A long time friend of Leighton Irwin, Gord Green held a special place in Canadian sports car racing history. Even here in The Garage, he left his mark, with the P & G Special. This memorial story was written by Colene Allen.
On March 23, 2012 long-time CASC Regional competitor and official Gord Green passed away at hospital in Haliburton, Ontario. Gord is remembered for the significant accomplishments he made as a competitor, good friend, car builder, and official. His contributions to racing are many, significant, and well known. In the summer of 1966, Gord competed in the Sundown Grand Prix at Mosport International Raceway. Gord’s race that day was a recipe of a pinch of grit, a teaspoon of determination, a lot of talent and skill, and a sprinkling of luck. Gord’s co-driver, Ron Evans, told me the story of that historic race.
Ron and Gord met back in 1958 when Ron started racing. Both competed in various cars and classes, with Gord racing a Lotus 7 starting in 1964 and Ron following Gord with a Merlyn 6A in 1965. By this time, Gord and Ron had known each other for six years. They both slept at the track on race weekends, paddocked next to each other, and began combining their resources to save money. They were part of a larger group of racers that spent time together that included Al Sutter, Gary Magwood, Willy Cleeland, and Leighton Irwin. At some point, Ron tried to convince Gord to buy a Merlyn, but Gord was happy to keep racing with his Lotus 7.
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