October

October 1
Carlos Reutemann of Argentina drove a Ferrari 312T3 to victory in the "Toyota Grand Prix of the United States" at Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York, USA. (1978)

Jimmy Vasser and Target/Chip Ganassi teammate Juan Pablo Montoya completed a 1-2 sweep of the CART "Texaco Grand Prix of Houston" at Streets of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA. Gil de Ferran was third in the Marlboro/Roger Penske entry, followed by Toronto's Paul Tracy in the Kool/Team Green car. Other Canadians in the field were the Player's/Indeck (Gerry Forsythe) teammates Alex Tagliani (crash) and Patrick Carpentier (electronics) both with DNF's. (2000)

October 2
Lee Petty wins his first NASCAR race, in a Plymouth, at 1/2-mile Heidelberg Speedway in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. (1949)

Ricky Stenhouse Jr, 2010 Nationwide Series "Rookie of the Year", 2011 & 2012 Nationwide Series Champion and the 2013 Sprint Cup Series "Rookie of the Year", born in Olive Branch, Mississippi, USA. (1987)

October 3
Max Papis, veteran of NASCAR, Le Mans 24 Hours, Formula One and Champ Car, born in Como, Italy. (1969)

In Canadian History:
James Hunt wins the Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport, Ontario, in a McLaren M23. (1976)

October 4
Sarah Fisher,
photo credit: insidetherace via photopin cc 
former Indycar driver and current team owner, born in Columbus, Ohio, USA. (1980)

Fisher runs Sarah Fisher Racing, which she started in 2008, becoming the first and only female team owner and the youngest owner in the IZOD IndyCar Series, as well as the first female team owner to win an IZOD IndyCar Series race. In 2010, she competed in her ninth and final Indy 500, marking the most number of starts for a woman in the 94-year history of the event. Her first book, "99 Things Women Wish They knew Before Getting Behind The Wheel of Their Dream Job", was released in May 2010.


Gaston Chevrolet, the younger brother of the Chevrolet car company founder Louis, born in Beaune, Côte-d'Or, France. (1892)

October 5
Enzo Ferrari takes part in his first car race, a hill climb in Parma, Italy. He finished fourth. (1919)

Jochen Rindt, driving a Lotus 49B-Ford, wins his first Grand Prix, the USGP at Watkins Glen, New York. (1969)

In Canadian History:
Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame member Walter Wolf, owner of Walter Wolf Racing is born. (1939)

October 6
Francois Cevert, winner of the 1971 "United States Grand Prix" at the Watkins Glen Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York, died in a violent crash on the same track. (1973)

October 7
Gil de Ferran wins the CART Texaco Grand Prix of Houston through the downtown streets of Houston, Texas, USA. (2001)

In Canadian History:
Horst Kroll of Toronto, followed a 3rd fastest in qualifying, with a 3rd place finish behind Michael Roe and Jim Crawford, at the CRC Chemicals Can-Am in Riverside, California, USA . (1984)


October 8
In Canadian History:
Canadian racing legend Gilles Villeneuve celebrated his first victory in Formula 1 at the Canadian Grand Prix. (1978)

October 9
In Canadian History:
Mario Andretti, Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame member and International racing great, drives in his final CART Champ Car race. He DNFs while lying seventh. Toronto's Paul Tracy wins the race at Laguna Seca, California, USA. (1994)

Gilles Villeneuve makes his Ferrari debut at the Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park, Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. (1977) 

October 10
James Hunt wins the USGP at Watkins Glen, New York, in a McLaren M23. (1976)

Dale Earnhardt Jr, 2-time "Daytona 500" winner and son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Sr, born in Concord, North Carolina, USA. (1974)

October 11
Lynn St. James sets a new women's national closed-course speed record of 212.577 mph at Talladega Superspeedway, driving a Ford Thunderbird. (1987)

October 12
Ned Jarrett, named one of "NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers", born in Conover, North Carolina, USA. (1932)

October 13
In Canadian History:
Rick Miaskiewicz of St Louis, out battled Horst Kroll of Toronto, for his 3rd win of the season at St Louis International Raceway, and take a 9 point championship lead over Kroll, going into the final race of the season. (1985) 

Ed Crombie, former Indycar driver, who made four starts, with a best finish of 7th at Mosport in 1977, born in Williams Lake, British Columbia. (1945)

October 14
Glenn "Fireball" Roberts wins the NASCAR "National 400" stock car race at Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. (1962)

October 15
Sean Edwards, race driver, instructor and the son of former Formula One driver Guy Edwards, died as a passenger in a private testing incident in October 2013, at a raceway in Queensland, Australia. (2013)

In Canadian History:
Arriving a little after midnight from his 2nd place finish in St. Louis, Horst Kroll parked his vehicle at the shop and rushed home for a few hours rest. Locked in a Championship battle with one race to go, Kroll was dealt another unexpected blow. Upon arrival at his shop in the morning, Horst discovered his truck, trailer and beloved KR3 Frissbee Can-Am car missing. The car was later found in a farmer's field north of Oshawa. Missing was our spare VDS engine and the car was in pieces from an attempt to remove our main engine. The police said probably the only reason the car wasn't torched was the thief's were not done and were planing a return to finish the job. Not only could the season have been lost, but possible this could have meant the end of Krolls career. (1985)
For more: The Horst Kroll Story} Part Three -1985 Season

Al Pease, Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame member, born in Darlington, England. (1921)

October 16
Danny Sullivan, finished 2.784 seconds ahead of  Michael Andretti, to win the CART "Champion Spark Plug 300K" at Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, California, USA. The lone Canadian in the field, John Jones of Thunder Bay, settled for a 11th place DNF, due to an engine fire. (1988)

October 17
In Canadian History:
Gilles and Joann Villeneuve,
photo credit: alessio mazzocco via photopin cc 
were married on this day. (1970)


Yvon DuHamel
photo credit: Cédric JANODET via photopin cc
of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is born. (1939) 
Yvon was inducted into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in 1988, both the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame and the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999, the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame  and the Panthéon des Sports du Québec in 2007. 


October 18
Roger Penske drives a Chevrolet-powered Chaparral 2 to victory in the USAC-sanctioned sports car race at Laguna Seca in California, USA. (1964)

In Canadian History:
Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame member John Cannon died in New Mexico, USA, from injuries received in the crash of an experimental aircraft. (1999)

Alex Tagliani, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and Indycar veteran, also the 2009 Indianapolis 500 "Rookie of the Year", born in Lachenaie, Quebec, Canada. (1972)

October 19
John Jones, 1988 CART Champ Car "Rookie of the Year", born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. (1965)

October 20
In Canadian History:
Scott Fraser, Stock car driver and car builder, born in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia Canada. (1970)
Scott lost his life at just 33 years of age in a tragic snowmobile accident March 20, 2004. Builder of top-quality race cars at the Scott Fraser Racing Shop. In 1999 he was named Nova Scotia Male Athlete of the Year. He was inducted to the Maritime Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2006, the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2007, and the Colchester Sport Heritage Hall of Fame in 2010.

October 21
Nelson Piquet edged teammate Roberto Moreno by 7.223 seconds for a Benetton sweep of the"Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix"at Suzuka Circuitland, Suzuka City, Japan. (1990)

October 22nd
John Graham, Toronto racecar driver has driven in IMSA, WSC, Indy Lights, F2, ALMS, Grand-Am, ARCA, NASCAR & Can-Am, born in Belfast, United Kingdom. (1966) 

October 23
Alessandro Zanardi, 2-time CART FedEx Series Champion, born in  Bologna, Italy. (1966)

October 24
Jo Siffert, former Formula One driver, killed at Brands Hatch, England, (1971)

Brian Vickers, 2003 NASCAR Busch Series Champion, born in Thomasville, North Carolina, USA. (1983)

In Canadian History:
Ted Hogan, Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame member is born. (1921)

October 25
Sammy Swindell, Indycar, NASCAR and star in Outlaw sprint-car racing, born in Germantown, Tennessee, USA. (1955)

In Canadian History:
Horst Kroll of Toronto, with a 6th place finish,  was declared the Can-Am Teams (CAT) Champion at Hallett, Oklahoma, USA. (1986)  
October 27
Dick Trickle, 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series "Rookie of the Year" and billed as the winningest short track driver in history, born in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, USA. (1941)      

October 28
In Canadian History:
Horst Kroll of Toronto, with a serious fuel pick-up problem, limped to a 8th place finish, but clinched a 3rd in the championship, at the SCCA Can-Am race at Green Valley Raceway in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. (1984)
October 29
Teo Fabi drove the Gerry Forsythe/Skoal Bandit March to a 9 second victory over Mario Andretti in the  in the CART "Miller High Life 150" at Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Arizona, USA. (1983)

October 30
Christian Fittipaldi won the CART "Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota", Canadians Alex Tagliani was 6th, Patrick Carpentier 14th with mechanical issues, and Paul Tracy 24th with engine failure, at California Speedway, Fontana, California, USA. Canadians  (2000)

October 31
Derek Bell, former Formula One driver and 5-time winner of the "24 Hours of Le Mans", born in Pinner, United Kingdom. (1941)

Buddy Lazier, the 1996 "Indianapolis 500' winner, born in Vail, Colorado, USA. (1967)

Denny Hulme drives a McLaren M8F-Chevrolet to victory in the Can-Am race at Riverside, California, USA. His Team McLaren teammate Peter Revson finishes second. (1971)



In Canadian History:
Greg Moore of Maple Ridge, 
British Columbia, Canada, who competed in the Indy Lights and CART World Series, where he had great success with several wins in both series and a championship in the 1995 Indy Lights series, his promising career and his life came to an abrupt end when he was fatally injured in a violent crash on the tenth lap of the CART season finale, the "Marlboro 500", at the California Speedway in Fontana, Calafornia, USA. (1999)

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