My name is David Wheeler. I am the Fundy Bay Blogger. I was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada but grew up in the beautiful Bay of Fundy region of the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia. My hobbies include travel and almost any sport, but my favorite is motor sports, especially road racing. I began racing cars on the back roads of the Valley. I am a former Formula Vee and Sports car racer and a crew member for Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame inductee Horst Kroll. Over the years I have worked with Canadian drivers such as Bill Adam, Paul Tracy, John Graham, Joe DeMarco, Duff Hubbard, Murray Edwards and Ken Adolf.
I stumbled onto the sport August 7th, 1977 at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubinacadie, NS. After viewing an article about some new young star by the name of Villeneuve and these little Formula Atlantic, 1.6-litre powered cars and the speeds involved my curiosity got the best of me. Until my arrival in Shubie that day professional racing to me was done on either ovals or drag strips. Road racing was done on the back roads in the late hours after our small town police retired to the station for the night. That was all about to change. One look at these screaming little rockets on AMP's tight winding circuit left me with a new love in my life. Best of all I discovered that day that racing on the road could be experienced without have to watch for flashing lights in the rear-view. What I didn't realize that day I was watching some of the brightest future stars of the sport. Names like Gilles Villeneuve, Bobby Rahal, Keke Rosberg, Richard Spenard, Price Cobb and Howdy Holmes meant nothing at that time, but would soon be household names. After attending a couple of Molyslip series races I was addicted. Not until my move to Toronto and a chance meeting with Horst Kroll who at the time was one Canada's top drivers did opportunity present itself.
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| Duff Hubbard in the HKR Lola T-300 |
I first met Horst on June 2nd, 1982 while attending my first Can-Am race as a guest of driver Duff Hubbard. Little did I know that day was the beginning of a relationship that would give me 5 of the most fun years of my life. An experience that would see me go from being a fan to driver and crew member for one of the legends of the sport.
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| Horst Kroll My real friendship with Horst began on Dec 17th, 1982 as a guest at his condo in Toronto. I was there to watch "The Who" perform what was suppose to be their final concert tour at Maple Leaf Gardens. More important for me that night I was there to purchase my first race car, a Kroll built Altona Formula Vee. |
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| My Kroll built Altona Formula Vee |
1983 was spent updating my Vee, attending driving school and getting a few novice races under my belt. In my spare time I hung out at Kroll's Auto Service, helping with the Can-Am cars, and picking Horst's brain.
The real thrill for me was the spring of 1984. While having lunch with Horst I was asked to become part of his Can- Am team. Little did I know that day the many miles I would travel the next 3 seasons and the many exciting moments I would experience. A road that would take me to being a part of Motorsport history. It would provide me with the opportunity to work with one of this sports legends as he set records and won races on the way to a Can-Am Championship. With this story I hope to relive and share some of those moments.
Of the many achievements, Kroll put his name in the SCCA record books for the most consecutive top 10 finishes at 18, and the most consecutive finishes at 23. These were most impressive to me, who in over 3 seasons with Horst never knew what it was like to have a DNF. Anyone who knows Horst will tell you he is most deserving of these records. Over 25 years as a privateer racer Horst served many roles. He was driver, crew chief, mechanic and team owner while still operating his busy auto service business. The one thing that stood out to me is the "never say quit" attitude he approached every race with.
After attending my first race at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Nova Scotia, I thought "what a cool way to make a living". Show up for a few hours every weekend, drive fast cars and best of all get paid. What could be any better than that? Little did I know the real side of the sport to most people involved. The never ending effort to find the money to keep going, the late night hours in the shop, the many miles and sleepless nights just to get to the track. Like Horst once told me "The racing was easy. Getting there was the hard part". I hope my story helps reflect what it takes to be a success as a privateer in this sport and the work and dedication in winning a championship. Both on and off the track.
Continued} Part Two - The 1984 Season.
The real thrill for me was the spring of 1984. While having lunch with Horst I was asked to become part of his Can- Am team. Little did I know that day the many miles I would travel the next 3 seasons and the many exciting moments I would experience. A road that would take me to being a part of Motorsport history. It would provide me with the opportunity to work with one of this sports legends as he set records and won races on the way to a Can-Am Championship. With this story I hope to relive and share some of those moments.
Of the many achievements, Kroll put his name in the SCCA record books for the most consecutive top 10 finishes at 18, and the most consecutive finishes at 23. These were most impressive to me, who in over 3 seasons with Horst never knew what it was like to have a DNF. Anyone who knows Horst will tell you he is most deserving of these records. Over 25 years as a privateer racer Horst served many roles. He was driver, crew chief, mechanic and team owner while still operating his busy auto service business. The one thing that stood out to me is the "never say quit" attitude he approached every race with.
After attending my first race at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Nova Scotia, I thought "what a cool way to make a living". Show up for a few hours every weekend, drive fast cars and best of all get paid. What could be any better than that? Little did I know the real side of the sport to most people involved. The never ending effort to find the money to keep going, the late night hours in the shop, the many miles and sleepless nights just to get to the track. Like Horst once told me "The racing was easy. Getting there was the hard part". I hope my story helps reflect what it takes to be a success as a privateer in this sport and the work and dedication in winning a championship. Both on and off the track.
Continued} Part Two - The 1984 Season.
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