PETITCODIAC, NB (November 13, 2013) – The Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame will salute 10 new inductees this Saturday as the Class of 2013 is formally welcomed in a sold-out gala ceremony to be held at Moncton’s Future Inns Hotel & Conference Centre.
Each inductee will be honored with a video presentation highlighting accomplishments and contributions that have earned them the distinction of being included in the Hall of Fame. On Sunday perpetual plaques will be unveiled at the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame museum commemorating their contributions and induction.
The Class of 2013 includes a diverse group from the three Maritime provinces; brief bios for each new member follows…
Richard Boyd – Drag Racing – Belleisle Creek, NB:
Mr. Boyd started his racing career in 1969 and over 41 years competed at tracks throughout the Maritimes and in the U.S. He won many races and championships, most notably second after one round of qualifying in the 2005 North American Nationals and winning the 2005 Atlantic Drag Racing Association (ADRA) Super Pro points title. He is a three-time recipient of the ADRA President Award and has served as the ADRA President.
Roy Blakney – Motorcycle Competitor – Moncton, NB, residing in Denver, Colorado (USA):
Mr. Blakney’s contributions to motorcycle competition are diverse and numerous, including official, promoter, sponsor, media, business, and clubs – offering such assistance locally, nationally, and internationally. His aggressive riding style won him championships and races – between 1951 and 1966 his list of firsts and seconds is nothing less than amazing. It is estimated he has over two million miles under his belt in his 71 years of riding. In 1952 he was instrumental in designing “The Ranch”, a track and play ground in Petitcodiac (NB). Besides Canada he has competed in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. At 82, he is still an avid cycle rider.
Joseph Bolger – Motorcycle Competitor, Creator – Charlottetown, PE, residing in Barre, MA, USA:
Mr. Bolger has numerous awards on his racing resume including the 1959 Canadian National Motocross Champion, 250 Expert Class, a five-time sportsman rider of the year, a five-time winner on the Eastern USA Motocross Championship series, undefeated winner in 1965 Eastern USA v Canada International MX Series where he also won numerous races between 1962 and 1970. He was instrumental in establishing international off-road racing events in the 1960s when he also contributed to Cycle Sport magazine as an editor – a position he also filled for Cycle World (California). He raced ‘Scrambles’ and invented many parts and tools for bikes, some of which are patented by ‘Joe Bolger Products’. He was inducted to the AMA Hall of Fame in 2004.
Steve Henderson – Stock Car Competitor, Owner, Builder – Truro, NS:
Mr. Henderson began his racing career in the driver seat at the age of 16, driving until 1999 when he became a car owner on the regional pro stock tour. He is a two-time car owner champion on the Maritime Pro Stock Tour with both trophies earned with Shawn Turple as his driver. Before Turple he fielded a car for Gordie Ryan. Both Turple and Ryan are multi-time winners on the Tour as Henderson’s driver. In recent years he has expanded his regional racing involvement to include owning and operating R & D Performancenter which services parts requirements for racers on and off the track.
Scott Livingston – Motocross/ Stock Car, Competitor – Charlottetown, PE:
Mr. Livingston’s interest in all things mechanical started at a very early age. He began racing in motocross competition, he has raced on ice, and he has raced stock cars. At just 17 years of age he opened ‘Scott’s Cycle’. He is a certified motorcycle mechanic and a registered instructor in the Canada Safety Council’s Motorcycle Training Program. In the 1980s he became active in the family welding shop. He builds cars for himself and for others. He raced with MASCAR and the Maritime Pro Stock Tour. He retired from driving in 2010 after a racing injury but continues to influence employees and former pit crew members, tow that have gone on to become team members on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He serves as the Prince Edward Island Vice President for the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Francis ‘Frank’ McCarthy – Sports Car Competitor, Promoter – Halifax, NS:
Mr. McCarthy was 26 years old when he competed in, and won, his first sports car race. He is a multi-time winner and champion with notable accomplishments including the 1968 Atlantic Sports Car Club title, the 1969 and ’70 CASCAR Atlantic Region driving skills championship, the 1970 Ice Dice in Dartmouth – where is undefeated winning five events in seven years. In 1971 he won an endurance race as part of a team of four – one of his proudest moments in motorsports. He has operated driving schools, is a past director of the Atlantic Sports Car Club, and an honorary founding member of the Atlantic Sports Car Club.
Frank McKenzie – Stock Car Competitor, Builder – Miramichi, NB:
In a racing career that spanned more than 30 years between the late 60s and lat 90s Mr. McKenzie has won countless awards and accolades as a result of his racing talent – competing on dirt tracks and on paved tracks throughout New Brunswick. His contribution went beyond the driver seat as a successful builder of cars and the sport; in 1968 he was the recipient of the ‘Contributing Most to Stock Car Racing in Douglastown’ award. He is also a three-time winner of a ‘Most Sportsmanlike Driver’ award. While his trademark is his Car # 1 his qualities as a true sportsman and gentleman are perhaps what he is just as well-known for.
Jack Way (1941-2012) – Drag Racing/Stock Car – Dartmouth, NS:
Mr. Way started his racing career in 1957 as a drag racer where he competed at Maitland, Drag City, Cayuga and in Niagara Falls where he won a ‘King of the Hill’ event. In 1970 he moved to stock car racing where he competed against fellow MMHF inductees Junior Hanley and Terry Clattenburg, and competed at a long list of tracks including Drag City, Cayuga and Beech Ridge. His lifelong love for automobiles extended to his professional life where he sold cars and at the age of 19 had his own Studebaker dealership, Dolphin Motors. He owned several dealerships Nova Scotia and Ontario and was a pioneer in the auto export business. In 1980 he was invited to join a handful of dealers on Chrysler Canada’s Advisory Board where he worked with Lee Iacocca to help resolved industry problems.
Gerald Wheaton – Stock Car, Competitor – Wheaton Settlement, NB, residing in Orangeville, ON:
Mr. Wheaton won his first ever stock car race – it was in 1964 at Pinecrest Speedway (ON). His first feature win on Maritime soil came at River Glade Speedway in 1966 when he was voted most popular driver after finishing fourth overall on the season. Tracks on his resume, besides Flamboro and River Glade, include Hammond River and Brookside in the Maritimes, as well as Sunset, Sauble, Barrie, Cayuga, Delaware, Peterborough, Capital City, Varney and Kawartha in Ontario. He is a two-time champion at Sauble Speedway and a three-time winner on Ontario’s ALSTAR Late Model Series.
Bob Yuille – Stock Car Competitor – Cape Breton, residing in Dartmouth, NS:
Mr. Yuille began racing drag cars and soon moved to stock cars where he competed at tracks throughout the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario, and in New England. In 1983, he was the inaugural feature winner on the MASCAR Tour. In 1991 he competed in a NASCAR Busch North Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Besides MASCAR and Busch North, his stock car resume includes super late model, ACT and super modified divisions. He took a break from racing between 1995 and 2006 to grow his auto repair shop ‘Yuille Auto Works’. In 2007 he finished second in the Newfoundland Targa Road Race, and in 2010 he made a return appearance in that event where his was the only penalty-free team after three days of racing.
These ten inductees bring the total number of honorees in the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame to 82.
Last minute tickets for the induction ceremony may be available by calling 506.756.2110 – tickets will not be available at the door.
On Sunday morning the annual post-induction brunch will be held at the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame facility in Petiticodiac; tickets for the brunch are just $10 – all of the inductees or their representatives are expected to attend.
To learn more about the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame (MMHF) please visit the MMHF museum in Petitcodiac or online at www.mmhf.ca.
From: Joan Roue- for the MMHoF
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