Nearing the End of an era at The Canadian Lakehead Exhibition Race Track...

With cut-down cars, super modifieds and sprints making the scene, the exhibition board was starting to get nervous that the cars were getting too fast or too noisy...no one really knows for sure, but the end of car racing at the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition track was slowly coming to an end. The last three years up to 1966, only Championship races were held at the CLE, and all of us that still had a hunger to race cars or watch them would have to be satisfied with a big race a year for awhile to come, as it would take until 1967 for full time racing to begin again at Riverview Raceways on the Scott Highway...the King's Highway 61. The photos on this post are some of the Americans that came to the last races here at the old CLE track.
The 1934 3-window coupe #34 is Ron Larson, and the #22 is Don "Itch" Daniels.
The lists below are from 1962 and 1964. They are a bit confusing as many drivers from different tracks sported the same car numbers, but if you were a fan then, you will recognize many of the driver's names. Barry Kettering was living in the Minnesota by then as well.

As stated above the first list of drivers is from 1962 and the next from 1964.

The #68 Sprint car is driven by Doug Hjermstad from Minot, North Dakota and is powered by a Buick 401 CI engine. The super Modified #85 is Jim Peterson from Lake Elmo, Minnesota and is powered by a 426 CI Plymouth engine.

The #4 sprint here is the well known Don Mack from Grand Forks Minnesota, and powered by a 383 CI mopar engine. The 71B sprint car is Bill Sirecks from St. Paul with a big 409 Chevy.

Here is #78 Ken Anderson's car from Duluth Mn. This car is fully restored now and in the Russ Wanzuk collection here in Thunder Bay. The #85 car is Jim Peterson from Lake Elmo, Mn and sports a 426 Plymouth engine.

The #90 super modified car is Mike Kelley from St. Paul Mn., and powered by a 327 Chevy. Finally a fan favourite everywhere he raced is #99 Jerry Richert from Rushford Minnesota with his cool little '34 Ford 3-window coupe(don't know who the guy is that's stealing his spark plugs though).
We have to thank these guys as well as the droves of other cars that came from Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Dakotas, Winnipeg and Southern Ontario to entertain us during the last years of the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition race track....we owe them all a debt of gratitude.
All these photos were taken at the CLE track during those last few years in the early 1960's. The track was then given up to horse racing as it once was.
Click on photos to enlarge!

Do You Know This Building?....

These colour photos were taken on July 12th 2009.


Yes, It's the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition Coliseum building that has been around for quite some time. It is directly across from the Golf Dome(which would be situated right in the middle of our old dirt track on the fairgrounds), and also puts Silver City pretty much right in the middle of the great old wooden grandstand.
This was considered the gate turn(turn 2) on the track. Behind the race cars is where the gate was opened to let all the cars, pit crew and track officials into the pits(infield).
If you study the pictures you could probably go and stand right where Al Massaro's car was....right in the middle of the parking lot of the Golf Dome.
I am still working on who some of these guys were but in the left b&w photo #79 is unknown, #22 is unknown and #88 was the well known Albert Massaro with a 1937 Ford Coupe. In the right b&w photo is #24 unknown, #88 Albert Massaro with a 1934 Ford Coupe, his brother #87 Tony Massaro with another '33 or '34 Ford Coupe, and finally the D & K Special #10 driven by Don Marsh. This number was also used by Pappy Fowler in those days. These b&w photos are from the mid 1950's.
Some of these incredible drivers are not with us anymore but live on in infamy because someone had the foresight to save these great photos.
Landmarks such as the Coliseum are still around to give us an idea of the location of other things. Thank you to all who have preserved these photos.
Oh yes, and thank those stock car jockeys for destroying hundreds of those all steel early '30's Ford Coupes and Sedans....that's why they are scarce and very valuable today(who would ever guess!)........Dave.
Always click on photos to enlarge

Mister "C" Himself....

Well known and often seen cruisin' Thunder Bay is Clarence Merko and his pink 1957 Thunderbird. If you go to pretty much any car event here in town, you will find Clarence and his T-Bird as well as a hot microphone in his hand. Mr. "C" loves to chat and can hold an audience at bay for quite some time with his verbal antics(always nice though). Clarence is a wonderful guy, friend to everyone, and would give the proverbial shirt off his back to anyone in need. His volunteer work around the city of Thunder Bay is second to none. Clarence has also been a lifetime member of The Lakehead Antique Car Club and has clocked thousands of hours on their behalf too. My wife and I had the privilege of spending some time with Clarence and his beautiful wife Pat down in Corpus Christi, Texas a few years ago, and the great fun we had especially with Clarence keeping us in stitches the whole time will always be an unforgettable memory.

The two car picture was taken in around 1992 of Clarence's T-bird and my Deuce coupe at the old original entrance to Vickers Park here in town. No one can drive into there now but we did have this opportunity for a photo shoot then. The last and black and white photo was taken as a promo photo of the park for a postcard that was for sale in the late 1940's. There is much speculation as to who the little girl and lady were. To the best of my knowledge they are Verlie Umpherson and her mother Sally. Verlie's brother Ken and Ken's wife Sue are old friends as well.

Thanks again Clarence for the great pose and wonderful smile on Canada Day, July 1, 2009. Click on pics to enlarge.