You can learn more about our 1995 and 2003 Inductees Earl and Larry Pollard, Earl’s wife and 2004 Pioneer award-winner Laura and the remaining members of this local racing family in author Bob Kehoe’s recently-released book, “Every Saturday Night” which is now available on Amazon. Both black and white and colour versions are available. Bob has also previously written one on 1984 Inductee Billy Foster which is also available on Amazon.

Having completed a first round of website updates, we are now continuing with a second one which will include revisions on more of the older individual “Inductee” pages.  We hope you enjoy the new information and added photos!         

Local Victoria businessman Len Ingraham inherited his father Victor’s Douglas St. “Ingraham Hotel” just over a year after the establishment’s opening in June of 1960. Sharing his Dad’s love of local sports and their promotion, he carried on where his father had left off and soon established Victoria’s newest hotel and pub as a favourite “watering hole” for many of the city’s sports teams and organizations, providing not only a place to gather following sporting events, but support which included financial sponsorships. This included auto racing and in 1967, Len offered the “Vancouver Island Track Racing Association” (VITRA) which co-sanctioned racing at Western Speedway at that time, one of the hotel’s large meeting rooms at no cost to the club. This benevolent gesture was made back many times over in the years that followed when scores of thirsty racers would troop upstairs to the hotel’s pub for rounds of “Labatts” draft beer and food following the club’s monthly meetings! In addition, several race teams received monetary sponsorships in return for the hotel’s name and distinctive “cat” logo being displayed on their cars. These practices were continued by new owners following Len’s sale of the “Ingy” in 1972.

Almost since it’s birth in 1949, the Vancouver Island Track Racing Association (VITRA) had participated in the annual “Victoria Day” parade on the long May weekend with decorated Stockcars carried on car transporters and also towed behind decorated cars and trucks. For their entry in 1963, the club’s parade committee decided that a full floral float was in order and as the date quickly approached, they began preparations. Commitee members and club volunteers picked literally hundreds of flowers from fields in Central Saanich (ones which are now the site of the “Saanich Fairgrounds”) and it was subsequently a very surprised Saanich policeman who spotted a 5 passenger 1947 Plymouth coupe trundling slowly down the road with what appeared to be an entirely flower-filled interior! Wondering if the car even had a driver, the constable pulled the Plymouth over and through the many blooms caught sight of the driver’s eyes which were in fact those of 2019 Inductee Barrie Goodwin! Explaining the situation got Barrie a surprisingly positive response which included a police escort to Vantreight Farms where the cut flowers were to be stored prior to being added to the float on the Sunday before the parade. It took every last hour of that Sunday evening to complete the bloom installation job and following it’s participation in the parade, the float made it’s way to Western for the enjoyment of the crowd gathered for the Monday evening holiday race meet.