Chris Evans - Class of 2015

admin — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 14:43:39 +0000

Chris Evans - Class of 2015 admin Tue, 10/24/2017 - 10:43

Determination or stubbornness got him back on the track

Unlike most competitors who win the big one in the prime of their career and with support from the factory, Chris Evans on June 30, 2002, won his first AMA Pro National ½ mile event at Allen County Fairgrounds, Lima, Ohio, (his favourite track) one month short of his thirty-ninth birthday; well past an age when most riders have won their last. The win set a record in 2002 that most people aren’t even aware of – being the oldest rider in AMA history to win their first National race.

This same man set another record in 1979 when at 16 years of age, Chris was the youngest person to ever receive the coveted CMA White Memorial trophy awarded to the competitor who scores the highest points in a year in all competitive events with 136 points.

Chris Evans was born July 21, 1963 in St. Catharines, started riding at eleven and won his first race at age 12 on a TY80. In 1978 he switched to Dirt Track and Ice Racing and has never looked back. Chris’ father, George has been his biggest supporter, accompanying Chris to most of his events and between the two of them, building and maintaining their own equipment and mostly on their own dime.

In 1980, with a handful of junior and senior championships to his credit, Chris moved to Expert dirt track. By 1982, he earned his first #1 plate for Expert Dirt Track and repeated his success with the HD XR750 winning the CMA #1 Plate again in 1983, 1984, 1986, 1994, 2001 and 2006 and CMRC in 2004. His last #1 Plate for Dirt Track came in 2012 at the age of 50. Hundreds of trophies fill the recreation room and spill out into the halls and other rooms.

Over the last 40 years, Chris has won 24 Canadian National Dirt Track Championships, over 20 Provincial Dirt Track Championships and 5 National Ice Racing Championships. The White Trophy, awarded by vote of the CMA Directors to the outstanding racer in Canada in recognition of his successes has been awarded 3 times to Chris.

Evans was the first to break the dominance of the Quebec riders in CMA National Ice Racing riding the Jim Sehl tuned Wood Rotax four stroke as well as Kurt Biegger’s Honda CR500 and taking the #1 Plate in 1985, 1991 and 1992.

He was invited along with Jon Cornwall to ride for a Swedish team in the intense world of spiked tire ice racing but Chris was doing so well in ice racing here that he decided not to go. Cornwall competed for two seasons and in retrospect Chris has regrets for not going.

Chris with his father George have put on over half a million miles travelling to events all across Canada and into the US. In 1986, he tied with Steve Morehead as Ohio State Champion and rode at 10 Ohio tracks, a few in New York and Pennsylvania and competed in everything available in Canada. He has had many sponsors and supporters over the years; most noteworthy is Jeff Hartrich of American Harley Davidson in Tonawanda N.Y.

Erie County Fairgrounds’ track at Hamburg, New York has been a jinx for many riders either on the track or traveling to it and Chris was no exception. He took a nasty spill and when he came to, he couldn’t talk, walk or see and doctors revealed that his neck was broken and he likely wouldn’t walk again. Either determination or stubbornness caused Chris not to give up and he literally stared at his toe until it began to move. The paralysis only lasted several weeks. Chris walked around with a halo fixture around his head to keep it immobile and within six months, for the love of the sport, he was back on the track and having fun again.

On his victory round at Lima, he took his father, George with him and knew that he had achieved what all good racers dream of, to be able to look back some day and know that on that night they finally did it, they were the best.

Chris is St. Catharines’ genuine unsung hero, we welcome him as an inductee in the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame and look forward to seeing him compete for many years to come.

MacKenzie Family - Class of 2024

Vada — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 19:18:26 +0000

MacKenzie Family - Class of 2024 Vada Sun, 03/23/2025 - 15:18

Racing Family

Dayton MacKenzie started racing at Digney Speedway in 1952 with a 1937 Ford. It was there he bought a ’51 Triumph Thunderbird, changed cams and went drag racing at Abbotsford Airport. He decided the cars had to go; bought a 350 Velocette and won the Canadian Championship Scrambles from 1954 through 1956.

Whether at a mud run, hill climb, enduro or any other event, he was the one to beat. When a crew member for Yvon Duhamel at Daytona, he was given a pair of Yvon’s leathers for his support. These leathers were given to his son Larry and were worn in his first ever race. Dayton raced through-out western North American including the Sacramento Mile and Ascot Speedway in Gardenia, California.

Dayton was sponsored by Trev Deeley Motorcycles from 1957- 1972 in scrambles and flat track, winning many track championships and holding multiple track records.

Three brothers – Glen, Larry and Dan MacKenzie were born a year apart in Burnaby and became just like their father, Dayton, a motorcycle racing legend. Their Mother passed away suddenly when Dan, the youngest was 4. Dayton raised his boys on two wheels. Instead of going to the zoo or the park, they attended motorcycle races in Washington and BC where Dayton often competed.

The oldest brother, Glen, started campaigning Yamaha 100cc dirt bikes and quickly advanced to the 250cc classes at local dirt track ovals at the Pacific National Exhibition and the nearby Callister Park along with Queen’s Park in New Westminster and the Cloverdale Fairgrounds. He competed in professional motocross and snowmobile racing all across Canada riding factory Yamaha OW and SSR machines for Fred Deeley Ltd. and Yamaha Canada.

While a leading contender for #1 motocross plate in 1973, a street accident resulted in a year in hospital and ended his motorcycle and snowmobile racing career. Five years later, he began racing and developing Karts for Yamaha Canada, racing in BC and Washington in the Gold Cup circuit. As a top contender, he helped Yamaha dominate and change the Kart racing scene while becoming the BC and local track champion many times.

Larry raced a Harley for Fred Deeley for 11 years. He also raced Hondas for Clarke Simpkins Honda and was sponsored by Yamaha Canada in National Championships and World Championships. He rode 250cc and 500cc national and world championships and in 1975, was sixth overall in 125cc world championship, the first Canadian to rank in a 125cc world event.

He won the CMA White Memorial Trophy in 1976 earning more points than any other rider in the country in all forms of competition. In 1977, while having his best racing year to date and leading the 250cc pro class, a racing accident in Puyallup, Washington, resulted in a bike landing on his leg putting him out of competition. Three months later, riding Yamaha factory bikes, he came back to win both the 125 and 250 classes at Mission Raceways Molson Canadian Motocross series.

Dan, the youngest, followed right along with Motocross, eventually riding for Yamaha Canada. When Harley introduced a 250cc two stroke production motocross bike to the world in 1977, Dan was chosen to race the bike for Trev Deeley Ltd. in Canada.

After retiring from Motocross, he took to ice racing some 20 years later and is a multiple BC and Alberta ice racing champion plus six-time Canadian National ice racing champion. Dan was also the main organizer and promoter for the BC Ice Racing Series for many years on Stake Lake near Kamloops, BC.

He is still riding today and is a very accomplished off-road rider.

Hall of Fame Ice Racings

Chris Evans - Class of 2015

MacKenzie Family - Class of 2024