“Inductee” trivia tidbit: Hank Neilson and Harry Roberts

Located in the Northfield district of Nanaimo, the “Mountain View Garage” which was opened by the Neilson family not too long following their arrival in Nanaimo from their native Denmark in 1951, was the birthplace of the “Mid Island Auto Racing Association” (MIARA) in 1953 when nine local auto racing enthusiasts met in one of the station’s service bays. Sitting on upturned 45 gallon oil drums, car fenders and the shop’s hydraulic hoist, 2014 Inductee Hank Neilson and 2015 Inductee Harry Roberts along with Bill Bayliss, Red Burke, Chuck Brown, Ed Lewis, Bob Schofield, Hap Hackwood and Bill Hughes began to lay the groundwork for the formation of the club which would soon attract more like-minded young men with a “need for speed”. Bill Bayliss was elected as the club’s first President and would serve two more consecutive terms with Bill Hughes taking over the position in 1956 followed by Harry Roberts in ’57. Hank Neilson also served on MIARA’s executive in various positions during this time.

Looking to establish a race track in the Hub City, the fledgling club began soliciting support while several of it’s growing number of members competed at Shearing Speedway and then at Western. Both Hank and Harry became seasoned competitors at the Millstream Road track with both recording wins and good finishes and placing well in the season points standings. In May of 1958, MIARA’s dream of a local oval became a reality with the opening of Grandview Bowl. The track was an instant success with attendance figures that grew year by year along with the club’s membership.

Hank and Harry continued their club involvement along with their careers behind the wheel with Harry also serving a second term as MIARA President plus a stint as a Track Starter before both men stepped away into racing retirement. The club they had been founding fathers of continued to sanction races at the track they had helped to make a reality well towards the end of the century.