formula-atlantic

ebook launch: One in A Thousand

May 1, 2012 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

We’re always on the lookout for a great read, and one that includes a bit of Canadian racing history is always at the top of our list. Long time Canadian racer, Ian Coristine has just release this story called One in a Thousand. Rather than publishing in book format, Coristine has chose to publish as an ebook, meaning that readers can enjoy the photographer’s spectacular images in high resolution. From the publisher:

It is a memoir, written by Ian Coristine, with novelist Donnas Walsh Inglehart. Coristine raced formula cars in the late 60s and early 70s in Canada and his story relates the challenges of chasing a racing career at that time, with a significant number of images from the era. Later, he became a pilot, discovering the 1000 Islands on a random flight in 1992, then spent the next 17 years photographing it, mostly low from above in his Challenger ultralight. This memoir shares many of his unlikely adventures along the way and includes a massive amount of material (images, video, audio, narration and music) which will immerse you in the story and the spectacular 1000 Islands in ways not possible before.

You can learn more about it as well as enjoy two videos by exploring the One in a Thousand home page.

Early Aero part 2

September 24, 2010 by Leighton Irwin Leave a Comment

My last couple of articles have been on current Indy car female drivers but I will now revert to my long ago years in racing.

After I exploded my good Coventry Climax engine in 68 I tried to find a replacement. For quite a while no luck but finally a rather tired unit was found. In retrospect I should have probably changed to another make but I didn’t. By the time it was installed CASC had decided to change the Canadian Championship to Formula Cars which basically devalued any sports racer big time. It was a sore point as the drivers were not consulted. Although most of us were against the change it was in retrospect the correct decision. Anyway I decided to sell the Elva and did plan to buy a formula car, probably a Formula Ford. It took a while but the Elva did sell but after I paid off my debts I was still broke.
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Shutter Speed: Down; but not out!

August 9, 2010 by Allan De La Plante 2 Comments

The end of 1976 had a very strange twist for me. On November 15th Rene Levesque led his Parti Quebecois to power in Quebec. I was an Anglophone with a French name! The Bank of Montreal project was over. So were the Olympics! I was living in Montreal on a high, but my client list dried up almost immediatley. I was in a serious situation. The rocket ride had ended so I packed my bags and family and headed to Ontario and Toronto. I was not financially prepared for this change.
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Old Farts Reunion

August 5, 2010 by Gary Grant 4 Comments

We have a pretty incredible racing history here in Ontario, dating back to the late 1950’s. Fortunately, that is recent enough history that many early racers are still around to share their stories. Our own Allan de la Plante is one of those guys who was in the thick of the action in the Sixties and Seventies. A couple of weeks before the Honda Indy in Toronto, Allan had a spark of an idea to get a bunch of the old racers together for an evening. The next thing we knew, Allan had put together the above invite using his famed Four into Four image, while Canadian racing icon Bill Brack was scrambling to put together the guest list.

I was honored to be included in the list, as I had only been a little guy when these guys were racing past as I played in the sand at Mosport. There had been some discussion before the event as too what constitutes an Old Fart and it was deemed that one should have seen an original Can Am series race in person. I was indeed at a few of them, so I guess that qualifies me as old!
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Shutter Speed: A New Direction

May 11, 2010 by Allan De La Plante 14 Comments

The car business had given me new powers! I now knew how to sell myself. I knew how to project my ideas to any listener. I knew how to sway a potential client to my intentions and I now knew how to persuade that client that what I had to sell him or her was going to have a long term benefit, not that owning a Porsche or Volkswagen would have any other effect on them than drain their bank account. I also learned that the sale was everythingÃ¢â‚¬Â¦that is until I sold my own Mother an Austin Marina! That thoughtless act and my failure to protect my Mother from financial ruin through the endless sinkhole that car represented left great rifts between us until I eventually bought her a decent car to make amends. Unfortunately the new Toyotas of the day were not the best choice either! It wasnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t until I got her a new Honda Civic that she was happy that is until not one, but both front fenders, fell off due to rust. These two delightful incidents happened within about twenty miles of each other! She was really pissed at me and promptly went out and bought a brand spanking new Dodge Omni! She liked the colour. She eventually rolled it over north of Newmarket in a snowstorm and spent some time in the hospital. This actually brought us closer together as I spent a lot of time visiting and listening to the whining about cars and weather and every other thing that generally put her off. My son, my girlfriend, my Mother and I all lived in a nice little home in JacksonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Point on Lake Simcoe. Unbeknownst to me, my Mother and my girlfriend did not get along at all, but both kept me in the dark about their problems. My brother wasnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t talking to me for some reason and I later found out my Mother was sharing her experiences with him which pissed him off. No explaining family dynamics at times.
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Makin’ like OJ, without the Bronco or the hotel rooms or…

April 17, 2010 by Gary Grant 2 Comments

That’s right, yesterday I felt like OJ Simpson. Not the old school, does the glove fit OJ mind you, I was hot on the trail of a long lost piece of sports memorabilia. The meeting was set at of all places, a dentist office. No dicey hotels for this gumshoe. No dumb thugs with guns either.

The missing piece is a uniquely Canadian image, created by our very own Allan De La Plante. The double exposure you see above, showing Canadian Formula 1 legend Gilles Villeneuve in his Formula Atlantic days. The image is one of only 2 produced and has been signed by ADLP and Villeneuve.

I made my getaway in a silver GMC Terrain, not a white Bronco. I drove at the speed limit and there were no helicopters following me. The photo will reside in my den until the weekend of the Toronto Indy, when I will sadly part with it as it goes back to BC with Allan.

Touring UK Race Factories in 1975

April 2, 2010 by Leighton Irwin 1 Comment

As some of you know I crewed for Bruce Jensen in FB and F Atlantic from 1969 to 1976 and again in 1979 when I was crew chief. Bruce had his best year in ’74 running a March 74B. It was also the first year that Bruce was able to have a professional race mechanic a tall Aussie, Bob Peberdy. Bob had considerable experience in F3 and F2 in Europe. The rest of the crew were, like me, part timers who had full time jobs. I learned one heck of a lot from Bob who usually worked well into the evening when I was able to be in the shop.

Bruce normally was the quickest of the Marches, even quicker than Gilles Villeneuve that year. A second at Edmonton was the best finish. After getting pole at Sanair and running second and gaining on Bill Brack a driveshaft let go. This was a March weakness and not our first failure although the others had not been in a race. Bruce’s March 722 had the same problem. At the last race of 74 we got a ‘new’ superior F2 set up. One failed in practice! Used set back on.
We had not been happy with the build quality when we got the car. Actually had missing nuts and a couple of hardware store quality bolts instead of Grade 5. We always changed to AN high quality nuts and bolts anyway but just an indication. Then when we arrived at Westwood there were the Ecurie Canada March and Shierson Marches with side rads and totally different noses. We were not very happy, nor were some other teams. We hadn’t been told of the update. We could buy it at a horrendous price. Nice racket.
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Formula Atlantic- The End of the Line?

March 10, 2010 by Leighton Irwin 4 Comments

After 36 years it appears Formula Atlantic is finished. It has been the longest running series in North American road racing. In theory, according to Series owner Ben Johnston it is just a hiatus. I have my doubts. I loved the series and I was involved as a mechanic/crew chief in the series most glorious years in the 70’s. In fact I was involved before Formula Atlantic existed!

Canada switched to formula cars for the Canadian Championship in 1969 with the Gulf Series for Formula Cars including Formula A/5000. The field the first year was pretty thin with even Formula Fords appearing on the podium. By 1970 things were looking better but it was apparent that the big bore cars were not the way to go and the series switched to Formula B and Players came on board as series sponsor. There was also a formula B series in Quebec and the US.

I stopped racing in 68 and started to crew for Bruce Jensen in late 69 when he acquired his first formula car, a BT16 Brabham. I stayed with Bruce until mid 76 and then went back in 79 for a period as crew chief. In those years he had a Brabham BT21, Chevron B17 and March 722 Formula B cars. Formula Atlantics were a March 74B, Chevron B29 and a Ralt RT1. His best year was with the March in 74 when he was rarely beaten by another March and had a second at Edmonton and pole at Sanair. He was running second at Sanair and gaining on eventual winner Bill Brack when a driveshaft let go. A March weakness. With the B29 he was second fastest B29 to Bill Brack but by then the March was the better car and some guy by the name of Villeneuve was coming on.The mid 70’s were the heyday of top drivers coming out of the series, although Atlantics have always produced top line drivers. Through the 70’s Formula Atlantic was generally considered the best racing in North America.
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Scary Charlotte

March 5, 2010 by Leighton Irwin 2 Comments

Back in the 70’s we used to try to get in some testing before the Players Atlantic season started. Quite often we went to West Palm Beach, later Moroso, for two or three days of testing in late February or early March. We then would stay and run in a SCCA Regional. But that is for a later story.

Bruce Jensen had ordered a Chevron B29 for the 1975 season after he and I got back from the Racing Car show in London and had spent time at several factories and race shops. We did not receive the car till much later than normal. At least with a Chevron, unlike a March, it was complete and well assembled.
For one reason or another booking a test anywhere did not pan out.
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Up to no good

February 6, 2010 by Leighton Irwin 1 Comment

Quite a few people think racing drivers, and by assocciation, all involved are crazy. Now I don’t believe that but we sure had a tendancy to get up to no good. This especially held true if you got a bunch hanging around together with a little time on their hands.

The old late 60’s early 70’s enclave of race shops on Midwest and Midland in Scarborough had more than its share of nonsense. The Atlantic teams of the 70’s were nortorious for destroyed rental cars and other shennanigans. Alan de la Plante and I both have come to the conclusion many of those stories still cannot be published. Some milder ones may get told later. This pretty tame one took place at John Dobbins shop on Birch Ave in Toronto in the mid 60’s. Gary Magwood ran out of there and several other racer types were always around.
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