JACK SMITH
1992 INDUCTEE
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* Jack built his first race car in 1911 at the tender age of 15. * His first effort produced a bicycle-wheeled contraption powered by a motorcycle engine. * In 1919, Jack set out on a brilliant racing career where he built, maintained and drove his own race cars to two successive Alberta championships. * He then settled in Victoria where he constucted more cars and won the B. C., Northwest, Victoria and Vancouver titles. * Jack's many talents enabled him to manufacture many of his own engine parts. He produced pistons, camshafts, heads, crankshafts, valves and rods of his own design. * In 1927, he turned his attention to outboard boat racing, and the outcome was almost predictable as he won 14 out of 15 events. * Concerned with the dwindling interest in the sport of Auto Racing, Jack was instrumental in forming the B. C. Automotive Sports Association (B.C.A.S.A.). This would be the parent club from which all present day B. C. clubs have sprung. * Jack's last race as a driver was at the 1 mile Colwood Horse Race Track in 1933. Incidentally, he won that race. * Through his pioneering spirit, Jack was convinced
that the rear-engined machine would be the car of the future. He constructed
a pair of these in his tiny basement shop and had them compete at Langford
Speedway in the late 1940's. * During his later years, he made daily visits
to the race car shop of Mike Hitchcox where a rear-engined "sidewinder"
chain driven race car was being produced. It's safe to say that Jack had
quite a bit of influence in this design. |
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