Rally has a long history in Canada, in fact it stretches back a full 50 years! This weekend, the Canadian Association of Rallysport is hosting a celebration of those 50 years. They have assembled an incredible list of past champions for the event including names like Buffum, Sprongl, Mcgeer and Richard.

There will be cars on display, a Rally Drive In, a display of 6 decades of rally in Canada and a banquet on Saturday evening.

From the CARS press release:

Keynote Speaker

The keynote speaker will be Mr. Tom Burgess, a six time Canadian Champion co-driver and winner of the Ed Deak Trophy. A long time active competitor, Tom has won thirty-nine championship rallies since 1973 and has amassed over 6000 lifetime points, the most any individual has achieved. A former national rally director and a very experienced steward, he has experienced both sides of the sport. Tom is a very effective speaker and is the person to address all those in attendance to celebrate fifty years of the Canadian Rally Championship.

Masters of Ceremony

The 50th Celebration Committee is also pleased to announce that Mr. Luc Brunet and Mr. Martin Headland will be sharing the podium as masters of ceremony for the 50th banquet and awards’ ceremony. One feature of the banquet will be the presentation of all past winners in attendance at the celebration. Luc and Martin serving as MCs will ensure the evening’s festivities will be in good hands.

Confirmation of Past Champions Attending

The list of past champions who have confirmed their attendance at the 50th Celebration continues to grow. Among those coming are: Tom Burgess, Taisto Heinonen, Randy Black, Doug Wood, Bo Skowronnek, Alain Bergeron, Frank Sprongl, Dan Sprongl, Rod Hendricksen, Bruce Schmidt, Betty Schmidt, Peter Watt, Mary Crundwell, Martin Headland, Raymond Cadieux, Trish McGeer, Mark Williams, Nathalie Richard, Terry Epp, Philip Erickson, Jean-Paul Peruse and Paul Manson. The driver with the greatest number of total victories in Canadian Championship Rallies (and with over 100 rally wins in total), John Buffum, will also be attending. Of course, the 50th champions, Antoine L’Estage and Ole Holter will be present to receive their trophies as Canadian Rally Champions and complete the half century of champions.

We are still trying to locate 5 former champions and we would appreciate any help in locating the following people: William (Bill) Silvera, Bob Lee, John Wilson, Yorgi Bittner and Ian McCurdy.

Full details of the event can be found at the CARS web site.

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