16 replies to this topic

[R.W. Mackenzie]

I understand that Al Pease passed away yesterday in Tennessee. While he is unfortunately best remembered as "The Yellow Peril" from the 1969 Canadian Grand Prix, he did have a successful career racing in lesser classes in the sixties. He just didn't belong in a World Championship race driving an obsolete Eagle-Climax.

 

One of the cars he raced with success was a supercharged MGB. I'm sure Manfred Cubenoggin can fill in more details of Al's career. I'm not sure that I ever actually saw Al race but I'm fairly certain Manfred did.

 

Bob Mackenzie

[JacnGille]

Sad news.

[PCC]

I am sorry to hear this. I saw him race many times; as Bob says, he was a much better driver than his car's pace in the '69 Canadian GP allowed him to show (and yes, I saw that race too). I was pretty young at the time and don't have a lot of specific memories of him as a person, although he was a good friend of my parents. I encountered him many years later when I was a photographer and he was a commercial artist. He was a very accomplished professional and a pleasure to deal with. Sad news, but I think he lived well and fully.

[raceannouncer2003]

From the Canadian Motor Sport History Group:

 

 

To our friends, my Dad's friends...this is His Obituary we have written.

Thank you all for being such wonderful people for my Father. He loved
you all so very much.
Regards, Vicky [Pease] Bueler 
 

Alan [Al] Victor Pease

Al Pease, age 92, born in Darlington, England passed away in his 
Sevierville home on May 4, 2014. He was a member of First Baptist
Church, Sevierville. Preceded in Death by his parents Albert & May Pease.
Survivors include: Loving husband to his wife of 40 years, Elaine.

Daughters; Victoria Bueler [Michael], Helen Hancey, Wendy Pease [Terry Hancey].

Granddaughters; Brianna & Alexis Hancey, Niki Pease. Sister; Margaret King [Peter].

He served in the RAF, Royal Air Force UK from 1939, WWII pilot.

Al was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame [1998]; Formula One race car driver.

He was a successful commercial artist in Toronto, Ontario for 40 years.

Special Friends: Ed & Rose Reagan
Special Pet: Al's cat Lotus

In lieu of flowers, donate to our local Sevier County Animal Shelter

Vince H.

[raceannouncer2003]

Some photos here:

 

http://www.racingspo...-Pease-CDN.html

 

Vince H.

[zoff2005]

I saw Al race many times in 1967 and 1968 in Canada and had the pleasure of meeting him in 2007 at Mosport. I remember he had driven his little Honda all the way up from his home in the US. He had a great sense of humour and looked as fit as a fiddle. To the usual question "where are you from?"  I told him I lived in Monaco and each time I saw him later in the paddock he would nudge the elbow of the person he was talking to, point at me and wave me over whispering "you've got to meet that guy over there - he lives in Monaco!". My sympathies to his family - what a wonderful man to have had as husband and father.

Marcus

[jj2728]

RIP

[D28]

I saw Al Pease run frequently at Green Acres and Mosport in the early days. He drove one of the first Lotus 23 seen in Canada, a car loaned to Jim Clark for the 1963 Players 200.

As for his unfortunate footnote in F1 history, if should be noted that he qualified the same Eagle-Climax 4  in mid field for the 1967 Canadian GP. He qualified but dns the 68 race due to engine problems,  so by 1969 the old Eagle was surely tired and out classed. 

 He will be remembered fondly as one of the pioneers of Canadian racing.

[PCC]

I saw Al Pease run frequently at Green Acres and Mosport in the early days. He will be remembered fondly as one of the pioneers of Canadian racing.

Indeed he will.

 

I've never heard of Green Acres. You don't mean Harewood Acres by any chance, do you?

[D28]

Indeed he will.

 

I've never heard of Green Acres. You don't mean Harewood Acres by any chance, do you?

 No, Harewood was closer to Hamilton, but Green Acres was at the Pt Albert airstrip, just north of Goderich, Huron Co.  Great Lakes Trophy races were held there about 3 times and included the early Canadian fast drivers, Peter Ryan, Ludwig Heimrath, Bartels, Sadler, Clark  and others. Al Pease had a MGA there, possibly a TC. This would be around 1959-60, just before Mosport opened.

Edited by D28, 06 May 2014 - 18:23.

[PCC]

 No, Harewood was closer to Hamilton, but Green Acres was at the Pt Albert airstrip, just north of Goderich, Huron Co.  Great Lakes Trophy races were held there about 3 times and included the early Canadian fast drivers, Peter Ryan, Ludwig Heimrath, Bartels, Sadler, Clark  and others. Al Pease had a MGA there, possibly a TC. This would be around 1959-60, just before Mosport opened.

I didn't know about that place - thank you!

[David Birchall]

As a footnote.  Don Whitehead, who drove his self built "Climax Special" to third place in the "Carling 300" at Harewood, the first professional road race in Canada, died last week.  I cannot find a mention of Al Pease in the results but I am sure he was there.

The Climax Special became my first racing car in 1977 and Don Whitehead became my boss in 1980.

[EvDelft]

RIP, Al!

[D28]

As a footnote.  Don Whitehead, who drove his self built "Climax Special" to third place in the "Carling 300" at Harewood, the first professional road race in Canada, died last week.  I cannot find a mention of Al Pease in the results but I am sure he was there.

The Climax Special became my first racing car in 1977 and Don Whitehead became my boss in 1980.

 

After a lot of digging, I found entry lists for Harewood  June 20 1959 which list both Don Whitehead and Al Pease.

Pease is entered in his MGA TC and Whitehead in the Climax Special. Try the link below and zoom in on the entry lists you will find both plus a lot of other familiar names from Canadian racing. I was looking at Grant Clark when I stumbled on this.

 

The only thing I don't see is reference to the Carling 300,  it was later May 28 1960 but racingsportscars doesn't seem to have covered it.

 

 

http://www.racingspo...-Clark-CDN.html

Edited by D28, 07 May 2014 - 04:11.

[raceannouncer2003]

As a footnote.  Don Whitehead, who drove his self built "Climax Special" to third place in the "Carling 300" at Harewood, the first professional road race in Canada, died last week.  I cannot find a mention of Al Pease in the results but I am sure he was there.

The Climax Special became my first racing car in 1977 and Don Whitehead became my boss in 1980.

 

Very sorry to hear that.  I would have liked to meet him.  We should have had him out to Mission !  

 

Photo at this link:

 

http://www.racingspo...9-05-09-005.jpg

 

And more info at this link:

 

http://www.legacy.co...d&pid=170731453

 

Too many good guys have left us recently…Meehan, Pease, Settember, Whitehead, etc...

 

Vince H.

Edited by raceannouncer2003, 07 May 2014 - 06:01.

[RJE]

Sad to hear this.

 

I worked for Al in the mid 60s and was heavily involved in the development of the famous supercharged MGB, along with the other cars run out of the small garage at the rear of a Toronto house.  Al was extremely professional, ingenious and meticulous in his preparation of the cars and their turnout was of a far higher standard than most of his competitors of the day.  He was also a quick driver and like others I have always thought his F1 activities have way over shadowed his other achievements.  

 

Al must also be remembered for his enormous sense of fun and one of my abiding memories is of a party that we had in the Colony Club in Toronto to celebrate not doing very well in the Shell 4000 rally.  The set to ending in Al driving us home through the city, in the early hours, at hair raising speed in the teams 1950s Cadillac tow car, all those inside being much the worse for wear.  

 

Despite my relatively short time with Al the stories of the period would fill a book.  Farewell Al it was good knowing you.

 

[D28]

As a footnote.  Don Whitehead, who drove his self built "Climax Special" to third place in the "Carling 300" at Harewood, the first professional road race in Canada, died last week.  I cannot find a mention of Al Pease in the results but I am sure he was there.

The Climax Special became my first racing car in 1977 and Don Whitehead became my boss in 1980.

 

I don't recall seeing the Climax special, I never made it to Harewood. Do you know if Don Whitehead ever raced at Green Acres?