The Chequered Past: Sports Car Racing and Rallying in Canada, 1951 - 1991 (Paperback)

by David A. Charters (Author)
Key Phrases: national rally championship, car subculture, national racing championship, United States, Bob Hanna, Formula Atlantic (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

'It's a great read and Charters has made an invaluable contribution by researching and writing it.'

-Norris McDonald

Product Description

In the forty year period between 1951 and 1991, Canadian sports car competition underwent a massive change, transforming itself from an amateur recreational pastime to a commercialized profession and from an individual sport to a spectacle for mass consumption. The Chequered Past is the story of the struggle over power and purpose within Canadian auto sport that led to this transformation.

The first comprehensive history of sports car racing and rallying in Canada, The Chequered Past traces the efforts of the national governing body - the Canadian Auto Sport Clubs (CASC) - to bring Canadian sports car competition up to a 'world class' level, and to manage the consequences of those efforts in the second half of the twentieth century. David Charters traces the social origins of the sport in post-war Canada and the major trends that shaped it thereafter: professionalism, technological change, rising costs, and the influence of commercial sponsors. Charters argues that while early enthusiasts set the sport on a course toward professionalism that would eventually produce world class Canadian events and racers, that course would also ultimately change the purpose of the sport: from personal recreation to mass entertainment. As technological innovations drove up the costs of competing at the top ranks, racers were forced to rely on sponsors, who commercialized and ultimately gained control of the sport. The end result, Charters argues, was the marginalization of the amateur competitor and of the CASC itself.

Based on extensive research into the CASC's records and dozens of interviews with former competitors and officials, The Chequered Past opens a window into the rich but virtually unknown history of auto sport in Canada, and claims for it a place in Canadian sports history.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 382 pages
• Publisher: University of Toronto Press (April 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802093949
• ISBN-13: 978-0802093943
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,938,526 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars interesting history, November 19, 2007

By	ospearlster (LA) - See all my reviews

this is a well researched look at the growth of a sport . It gives a feel of the time period and the location and ties together many threads into a new perspective