Bill Brack

26/12/1935

Record updated

Brack was a leading light on the Canadian motor racing scene from the late sixties through to the late seventies, and also made occasional racing forays abroad.

Bill Brack was born and raised in Toronto Canada. His brother was killed in a car crash on his way to Watkins Glen in the early 1960s.

Bill started competing in ice racing in a 1959 Morris Mini 850 at Orillia, Ontario in the winter of 1961. Bill went on to race Minis successfully eventually ending up with a very potent 1275 Cooper S.

He worked as a salesman at Ensign for a short while before starting his own dealership, Sports Cars Unlimited, where he started importing Lotus' in the mid-1960s.

In 1967 and 1968 along with the Mini, he also raced a Lotus 47 and a Lotus 41 in Formula B, winning the eastern championship both years. He also raced in the USA.

In 1968 he drove in the Canadian Grand Prix for Team Lotus. They had three cars that year and Brack did a deal with Colin Chapman to drive the thrid Lotus 49B. He qualified at the back of the grid and went out in the race with a broken drive shaft.

He then bought one of the old 1966 Lotus Indy cars. Bill deceided it would make a good Formula A/F5000 car, and had it shipped to the Lotus works in England where a V8 was installed.

He made two more appearances in his home Grand Prix, 1969 and 1971, both driving for BRM. He finished 8th in 1969 but was not classified, 10 laps down on Jacky Ickx. In 1971 he had an 'off' and couldn't re-start.

He switched back to Formula B in 1972 and in 1973 aquired a Lotus 59/69 and one the title. For 1974 the championship was run to Formula Atlantic rules, so Bill put a BDA in it and with STP sponsorship won the series again. For 1975, he switched to a the Chevron and won the championship yet again.

Bill is currently involved in the historic racing scene in Canada promoting the Canadian Historic Formula Atlantic Association.



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