9, Erickson 1:16 1/2
7th, No. 2, Buttera 1:19
8th, No. 5, Arleigh Pilkey 1:19
9th, No. 12, Stewart 1:25

--290 cu. in. and over, 10-miles
1st, Gus Duray, Stutz, 12:52
2nd, Jack Ross, Stutz, 13:43
3rd, Erickson, Erickson Special

--light cars, 15-miles
1st, Latta, Dodge
2nd, Pilkey
3rd, Gordon Stewart, Chevrolet
4th, Erickson
time, 20:38 1/2

--20-miles, free for all
1st, Jack Ross, Stutz
2nd, Charlie Latta, Dodge
3rd, MacDonald, Ford Special
4th, Erickson, Erickson Special

early vancouver, part ten

The two other major races held in 1919, one in Victoria and the other at Vancouver. Gus Duray was the hot driver. He won all the feature races (4 of them) held in B.C. in 1919. And that Stutz he was driving, formerly owned by Jim Parsons of the Seattle/Tacoma area and a winning driver and dealer in the Stutz automobile himself, was hot as well.


22--August 16, 1919--The Willows, Victoria

--mile against time
1st, Henry North, Romano Special 1:09
2nd, Gus Duray, Stutz 4 1:11 2/5
3rd, George Lott, Lott Special 1:12 1/5
4th, Harry Hooper, Vulcan Kewpie 1:17 4/5
5th, Louie Nelson, Victoria Special 1:18

--heavy cars, 8-miles
1st, Henry North, Romano
2nd, Gus Duray, Stutz
time, 10:00 1/5

--light cars, 5-miles
1st, Henry North, Comet Special, 6:54 1/2
2nd, McDonnell, Ford, 7:21 1/5

--20-miles, Victoria free for all
1st, Gus Duray, Stutz
2nd, Walter Blume
3rd, Henry North, Romano
time, 26:00 2/5

--small cars, 4-miles
1st, ???, Comet
2nd, McDonnell
time, 5:40 2/5

--5-mile dash
1st, Gus Duray
2nd, Henry North, Romano
3rd, Walter Blume, Mercer
time, 6:26 3/5

--amateur, 2-miles
1st, W.J. Rennie, Ford
2nd, R. Graham, Buick
time, 3:30


23--September 18, 1919--Hastings Park

--mile against time
1st, Walter Bloom, Lott Special 1:07 3/4
2nd, Gus Duray, Stutz Special 1:09
3rd, Jack Ross, Stutz Special 1:11
4th, Henry North, Seattle Special 1:13

--290 cu. in. and over, 6-miles
1st, Gus Duray, Stutz Special
2nd, Walter Bloom, Lott Special
3rd, Jack Ross, Stutz Special
time, 6:52

--230 cu. in. and under, 5-miles
1st, Henry North, Seattle Special
2nd, ???, Comet Special
3rd, ???, Marvel Special
time, 6:49 1/2

--25-mile free for all
1st, Gus Duray, Stutz
2nd, Walter Bloom, Lott
3rd, Henry North, Seattle Special
4th, ???, Haye Special
time, 30:33 1/4

early vancouver racing, part three

Some 1913 racing. Beginning with motorcycles.

I'm not going to go chronologically here (lots of syllables back there). I'll do the motorcycles first, then the automobiles

The Bennett mentioned is Alex Bennett who went back to the U.K. and Europe and was a works rider winning some major races. He was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame last year:

7--June 14, 1913, The Willows

--motorcycles

--1st race--Smith, Victoria, won over Scott, Victoria, in 2-mile sidecar race, time, 3:27 ¾

--2nd race--5-mile amateur:
1st, Art Creeck, Victoria
2nd, C.O. Rayner, Victoria
3rd, George Griffin
4th, Comyow, Victoria
Time, 6:44

--3rd race--3-mile professional:
1st, Coburn
2nd, Berreth
3rd, Godfrey
Time, 4:09 ¾

--4th race--3-miles, Coburn vs. Godfrey:
1st, Coburn, time, 4:07 ¼

--5th race--3-miles, Berreth vs. Jimmy Bergstadt
1st, Berreth, time 4:18 ¼

--6th race--10-miles, amateur:
1st, C.O. Rayner
2nd, George Griffin
Time, 13:40

--7th race--4-miles, professional:
1st, Godfrey
2nd, Coburn
3rd, Berreth

--8th race--5-miles, amateur:
1st, Creech
2nd, Rayner
3rd, Griffin



8--July 1, 1913, Hastings Park

--motorcycles, rained out


9--July 8, 1913, Hastings Park

--motorcycles

--one-mile, flying start
1st, Harry Cogburn, California, 1:16 (Province newspaper says 1:14), track record

--2-miles, free-for-all
1st, J. Emery, Seattle
2nd, H. Cogburn, California
3rd, Homer Des Rosier, Vancouver
Time, 2:32

--5-miles, professional riders
1st, H.Cogburn
2nd, Emery
3rd, Harry Meagher
Time, 5:59

--3-miles, amateur riders
1st, Bennett
2nd, McEwen
3rd, Slim Watts
4:06

--5-miles, free-for-all
1st, Cogburn
2nd, Emery
3rd, Meagher
Time, 6:41

--5-miles, amateur, for Con Jones Trophy
1st, George McEwen
2nd, Pat Pettipiece
3rd, Bennett
Time, 7:05 1-2

--3-miles, professional riders
1st, Emory
2nd, Cogburn
3rd, Des Rosier
Time, 3:57 1-2

14--August 9, 1913, Hastings Park

--motorcycles

--5-miles, Vancouver riders
1st, Tom McEwan, (Indian)
2nd, George McEwen, (Indian)
3rd, Bud Parker, (Indian)
4th, Lloyd Purdy (Excelsior)
Time, 6:42

--3-miles, professional
1st, Bennett (only one to finish)
Emory, hurt
Time, 3:45

--5-mile, professional, and
4-mile match race

No results declared.

--6-miles, free-for-all
1st, Bennett (Indian)
2nd, Harry Meagher (Harley-Davidson)
3rd, Harry Cogburn (Indian)
Time, 6:38

--8-miles, Vancouver riders
1st, Bud Parker (Indian)
2nd, George McEwen (Indian)
Time, 10:41

--Hotel Lotus event, 10-miles,
Between Harry Cogburn and Bennett
1st, Bennett
Time, 13:03 2-5

early Vancouver racing, part one

A new set of stats, etc.

This time from 1907 to 1931, mostly Vancouver with some Victoria stuff thrown in as well. All pulled from the microfilm morgues of various libraries.

So, to start, two events from 1907 that were held at The Willows and then, the next week, at Hastings Park. L. Guy Mecklem, Doc Bryant and Virgil Hall were part of a touring group of racers who made it north of the 49th parallel:


1--August 10, 1907, Agricultural Society fairgrounds


--3-lap novelty: standing start with a load of passengers, dropping them off after a lap, running a lap alone, then picking them up for the last lap.
1st, Holton, Humber
2nd, Mecklem, Wayne Steamer

--mile
--Virgil Hall, Thomas Flyer 1:38
--Holton, Humber 1:32
1:30
--Mecklem, Franklin Spider 1:28

2--August 17, 1907, Hastings Park


--mile
--Hal Holton, Humber 1:36 1/2
--Virgil Hall, Thomas Flyer 1:36 1/2

--3-lap novelty
1st, Billy Stark, 40 horsepower Oldsmobile
2nd, Robert Gugin, 12 horsepower Franklin
3rd, J.A. McMullan, Buick

--5-laps, touring cars
1st, W. Stark, Oldsmobile
2nd, J.A. McMullan, Buick
3rd, Robert Dugan, Franklin

--3-laps, runabouts
1st, Doc Bryant, Franklin (in tourist trim)
2nd, L. Guy Mecklem, Franklin
3rd, Billy Stark, Olds

--one mile
1st, L. Guy Mecklem, Franklin
2nd, Virgil Hall, Thomas Flyer

--3-laps, runabouts
1st, Doc Bryant, Franklin
2nd, L. Guy Mecklem, Franklin
3rd, W. Stark, Oldsmobile
time, 2:45 1/4

--Class A, novelty: cars started with a full complement of passengers and at the end of one lap the driver was obliged to jump out and open the door and let the passengers off, then proceed through lap two alone, stop again at the start of lap three and pick up the passengers.

1st, W. Stark, Oldsmobile
2nd, Robert Dugan, Franklin
3rd, J.A. McMullan, Buick

--endurance pursuit race
--stopped due to Virgil Hall accident.


Franklin Spiders, Thomas Flyers, and, geez, a Wayne steamer. Hadn't remembered that from my original research. Lots of good stories came from those two races. I'll have to elaborate on a couple in future posts. I did write a story on the races many years back in The Alternate. Not sure of the issue number at the moment.

Jim Buttera, out of Seattle

Came across this link to James Buttera's racing story here.

If the link doesn't work here's the text. The clipping comes from the son of Gus Duray. Both Gus and James travelled up to Hastings Park, The Willows and the rest of the Pacific northwest.


The Jim Buttera Story
( Article from The Cavalcade of Auto Racing Fall/Winter 1968 )

Jim Buttera is 79 years old. This is an age many never attain, and if they do, they are long since retired; but not Jim Buttera. He is the oldest active member of the Foreign Stock Car Racing Association of Seattle, WA, and a veteran racers of some 57 years. Jim immigrated to this country from Italy in 1907, working as a mechanic. He started racing in 1916 just before the end of World War I, when racing engines were vintage OX-5, 90 h.p. airplane engines. His car was a Dodge and he would tour the Northwest with his booking agent, guaranteeing $1,000.00 to any driver who won a race he entered.

Promotion of races was carried on in this manner Buttera retired from driving in the early '20s after going through boards in Vancouver, B.C. and hired Jack Ross to drive the "Buttera Special." This car was a quiet, little aluminum bodded car that was capable of and did in every race, lap almost every other car. At this time, Buttera and Ross were racing against the Dusenberg factory team amongst others. Jack Ross, in 1925, took 44 first place wins on the dirt and plank tracks of the West Coast, a record yet to be broken. The following year, in 1926, he took 27 firsts. Jim Buttera now had assumed the role of the agent for Jack Ross and the "Buttera Special".

Appearance fees alone for this car and driver during the '20s ranged to $3500.00. In addition, when races were held in Victoria, B.C. the teams were given free boat transportation and room and board. Cars were not towed to the track as now, but were driven and tested on the way to the track. This usually was in the company of the local sportswriters which made for every colorful and descriptive Monday morning newspaper stories giving full details of the trip to the track. ( Note: I am enclosing a copy of the story from the extinct "Seattle Star" of July 26, 1926 telling of the trip to Yakima. --

From the Seattle Star - July 26th 1926

Jim semi-retired from racing during the Depression and World War II years. Following the war, in 1948, he became the first Volkswagen dealer in the western U.S. when there were only 600 of them in the country. His territory covered all of the western U.S. and Alaska. In 1960, he sold his dealership and retired. But retirement was not for Jim and in 1960 he bought his business back, not the dealership, but the name and building and started a VW repair shop. Along about this same time, the Foreign Stock Car Racing Association came into existence and Jim stripped a 1958 Volkswagen for competition. The fourth time out, he set a new track record and the following season, 1967, the "New Buttera Special", a far cry from the original of 1916, with its wooden spokes and V-8 overhead, won the "A" class season championship. Again this year, his car is trying for top position.

At 79, Jim is a devoted race fan and is at the track every Saturday night to cheer for his car and driver. He is a fine gentleman; honest, fair and a true sportsman, qualities which he has instilled in his driver and mechanics. Almost every Saturday night, his pit men can be seen helping other cars and close competitors to attain their peak performances, because, if he wins, he wants every car on the track to be running it's best. Jim Buttera is a true inspiration to all who come in contact with him; he is modest about his victories, generous with his time and money, imparts his vast knowledge of cars, racing and always will speak for her regardless of these troubled times. All of us in racing can look to Jim Buttera as the proverbial "shining example" of what a true sportsman and racer should be.

Behind the walls of a humble little building, which looks like an ordinary repair shop, is an extraordinary story linked to the first IndyCars and the legacy of great customer service.

It's Buttera Motors, independent Volkswagen repair service in Bothell, a family-owned business now into its fourth generation. The walls are covered with pictures of the founder, Jim Buttera, great-grandfather of Matt Hutchison, now service manager of the little blue and white shop that was the first Volkswagen distributorship in the Pacific Northwest. "Any Volkswagen sold in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska was imported by Jim Buttera," says former employee Dick Dinham, who retired recently after working at the shop for 40 years. The cars came into the United States through Canada.

The history gets complex: Buttera's daughter owned the shop after he passed away, and then gave it to her son, Gary Photakis, whose sister Valerie Photakis is office manager. Valerie and her son, Matt Hutchison, are running the whole shebang while Gary Photakis is on a tour of duty in Iraq, serving with honors, as lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. One whole wall is taken up with a giant flag and a "Hurry Home, Gary," banner.

A large collection of framed pictures on all the other walls shows a young Buttera in a variety of cars that he built and raced, setting records on tracks all over Washington and Oregon. Old yellowed newspaper clippings hang in frames next to the pictures. Reporters in those days called Buttera "a Washington state hero" and "a famous race car driver." Buttera raced his cars on dirt and board tracks from 1912 to 1922,then hired drivers to race for him. He also helped build the first IndyCar engines and the first engines to power the hydroplanes that would roar across Lake Washington.

In those early days, Buttera's shop was in downtown Seattle, building specialty Dodges, some of the very same ones he raced. (One of his engines is in Harrah's collection in Las Vegas.) Some time in the 1920s, he felt an economic depression looming, and moved his shop to Juanita. In 1935 he moved again about a mile farther down the same road to Bothell, doing general car repair, surrounded by cow pastures.

In 1949, Buttera was going to be a Tucker dealer, and had a display model of the rare automobile. But Tucker tuckered out, amid financial scandal and bad press. In the early 50s, Dinham says, Buttera became sold on Volkswagen when the German-based company communicated to him that he would have to be trained by them to repair every inch, and have all the tools and parts on hand before he ever imported a car. And there was a strict formula as to how many cars he was allowed to sell in proportion to how many he could service.

"Service was vital and that sold Buttera. Everything revolved around the customer, which is why I stayed there so many years," Dinham says. Buttera had his employees working on everything, he says, from trailers to bikes and motorcycles. "Anything a customer needed, we would do the repairs, even on dune buggies for mining."

"You worked hard," says Ivan Flettre, another former employee who worked there even before Dinham. "(Buttera) pushed you all the time, but also gave you a pat on the back and had a sense of humor. And customers always came first."

That "customer is king" philosophy has carried over through four generations. They no longer sell cars, as Buttera sold that part of the business in the mid 1960s to George Moore, one of his salesmen, who moved the cars to Bellevue and started Moore Motors. But Buttera's shop remained, and the service continued, on Volkswagens and Audis. "Some customers who bought their cars here still come in. Business is good and steady," says Valerie Photakis. "If the grandparents were our customers, usually all the generations follow suit." One service customer, Katherine Huber from Woodinville, named her VW Esmeralda, and drives it in every year for its birthday. "We have a real party, and when Esmeralda turned 21, we changed from sparkling cider to champagne," says Valerie.

With all the history displayed on the walls, from pictures and clippings to Tucker ads, Buttera Motors feels like a little museum. But customers assure you it's a well-oiled shop, servicing cars the old-fashioned way, with caring and concern and efficiency. One tip from Dinham, to get the most out of your vehicle: "The main thing is the attitude of the driver. Drive it like it's going to last and it will last forever."

Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle) - June 9, 2006
by Patti Payne Contributing Writer

the winter of 1947

Over the winter of 1947 news articles appeared noting a new type of car being built for Victoria's Langford Speedway. Jack Smith built a rear-engined sprint car (big car as it was called then) for the 3/8ths mile oval. He used ideas that Ferdinand Porsche had used before the Second World War to build the Auto Union grand prix cars.

Eventually Smith's car was dubbed "the flying saucer" as that phenomenon had caught the publics fancy and the car was a silver low slung looking machine.

Howard Stanley drove the car for a couple seasons, finishing second in the points for 1947.

A second rear-engined car was built by Jack Smith for the 1949 season and driven by Vern Bruce.

The following is a story written for a manuscript on Hastings Park on Jack Smith. It really begins to list the reasons why Jack was inducted into the Canadian Motor Sport Hall of Fame:


Introducing a Man Who Needs No Introduction

Jack Smith's name had made the local papers a few times
with his good showings at Hastings Park in the previous
years. That is probably why they felt they could say he
needed no introduction. But one is probably warranted here.

Jack Smith came from Calgary. His racing history
begins early on after the barnstorming exhibitions of Barney
Oldfield and Bob Burman. An inspired 15-year-old, Jack,
with a friend, worked one summer at $7 a week, investing a
grand total of $42 into a home-built racing car.

With a Curtiss-twin engine and bicycle wheels, and
dubbing it the "Humming Kibosh", Smith got the crate towed
by a motorcycle and fired it up. A later interview by Pike
Green has this quote from Jack Smith on the episode:

"It can only be described as unfortunate that a man and
three children were strung out across the road, causing me
to take violent evasive action. The wheels collapsed and it
sat down.

"Perhaps it is just as well since it probably saved
those brave men, Bob Burman and Barney Oldfield, from
ignominious defeat on the local track."

After serving during the First World War as a pilot
officer in the Royal Flying Corps Smith came back to Calgary
to build light-weight cars. He won local championships over
the next few years.

Relocating in Victoria he continued to build race cars.
With a 72 inch wheelbase, 42 inch tread, four-cylinder Chevy
weighing in at 870 pounds Smith won races at Hastings Park
at both the June and August, 1924, meets.

The car he ran in 1926 at the Willows was probably a
modified four-cylinder Chevy with a pair of side draft
Zenith carburators, Dayton wire racing wheels, semi-elliptic
springs and a chassis slung below.

Jack Smith was introduced to the 1926 Victoria crowd as
the holder of "the coveted Silver Cup and the B.C.
Championship" for the 1926 meet to be held at The Willows
half mile. He had run in Vancouver against the "California
Dirt Track Kings" and had done well against southern
California's strong cars and drivers. He was said to have
won "every event in Alberta and Manitoba."

But it was Jack Ross, who had won at The Willows
previously in 1920, winning again in front of the Victoria
crowd of 1500. In a Dodge Special, Ross won the 3-mile
match for the B.C. Championship, the 5-mile open race and
the 15-mile free-for-all. In all he took $350 back to
Seattle.

Jack Smith's legacy does not end with the 1926 race.
By the late 1920s, with automobile racing in doldrums all
over the northwest, he turned to outboard motorboat racing.
He became president of the Victoria Hydroplane Club and his
boats, driven by himself or other Victoria lads, were
winners.

But Jack Smith will always be referred to as the
"Daddy" of local racing. This because he helped form and
became initial president of the B.C. Automotive Sports
Association (BCASA) which built Langford Speedway in 1936,
just outside of Victoria. That track ran nearly weekly
through its history up to 1950 (excluding the war years of
1942-45) which encouraged Victoria drivers and mechanics.
By its demise he had also started and been president of
another two clubs, the Victoria Midget Racing Association
(VMRA) and the Vancouver Island Track Roadster Association
(VITRA).

That legacy helped build Western Speedway, near where
the old Langford Speedway had been located, and kept racing
going in a small community of Victoria that managed to field
drivers and mechanics that made their impact felt at the
Indianapolis 500.

Jack Smith needed no introduction to the Victoria
audience in 1926. He passed away in 1975. His 1992
induction to the Victoria Auto Racing Hall of Fame let the
rest of the Victoria racing community realize how much they
owed to him.

More photos of Smith, Stanley and Bruce and the various rear-engined cars can be found at
http://members.shaw.ca/gforce-2/Langford_Speedway.html