The Formula One Exhibition in Toronto, which opens May 3, is displaying the Lotus 99T of the great Ayrton Senna. The three-time F1 champion from Brazil died May 1, 1994 while in competing in Italy’s San Marino Grand Prix.
Driving for Lotus in 1987, Senna won the Monaco and Detroit GP races with the 99T, fitted in Camel-sponsored livery after John Player pulled out of its sponsorship.
During his career, Senna won 41 Formula One events, and was recognized for a unique driving skill and for his passion.
In 2016, Toronto’s William Halkiw purchased the 99T, which was hidden away in a Chicago garage, covered and in excellent condition. An original team logbook for the car showed that of the 3,914 miles it had been driven, Senna’s share was just under 2,930.
The Senna 99T is just one the sport’s historic cars that will be on display. Also featured in the more than 20,000-square-foot show at Lighthouse ArtSpace (1 Yonge St.) is a Graham Hill-driven BRM from 1962 and a 1955 Lancia D50. Plus, the original MoneyGram Haas F1 Team VF-20 race car driven by Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean in 2020.
Toronto is the site for the show’s first North American stop featuring a wide range of collections and artifacts from the people and cars of F1. For more information, see F1Exhibition.ca.
NASCAR hall noms
NASCAR has announced its 2025 Hall of Fame nominees, which include 10 “modern era” names and five from its “pioneer ballot.” Among them is Craftsman Truck champ Greg Biffel, race winners Neil Bonnett, Carl Edwards and Harry Gant, along with Cup Series crew chiefs Tim Brewer and Harry Hyde for the modern era. Leading the pioneer category are three-time Convertible champ Bob Welborn, Ray Hendrick, who won over 700 NASCAR Modified and Sportsman races, and prominent car builders Banjo Matthews and Ralph Moody. Voting will take place later this month.
Hemi sponsorship
This year’s Hemi Challenge at the NHRA Nationals in September will receive sponsorship from famed drag racing team Sox and Martin and the McCandless Collection. This series features racing between Chrysler Hemi-engine-powered 1968 Super Stock Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas competing in the NHRA SS/AH class. These limited-production cars were built specifically for Super Stock competition, have been a part of drag racing history for more than five decades, and made the Sox and Martin name legendary among fans and feared among the competition. The team started in 1965 and were totally dedicated to these cars, and the engines that powered them, right down to the shop address.
“When we opened our new race shop back in the late 1960s, said Mopar legend Buddy Martin, “I intentionally used ‘426’ for our P.O. Box number.” The shop’s official address was 426-P Tucker Street in Burlington, North Carolina. The engine used in these race cars was the 426-cubic inch hemi-head engine.
Bits and pieces
Round 8 of the 2024 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship was held at Monaco and the Jaguar TCS Racing entry won the race, the first win for Jaguar on the historic circuit. Mitch Evans drove the winning entry, and teammate Nick Cassidy placed second. With the one-two finish the team leads the series in points … The Canadian Super Bike Championship has dropped its in-race bonus of two points to the rider who led the most laps in a race. This point-bonus structure had been a part of the CSBK since the 1990s but the sanction has now adopted the standard global FIM point system … Toronto’s Mark Wilkins will be a driver in the three-team effort by the Hyundai Motor America-supported Bryan Herta Autosport in this year’s Nürburgring 24 Hours. It will be Wilkin’s first Nurburgring. They will compete in Hyundai Elantra N TCR class cars. The team has been successful at this track the past three years and is hoping for a fourth consecutive class win. The race is to take place the end of this month.
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