TED MACKENZIE 2001 INDUCTEE

Ted Mackenzie’s auto racing career began the same year Western Speedway first opened in 1954 when he teamed up with Bob Bowcott and they ran a 1934 Ford Stockcar.

The following year he joined Frank Addison, Bill Sim, Billy Lees and driver Gerry “Pussycat” Sylvester in a group commonly known as the “Fat Five” and they fielded a ’34 Ford three window coupe which finished the season in fifth place in the points standings. The following year Ted became the owner of their #5 car (another 1934 Ford) with Gerry guiding it to a fourth place spot in points.

Finding that racecar ownership was too time consuming, Ted took a track official’s position as a Cornerman in 1957 and noticed that his new “closer-to-the-action” vantage point was the perfect opportunity to indulge his interest in photography which resulted in him becoming the official Track Photographer the following year.

Continuing to take pictures through 1959, Ted became VITRA’s Vice-President in 1960 and partway through that season was elevated to the President’s chair when incumbent Dave Francis moved to California. Continuing to snap photos in 1961, he then teamed up with Dick Midgley in 1962 and they built a Buick-powered car for the new “Modified Sportsman” class, putting Gerry Sylvester in the driver’s seat. Their #1 car finished fifth in the year-end standings and they ran it again during the 1963 season in the newly-formed “Canadian American Modified Racing Association” (CAMRA) circuit.

Ted took the position of Pit Boss for Western’s 1964 and 1965 seasons following which he crewed on Geoff Vantreight’s #7 “Daffodil Special” driven by Al Smith up to and including 1969. He then returned as an Assistant Starter from 1970 until 1972.

Starting in 1971, Ted also became a crew member on Dick Midgley’s cars which included his driving the tow rig as well as working on individual cars and being a pit crew member on race days. The team travelled to many tracks around North America including Vancouver’s “Westwood” road course, Monroe Washington’s Evergreen Speedway, California’s Altamont, Riverside and Ontario tracks as well as ones in Phoenix, Denver, and Daytona with drivers including Norm Ellefson in 1971, Dave Cooper in 1972 until 1974, Ross Surgenor in 1975 and Bobby Allison in 1975. Roy Smith qualified and drove at the Daytona 500 in 1976 and 1977 and was followed by Herschel McGriff and Dave Marcus.

Ted was one of the six founding members of the Victoria Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1983 and served as an executive member until his retirement in 1991.

Ted passed in 2010.

Many of the photos he took during his years as Track Photographer appear on this site thanks to his eldest son, Mike.