August 8, 2014 

The streets of Trois-Rivieres have seen their share of legendary drivers compete in the oldest street race in North America. RaceCanada will take a short look at many of those who have competed in the famed race over the past 45 years.

 

From the mid-80's to the early 90's the Spenard-David Racing School saw some of the greatest drivers in Canadian history pass through it's Shannonville doors. While other GP3R Legends, including Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Carpentier are also Spenard-David alumni, we are going to take a short look at founder Richard Spenard, and well as his Player's GM team mates Ron Fellows and David Empringham, who both went on to international stardom.

 

 

Richard Spénard
Born on April 2nd 1952, Spenard was one of the few drivers that raced in the both segments of the Grand Prix, before 1985 and after 1989. He participated in 15 Trois-Rivières races and he won 4 times. He was inducted at the hall of fame was made in 2004.

 

Spenard was one of those rare drivers that could step in to any car on any day on any track and beat just about anybody on earth. His championships in Formula 2000 and Players GM, and runner up in Rothman's Porsche in the same season added to wins in such diverse series as Formula Atlantic, Trans Am prove what a versatile and talented driver Spenard truly was.

 

Despite all his success on the track, his creation of the Spenard-David Racing School, along with business partner Raymond David, might be the greatest legacy Spenard left the Canadian racing world. In the 7 or 8 years he owned the school, World Champions, Le Mans Champions, Formula Atlantic Champions, Indy Lights Champions and more passed through, and found a world-class level of competition that prepared them to take on the best in the world and win. Sadly, there is nothing like it left in the country.

 

 

Ron Fellows
Born September 28, 1959 in Windsor, Ontario, he was one of the most popular drivers in Trois-Rivieres throughout his career. His first win in Trois-Riviers was extremely popular, winning the 1995 Trans Am race.

 

Fellows went on to great international acclaim, winning more than 25 races in the Trans Am series, leading the development program for the Cadillac LMP car, as well as the Corvette GT car, for which he probably best known. Fellows also led the "road course ringers" in NASCAR winning multiple races in both trucks and the Nationwide series, as well as a runner-up to Jeff Gordon in Cup at the Glen.

 

Like Spenard, Fellows greatest legacy to Canadian motorsports may not be his on-track accomplishments, but is purchase of Mosport and it's ongoing revitalization to a world-class racing facility, now of course known as Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. After the glory days of hosting Formula One came to an end in the 70's, the CTMP is again on track to play host to the biggest racing series.

 

David Empringham
Toronto native, David Empringham was born on December 11, 1963. He has won three of his twelve races at Trois-Rivières. The most important moment of his Trois-Rivières career is definitely the double victory in 1993 and 1994 in Formula Atlantic.

 

Empringham went on to claim an Indy Lights victory, but never got his chance to take the next step into Indy Cars, though we was highly touted as a future race winner at that level as well.

 

Since the end of his open wheel career Empringham has made a name for him self in all different levels of sports car racing, winning dozens of races as well as the Grand Am GS class title in 2001, and a class win the 24 hours of Daytona in 2003, co-driving with Scott Maxwell both times.

 

For all the accomplishments that he has accomplished in Trois-Rivières, David Empringham was inducted into the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières Hall of Fame in 2007.

 

 

I had the good fortune of working for Richard in the early days of the school, as well as working with, and racing against both Emp and Fellows, and saw for myself just how good these guys are. Spenard set the bar very high and a great number of drivers met that challenge, and went out to great success, at home and abroad.

 

As sadly noted above, there isn't a racing school left in the country that comes any where close to producing the types of competitive, capable drivers that Spenard-David did. They are all too fixated on the income provided by corporate days, where the cars rarely reach 50% or 60% of their capabilities, and 99% the clients (please note, not drivers, but clients...) will never turn a competitive lap in their lives. Truly a sad end to a great legacy.

 

The Spenard-David Racing School as a driver factory, producing and incredible number of drivers that went on to achieve world wide success.