As a multi-talented member of the local auto racing community which included the roles of driver, car and engine builder, mechanic and dyno technician, Joe Macmurchie’s racing involvement journey spanned almost sixty years.
Joe grew up around automobiles with his father having an automotive business along with his neighbour and friend Lamont Brooks who had mechanics and oval track auto racing as a hobby. Joe started out with street racing on dark country roads at night with cars that he and Lamont put together. A wooden apple box for a seat, no lights or mufflers and only the moon and stars to navigate by. Pretty scary stuff by today’s standards! He then graduated to drag racing which in the 1950’s was held on the old Bamberton Cement Works access road in Cobble Hill and sanctioned by the Quarter Milers Car Club which later moved in 1967 to a new facility in Duncan. Joe’s cars included a 1953 Oldsmobile, a Model A Ford and two Camaros, one ’68 and a ’69 SS396.
In 1968 however, things changed when Lamont was killed during a Sportscar race at the Mainland’s Westwood road course. Joe, who had been Lamont’s mechanic at this meet, was devastated and vowed to never be involved with racing again. But a few years later, Roy Haslam was in need of a partner and mechanic and eventually persuaded Joe to join him. Together they ran the former Jack Jeffery 1957 Chevy Super Stock for one season which resulted in Joe being re-bitten by the racing bug. Following their season together Joe left Roy to build and drive his own cars, the first being another ’57 Chevy and for a number of years he ran several classes including Sportsman, Super Stock and even one season of NASCAR. This included his driving against and also crewing for such notable drivers as Dave Cooper, Bob Low, Gary Kershaw, Roy Haslam, Neil Montgomery, Jack Jeffery, Don Dowdy and Dave Smith.
In 1973, Joe was involved with the installation of weigh scales at Western, his Dad, then a VITRA Tech man, having been the driving force in their procurement and installation. Some years later, disagreements at the Speedway resulted in the removal of of the scales which Joe then stored on his property until Track Manager Tony Mortel approached him about becoming a Tech man for the International Drivers Challenge (IDC) series. Joe agreed with the proviso that the scales he had be reinstalled in Western’s infield.
The years went by and life and family prompted Joe to step away from racing until the WILROC Sprint Car series needed a tech crew to which he responded and after a short stint with them Joe then teamed up with Neil and Jeff Montgomery and the #33 Sprintcar crew which he thoroughly enjoyed for several years travelling on the Northwest Sprint Car circuit. Following this, he slowed his racing involvement to just working with Neil on his engine dyno as well as assisting drag racer Peter Willie who had purchased a similar one.
- 1968 – The #8 Jack Jeffery-driven Super Stock as purchased in Washington State by Joe Macmurchie and Roy Haslam (Haslam family photo).
- 1970 – The #23 1957 Chevy Late Model Stock with (left to right) Bob Macmurchie, Joe Macmurchie and Trevor Olson (Barrie Goodwin photo).
- 1970 – Joe Macmurchie in his #23 1957 Chevy Late Model Stock (at top right) during a fast heat race (Barrie Goodwin photo).
- 1971 at Riverside California – Joe (standing second from the left) with fellow crew members and their winning driver Gary Kershaw in Victory Square following the running of the Permatex 200 (photographer unknown).
- 1975 – The #21 1965 Chevelle Super Stock with (standing left to right) Joe Macmurchie, David Smith and Gary Kershaw and (below left to right) Bill Palliser, Ernie Clarke and Harvey Chipper (Barrie Goodwin photo).
- 1976 – Western Speedway weigh scale installed by Joe and Bob Macmurchie with assistance from Jerry Clatworthy (Ted Mackenzie photo).
- 2014 Inductee Joe Macmurchie – artist’s portrait