Don Bennett Chev-Powered Modified, 1965 (Pratt collection)

When Andy Digney announced that he wanted jalopies to race at Digney Speedway, Don Bennett was one of the many young men who started to strip down his ’32 Ford for the track. When his father questioned the wisdom of this, Don pointed out that in the 1930s his Dad had run a motorcycle at the hill-climbs in Maillardville and on the flat track at Con Jones Park.

There might have been some fore-sight in the question because in 1952 Don flipped breaking loose of the seat-belts and got rattled around inside the tumbling car. As he was being patched up two other similar accidents occurred with tragic results – the fatals of Harry Blaine and Fred Newton. With tougher safety measures and their enforcement Don was back racing within a month.

He improved to become a regular in the A main and when he won his first feature in 1954 his Mom, in a scrapbook she kept, wrote “I nearly went nuts.” Don finished third in points at Digney in both the 1954 and ’55 seasons. At the end of the 1955 season Don travelled to Edmonton for the 200-lap Gold Cup. A true west coast lad he experienced his first blizzard on the way there. Despite

Don Bennett - Inducted 2005

Pioneer - Oval Racing

Don Bennett

By Brian Pratt, 2005

that he almost won the race finishing third after clipping a disabled car on one of the turns while leading. He had to finish the race hold-ing his car in gear with one hand and steering with the other.

Don left racing after Edmonton, working and beginning a family. It was-n’t until the early 1960s at Haney Speedway that he returned to racing. And it really wasn’t until the move was made to Langley Speedway with a new Chev-powered sprint car converted to be a supermodified by he and Jack Norgaard that Bennett approached the level he’d been at while racing at Digney Speedway. Along with the good results in the car-alternatively known as the Mongoose (a critter that could take

on a Cobra, either in the snake or Ford form) or the Green Hornet (for the colour and shape of the tail) — his aggressive style was being noticed by drivers, fans and the newspapers.

His last year was mostly spent at Nanaimo’s Grandview Bowl. Being a backyard operation meant the team sometimes cut the trip to the ferry pretty close but the ship’s crew, being race fans, would wait for them. Bennett fin-ished near the top in points behind well-funded drivers like Victoria’s Al Smith. In the last race of the season, and of his career, Don won the dash, the fast heat and was leading the 100-lap feature when the engine overheated slowing him enough to finish second.

Don Bennett brought, and kept, his youthful exuberance along with his driving talent to both of his stints in oval racing in the Greater Vancouver area. He helped grab the attention of the fans as the sport grew here and can be considered a true pioneer.