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Has a Canadian team ever contested the sidecar TT?
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 7:17 pm
by ChrisWells
Just curious if anyone knows if a Canadian team (or driver) has ever contested the sidecar TT?
I know a couple of UK drivers that later emigrated to Canada (but that wouldn't count).
Chris
Re: Has a Canadian team every contested the sidecar TT?
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 11:11 pm
by john newton
There was definitely a guy called Maurice Candy from 63 occasionally thro to '80 - his record is on
www.iomtt.com - something is telling me he is/was Canadian. Any competitor on here from that time will surely know for sure.
Re: Has a Canadian team every contested the sidecar TT?
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 9:23 am
by Bob B
Hate to disagree John but I thought that Maurice was American - close enough I suppose!
Re: Has a Canadian team every contested the sidecar TT?
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 12:12 pm
by john newton
You're right Bob, checked a MCN 'Golden Greats' magazine giving an A to Z of the TT upto 1973. No canadian sidecar team up till then. If you're interested Chris, no Canadian has ever won a TT - Mike duff in the 60s had 2x2nd and 2x3rd.....
Re: Has a Canadian team every contested the sidecar TT?
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 12:51 pm
by oldbelly
Was there an all woman team on an old 350 in 96 or 2000 ? They were American or Canadian. They didnt do many (any) full laps and didnt race. It was 96 or 2000 as they were the years I raced with Craig Hallam. We stopped at Crosby in practice and by the time we got sorted they had passed. Thats the only time we came accross them.
Re: Has a Canadian team every contested the sidecar TT?
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 1:20 pm
by idris
2000 I think Geoff if you mean Wendy Epstein & Dawna Holloway.......
Dawna was a good passenger went onto GP's with Roger Lovelock
Re: Has a Canadian team every contested the sidecar TT?
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 4:27 pm
by ChrisWells
john newton wrote:You're right Bob, checked a MCN 'Golden Greats' magazine giving an A to Z of the TT upto 1973. No canadian sidecar team up till then. If you're interested Chris, no Canadian has ever won a TT - Mike duff in the 60s had 2x2nd and 2x3rd.....
I've met Mike Duff a few times (now Michelle, long story, certainly no questioning his, now her, bravery).
Sidecar racing didn't really get organized over here in Canada until 1969/1970 so I'm not surprised there were no Canadians prior to 1973. I was racing from 88-92 and know no one attempted the TT then and now that I'm involved again I know none of the current teams have tried it either.
If I end up being the first, I figured it might help with the sponsorship search.
Chris
Re: Has a Canadian team every contested the sidecar TT?
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 4:44 pm
by Bob B
Met Mike Duff, along with Phil Read, Bill Ivy and Tommy Robb quite a few times when Ted Broad was the Yamaha works UK entrant in the early 60s, great bunch of blokes and absolutely top riders.
Re: Has a Canadian team every contested the sidecar TT?
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 8:24 pm
by Helen Gibson
Michelle is an absolute star and I wish we could get her across for another TT. She and I were going to explore Aberdeen so she could see where her father grew up. However, she's skint and so am I!
Sorry... nothing to do with slidey people. My own impression is... no... not so far.
Re: Has a Canadian team every contested the sidecar TT?
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 9:08 pm
by Bob B
To revert to Maurice Candy, IIRC he rode a Triumph powered outfit but seem to recall that it was slightly different in having been converted to an OHC motor. Anyone else

Re: Has a Canadian team every contested the sidecar TT?
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 10:23 pm
by artieb
going back to the twenties was Alec Bennett not canadian
Re: Has a Canadian team every contested the sidecar TT?
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 11:31 pm
by john newton
Alec Bennett was born in Ireland but emigrated to canada with his parents - must be true as it's on wikipedia!
Re: Has a Canadian team every contested the sidecar TT?
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 9:06 am
by kew
Looks like you are going to be the first then Chris.

Re: Has a Canadian team every contested the sidecar TT?
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 7:05 pm
by ChrisWells
Found the database on
http://www.iomtt.com and did a little poking around myself.
Rob Verrier competed 6 years in a row starting in 2000. His best finish was 28th. I believe he emigrated to Canada sometime after his final entry in 2006. His Ireson Honda F2 still hounds my F1 on the tighter courses over here (now driven by Pete Essaff). Rob retired from racing a few seasons ago.
1971 Sidecar 750 TT: 23rd J M Dailey & A J Dailey Norton (Hmmm, 1 place ahead of Terry Windle

)
I suspect this was John and Arthur, brothers from IOM who emigrated to Toronto. Not sure if they had obtained their Canadian citizenship at that point. I still see them occasionally so I'll ask. They sold me my first sidecar (early 80's Schmid F1 GP converted to rear out and fitted with a TZ750). They retired from racing about a decade ago.
1966 & 1967 Sidecar TT: I J Fillery
I suspect this is Ian who was the SRA club president when I joined in 1988. He must have emigrated to Canada shortly after this as I have seen video of him competing in the US (Long Beach and Luguna Seca) in the early 70s. Ian retired from racing in at the end of 1988. Last saw him at the end of season club potluck in 2010.
Didn't recognize any other competitors names (but my eyes were starting to glaze over).
Chris
Re: Has a Canadian team every contested the sidecar TT?
Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 7:37 pm
by LarryC
I believe Vic Hudson did the TT as well. Vic was from somewhere in BC and competed on with a GT 750 outfit (if memory serves that is!)