KEN SVENDSON 2014 INDUCTEE

Ken Svendson started his long association with auto racing at the tender age of fifteen when he built his first racecar, a 1949 Ford Stockcar which he put together with help from Stockcar driver Jack McLellan in his father’s service station in Chase River south of Nanaimo. Being too young to drive it himself, he recruited Bob Raynor to perform the duties.

Once old enough and over the next forty-seven years, Ken drove in a number of classes including B-Modifieds, Super Modifieds, Sprint cars, Claimers, Super Stocks and Old Timers. He ran at all the Island tracks including Nanaimo’s Grandview Bowl, Cassidy Speedway, Victoria’s Western Speedway and Black Creek’s Saratoga Raceway and in addition travelled to tracks across BC and Washington state garnering many impressive finishes. In 1975 he won the Mid Island Auto Racing Association (MIARA) Super Stock Championship and in 1979 captured Western Speedway’s Strawberry Cup.

After hanging up his helmet and driving suit, Ken spent the next decade as the co-owner of a Sprint car that raced on both dirt and pavement. He was always ready and willing to pass along his many years of knowledge in all aspects of racing to both newcomers and veteran racing enthusiasts alike. This included opening his shop doors to many in an array of classes requiring help including off-Island racers in need of some quick repairs. Ken’s unselfish actions in this respect often saved numerous cash-strapped racers from having to sit on the sidelines which made him a tremendous contributor to Vancouver Island auto racing.