sad news from Canada

[raw]

A Canadian boat racing legend,my hero ,my dad is gone.John Webster passed away at 1:30 this morning peacefully at st.Michael's hospital in Toronto due to complications from prostate cancer.Race in peace Dad. Ross Webster

[Bill Huson]

condolences, Ross, to you and your family.

[Dave M]

So Very Sorry

I am so very sorry to hear this. Every time I came to race at Waterford I looked forward to seeing the Websters. And John always was as friendly as could be. An amazing gentleman and he will be missed.

Ross, may peace be with you and the family.

Race in Peace John.

[csh12M]

Race in Peace

Ross, I am so sad for your loss. Your relationship with your dad and racing summarize everything that is good about the sport. I am glad you were able to make it to the Nationals. I feel it was divine intervention that John passing was after, when you could say "good bye".

"To live in the hearts of those we love is never to die".... John Webster will live forever.

You will be in our prayers,

Sutherlands

[hydroracer25]

Ross and family,

We are so sorry for your loss. John was a great racer, mechanic and craftsman and on top of all that a very kind person. He will be missed by many who knew him and for those that didn't get the chance to ever meet him missed out.

I truly appreciated the opportunity to race his 20H last year at Wakefield. I always wanted to run a 20H and not only did you guys provide me with that chance, but gave me a great ride as well. Glad we could give him the victory and I was so happy to see the smile it put on his face when I came into the pit area from the course.

We are glad you were able to make Grass Lake and I know it was a very tough week for you. I'm sorry we didn't get to talk more, but please know that you can call any time.

Sincerely,
Mark Miskerik and family

[bh/]

Ross;
-so sad to hear that John is gone
He was always a hero, and mentor to me.
brian

[Brian10s]

Sad day

To all the Websters,
Deepest condolences on the loss of John. He was a true "Gentleman Boatracer". He was a very nice and kind man to all he met.

I still remember when Joe Silvestri and I went to Dunnville to run BCanH and were so pumped to beat the champ. We had him . . . to turn 1. Then he went by both of us up the backstretch and even looked over and smiled.
The best memory I have was you handing him your BMH championship at Whitney Point. The smile on both of your faces was what all of us want to share with our Dads one day.

I hope you find some comfort that your Dad made all of boat racing richer just by knowing him and he will be missed.

Williams Racing
Jeff, Mary, Brian & Chris

[Charlie Pater]

Sorry about the sad news.

Charlie Pater

[Matt Dagostino]

Our Condolences

It was nice to see you in Grass Lake.........may your dad rest in peace.

Matt and Val

[dholt]

Ross,

So sorry to hear of your dad's passing. Our thoughts are with you and your family.

The Holts

[Andrew 4CE]

Was sorry to hear this Ross... a great loss for sure and will be missed by many. Condolenses to you and the whole family. I'm very glad you were able to be back and see him. It was a pleasure to submit the biography on him and get him into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. When I'm able, I'll stick it online with some of the pictures so others can enjoy.

The Fralick's

[BROCCOLI]

I attended many a race where John competed and won in ASH, BSH and DSH on the same day. He was a boat builder, engine builder, fearless driver and a good friend. I will remember him fondly.

[Andrew 4CE]

I could not figure out how to put this on facebook... but here it is here:

This was compliled/written over 2009-2010.

Please read on about John Webster’s highlights and career in powerboat racing. I am not a great writer, but will try to convey Webster’s unparalleled achievements in Canadian power boat racing.

Webster’s name is synonymous with Boat Racing in Canada and throughout much of the USA. 2010 is the 60th anniversary of the Canadian Boating Federation (CBF). The CBF is Canada’s recognized sanctioning body by the World sanctioning body, the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) in Monaco. 2012 is the 60th anniversary of the Toronto Outboard Racing Club (TORC), Canada’s oldest and largest sanctioned outboard powerboat racing club. John has been a very influential member of both of these groups and in conjunction with these historical organization milestones, I would like to submit Webster’s name to be inducted to the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame as someone with a true dominance of a sport and great sportsman and helper to new and experienced members in the racing community. It is without doubt (and you’ll see by reading his stats) I can say John is the winningest powerboat driver of any category or level in all of Canadian boat racing history, and dare I say possibly of any motorsport within Canada. He has also stepped up beyond that incredible achievement to volunteer and guide at the race level as an Official, club level as a President, and Canadian sanctioning body level as a Division Chairman. He also volunteers to work at every racing trade show display we’ve had in Ontario that he’s been available to do so. He has also had tremendous success designing and building racing boats and done some work in the manufacturing of race boat hardware.

John is the longest member of TORC, he has been a member since it first began in 1952. He also helped bring the club to Incorporated status with the government of Ontario in the 80’s and is still a member to this day as the club’s President no less. I believe John is also Canada’s longest CBF member at any level being a steady member 58 of its 60 year history.

John has won so many Canadian Championships that I can remember when I was young my father laughing and telling me when he started following racing in the late 60’s and into the 70’s that he thought John’s boat number was #1 since it was on all his boats all those years. 5 years straight at that time, and John accomplished this in the largest and most competitive class, Class B Hydroplane. Over John’s 51 years of competition he brought home hundreds of podium wins and many special recognition awards. He’s won enough silverware to dress a mansion’s dinner table. The mind boggling feat though is in his 51 years of driving he won 43 Canadian Championship’s and set 4 speed records in two countries.

One achievement John has been chasing his whole career is to win a USA National Championship title. Although he has won many podiums throughout the USA, and many Canadian National and High Point Championships... winning on the USA stage at the Nationals has been a goal he never reached. In 2008 it brought tears to the families eyes when John’s eldest son Ross won the USA Nationals competing at Franklin PA in class B Modified Hydroplane.

When outboard boat racing had a dry spell in Canada in the early and mid 80’s due to rising insurance costs and other problems, a small group continued to join CBF but race in the USA. John was part of that group and was instrumental along with a few other key people in getting racing back to Canada. A couple demonstration races were held at the CNE grounds in Toronto in conjunction with help from the America Powerboat Association and some of its key members. This gave racing the jump start it needed to get revived in Canada again and racing has continued in Canada since.

As John’s career as a race driver slowed slightly over the past 10-15 years, he stepped up in many other ways. He’s been the primary Technical Inspector for all southern Ontario races as long as I can remember and is now training new people to be Inspectors for the sport. For the past 12-15 years John has been the lead person in securing race sites in southern Ontario and follows that up with much of the pre race planning and organizing.

He also lends out some of his historic racing motors and boats to other racers so they can get on the water and experience the thrill of racing the legendary Mercury 20H engines in the still highly competitive and points chasing vintage racing class.

John now at age 77 has slowed down physically quite a bit, but is still sharp and has an astounding memory. Often in discussions regarding rules and plans, John still speaks up and cautions to the pit falls of those choices because he has a lifetime of experience and still remembers it all as if yesterday.

John still signs up to the CBF and TORC as a racing owner using his #12 racing number and an official.

In 1990 when the Canadian Boating Federation decided to create its National Hall of Fame, John was inducted that inaugural year along with the likes of Arthur Asbury, Pierre Beauchemin, Marcel Laberge, Spencer Dunn and William Hodgson. Being the first to be inducted shows the calibre of these people and to emphasise that, this is prior to other greats likes MacDonald, Hayward, Rotharmel, Theoret, Hayworth, and Woods being inducted to CBF’s Hall of Fame.

I believe all of this and more importantly the following stats show that John Webster is truly worthy of being inducted to a prestigious group like the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. Thank you for this consideration, and if I you require any other types of information, please let me know.

Andrew Fralick


Continued next post...

[Andrew 4CE]

John Allan Webster

Born Toronto, Ontario March 4, 1933

Married Ruth Feb 1, 1964

He was a plumber for over 50 years with Local #46 Union

Started racing hydroplanes in 1952

Retired from racing hydroplanes (driving) in 2004

In those 52 years John only missed one year of racing, 1980, due to a major and life threatening accident he was in at the USA Nationals in Wakefield, Michigan.

John and Ruth have two kids, Ross and Randy. Both were in racing for several years and Ross continues to race with John helping out. Ross is continuing the family victories, winning the families first USA National Championship that had eluded them for so long in 2008 while competing in class “B” Modified Hydroplane

For fear of John getting hurt after a string of minor accidents, the family asked him to retire in 2004, John’s condition was that his son Ross drive John’s outfit in future races and Ross continues to race the outfit to this day in the vintage class along with his own classes of equipment.

Milestones
1949 – John started race paddling @ 16. Took part in War Canoe, 2 Boat Canoe and 4 Boat Canoe. Has an award from July 1, 1949 for Juvenile War Canoe at Balmy Beach Canoe Club

1952 – John joined the Canadian Boating Federation (CBF) and has been a member of the Toronto Outboard Racing Club since it started in 1952 and was awarded an honorary lifetime membership to the club some years ago. 1952 was also the year John built his first race boat.

1956 – John has designed, built and raced his own racing boats since then. That year he took 4th place at the USA Nationals with an average speed of 37.847 mph in his boat named “Four Bits”. I believe the class was “A” Stock hydroplane.

1958 – Set USA 5 mile track record, Class “A” Stock Hydroplane, 45.639 mph average, location, Lakeland, Fla *see article about being first person to take record from USA.

1965 – Set CBF 5 mile track record, Class “B” Stock Hydroplane, 53.160 mpg average, location, Valleyfield, QC

1975 - John was awarded the “Jack Abel Memorial Award, presented to a person or organization that in the opinion of the selection committee has made an outstanding contribution to the CBF”

1976 – Set CBF Kilometre Speed Record @ Welland, Ontario, Class “A” Stock Hydroplane, 57.787 mph.
Set CBF Kilometre Speed Record @ Welland, Ontario, Class “B” Stock Hydroplane, 67.786 mph

1980 – John won the Ronald G Robinson award from CBF. “Awarded to a CBF Member who has made outstanding contributions in work and effort to the furtherance of the CBF’s aims and ideals”

1984 – John helped Incorporate the not-for-profit Toronto Outboard Racing Club
John was President of TORC for 20 years, 12 years in the past and from 2002 to 2010. He is still the acting President.

1998 - John was awarded the “Stevenson Award, Presented to an individual in recognition for his or her outstanding contribution to the Stock Outboard Division of the CBF”

1999 – John was inducted into the CBF Hall of Fame, the hall’s inaugural year.

2000 – John was approved as a CBF Stock Outboard Racing Inspector and still acts in this position.

2002 – Was awarded an Honorary Lifetime Membership to the CBF

2003 – John was awarded the Stevenson Award a second time! Presented to an individual in recognition for his or her outstanding contribution to the Stock Outboard Division of the CBF

John has been the CBF Stock Outboard Chairman for 12 years (I’m not sure which years... around 1990 to 2002)

At the 50th Anniversary of the USA Stock Outboard Nationals, held at Wakefield Michigan, they held a special race for the old Class B Mercury 20H engines. John won this race.

This special “vintage race” was held again another year at the USA Nationals at Hinton, West Virginia, John won this race too.

John’s Canadian High Point Championship Victories
1963 – Class A Stock Hydroplane
------ Class B Stock Hydroplane
1964 - Class B Stock Hydroplane
1966 - Class D Stock Hydroplane
1968 - Class A Stock Hydroplane
------ Class B Stock Hydroplane
------ Class D Stock Hydroplane
1969 - Class B Stock Hydroplane
------ Class D Stock Hydroplane
1970 - Class B Stock Hydroplane
1971 - Class A Stock Hydroplane
------ Class B Stock Hydroplane
------ Class D Stock Hydroplane
1972 - Class A Stock Hydroplane
------ Class B Stock Hydroplane
1978 - Class B Stock Hydroplane
1979 - Class B Stock Hydroplane
1980 - Class A Stock Hydroplane
1995 – Class A Stock Hydroplane
1996 – Class B Stock Hydroplane
1997 - Class B Stock Hydroplane
1999 - Class A Stock Hydroplane
2000 – Class B Stock Hydroplane
2003 – Class B Stock Hydroplane

John’s Canadian National Championship Victories
1955 – Class A Stock Hydroplane, Barrie, Ontario
1957 – Class A Stock Hydroplane
1960 – Class A Stock Hydroplane
1961 – Class A Stock Hydroplane
1963 – Class B Stock Hydroplane, Dwight, Ontario
1965 – Class D Stock Hydroplane, Dunnville, Ontario
------ -Class (missing class name plate), Dunnville, Ontario
1966 – Class A Stock Hydroplane
1968 – Class B Stock Hydroplane
1970 – Class (missing class name plate), Midland, Ontario
1971 – Class A Stock Hydroplane, Consecon, Ontario
------ Class B Stock Hydroplane, Consecon, Ontario
------ Class D Stock Hydroplane, Consecon, Ontario
1972 - Class B Stock Hydroplane
------ Class D Stock Hydroplane
1975 - Class B Stock Hydroplane
1977 - Class B Stock Hydroplane, Port Perry, Ontario
------ Class A Stock Hydroplane
1978 - Class A Stock Hydroplane, Quyon, Quebec
1979 – Class B Stock Hydroplane, Sydenham, Ontario

[Brew56]

Mr. Webster

I will always refer to him as Mr. Webster. I have always had great respect for the man. He truly was a great person who was kind to everyone. He did so much for boatracing....many many years as the Commodore of TORC and involvement with the CBF. When no one wanted to step up, Mr. Webster always did.

I feel very sad for Ross and Randy. You two guys are wonderful people and your Dad shares a lot of responsibility for that.

You have our deepest sympathy. God speed.

Jerry Brewster Family