2011 Pioneers of Motorsport BC Photos by Cam Hutchins Click on any image to see the thumbnail gallery.

2011 Greater Vancouver Motorsport Pioneer Society Induction Ceremony
Ask anyone familiar with me and they all know I am most comfortable with a camera in my hand and at a car event. It is my passion and I enjoy every minute of it and I am well aware of all the behind the scenes participants at any race or car show. From the event promoters, builders of the cars and engines to the painters, upholsters, pinstripers, parts suppliers and very importantly all the sponsors, I am in their debt for creating something for me to "shoot".
  This past weekend's induction ceremony of the Greater Vancouver Motorsport Pioneer Society was a car event extraordinaire with a gathering of great cars and some of the biggest players in the local car hobby. The weather was great so the selection of cars was worthy of the finest car show but the action was inside. The venue this year moved to the Croation Cultural Centre's larger facility as the event has been steadily growing over the past few years. The event pays homage to participants in the car hobby...or any hobby that uses internal combustion engines to go fast including Motorcycles and boats. Some inductees are professionals that have made their living from the car hobby such as Arnie Schwab who was inducted as a supporter for his great upholstery skills, but most of the inductees have done great things in our hobby while maintaining a full time job in another field.

This years event had special meaning for me as a couple of the  inductees have been instrumental  in my love of cars.
John Carlson, the president of the National Association of Automobile clubs of Canada was my Power mechanics teacher in Junior High School and showed me that you can actually open the hood of a car and do more than check the oil. My Dad loves cars but knew to leave the mechanical end to professionals so my first tinkering with intake compression power etc was from John Carlson. His stories of his hi-jinks were treated with scepticism until many years later my brother went to finish the interior on his newly purchased Allard, and not any Allard but the winner of the inaugural Pebble Beach Road Race. I went to Laguna Seca in California to see him race shortly after the car was finished but mechanical problems prevented that, but John knew everyone there and introduced me to a world where the love of cars is done with thick wallets. John has raced Hydroplanes, boats and cars and has restored some amazing cars and judged at some amazing events all while teaching power mechanics for over 3 decades.

The other inductee  important to me was  the winner of the 2011 Sandy lovelace Memorial Award, George Bell. In my case it is true that behind every photographer you will find a frustrated artist and the automotive art of George Bell was something I studied and admired for years. It was noted that almost everyone in attendance has surely seen Georges artwork a few times and owned a few of his Car event t-shirts. He raced and crewed at Westwood and was a self taught artist of the highest Calibre. He was into all types of motorsports and created some memorable art for many posters and t-shirts including the BCHRA 40th Anniversary. He has been ill for some time and was not present except on numerous t-shirts.

The GVMPS Board is the who's who of the car hobby in the Lower Mainland and I am honoured to be friends with many of them. These are the guys that have done stuff to cars and with cars that I can only dream of.  President  Jim Greenwood was a very talented painter and pinstriper painting up and done the West Coast with the likes of Von Dutch, Terry Rea is a long time hot Rodder and longer time motorcyle racer, Sylvia Braddick campaign a rear "twin" engined truck on the dragstrip while Alyn Edwards is familiar to anyone that can read...and these are just some of the directors.
Although Red Robinson is well known for his Rock n Roll connection his Uncle Chuck Robinson was the first President of the BC Custom Car Club and both of them were present.  Presenting the awards were some other well known auto enthusiasts including Alyn Edwards, Nigel Matthews. Lots of great cars were in the parking lot as it was a great day...sort of the best way to end the year for a carnut!