Interview: Al Pease

Unless you were around Canadian road race tracks a few—well make that more than a few—years ago, you may not remember the name Al Pease. However, those of us more mature, ahem, race fans will remember him racing just about anything he could get his hands on from Minis to a supercharged MGB to Dan Gurney’s first F1 Eagle, the Coventry Climax-powered Grand Prix car. Al has the distinct honor of participating in the very first Canadian Formula One GP held at Mosport during Canada’s Centennial year, 1967. Al was listed as a finisher in 12th place. He competed in circumstances that would be unthinkable today, as the time of the rent-a-racer and the private competitor and sportsman have gone the way of the Dodo in Bernie Ecclestone’s universe of Formula One.

A number of years ago Al retired to Tennessee where he lives today. A member of the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame, having turned 80 he no longer races, but still restores and recreates old racecars, and that’s how VR’s John Wright managed to meet him at Mosport’s VARAC Vintage Weekend.