John Cannon (21 June 1933 – 18 October 1999) was a sports car racer, who competed under the banner of Canada, though he was born in London, U.K.. He raced in the USRRC series, the CanAm Series and the L&M Continental Series (Formula 5000). Info from Wiki
Bio by Stephen Latham
Although born in Hammersmith, London, John Cannon lived in Canada for most of his life and always raced under that country’s banner. He only drove in one Grand Prix with BRM but made his name racing in Can-Am and F5000. He also made fifteen starts in the USAC series from 1968 to 1974, with his best finish second at Mont-Tremblant in 1968 but failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in two entries in 1970 and 1974.
Born on the 21st June, 1933, John started competing in his twenties in local sportscar events. Racing an Elva Courier in 1959 he finished fifth and sixth at Thompson and second and fourth at St.Eugene and there were two victories in 1960 with the Elva Courier at Watkins Glen and Thompson. In two races with the car in the following season he was third at Lime Rock and Marlboro, ninth with a Daimler at Marlboro, had a win with a Jaguar D-Type at Lime Rock and had some Stebro FJunior drives. Stebro was the brainchild of Peter Broeker, the owner and president of a firm of automotive accessory manufacturers, who designed and constructed FJunior racing cars in his Montreal plant in order to promote the company in the Canadian market. John was second and fifth at St.Eugene and seventeenth in the Pepsi Cola Canadian GP at Mosport (where Broeker himself finished eighth).
Racing a Dailu Mk 1 in 1962 he won at St.Eugene, Laguna Seca, Mosport (twice) and the Oakes Field Course at Nassau and was fifteenth in the Canadian GP at Mosport. He raced a variety of cars during the next two seasons, including a Dailu Mk2/3, Lola Mk1, Comstock EXP, Fiat Abarth, Chevrolet Corvette and an Elva Mk 3 plus drove John Mecom’s Lotus 19, Scarab Mk4/5 and Lola T70. 1963 started with two Ferrari 250 GTO drives for the North American Racing Team (NART) and he was fifteenth (third in class) alongside NASCAR driver Fireball Roberts in the Daytona 3 Hours in February and thirteenth (fourth in class) in the following month’s Sebring 12 Hours with Jo Bonnier. There was a victory in the Spring Trophy at Mosport with the Dailu Mk 11 plus second and eighth at Mosport and Watkins Glen with a Comstock EXP, a victory at St.Eugene and second at Harewood, Mosport and St.Eugene with Comstock Racing Team’s Lola plus eighth with the Mecom Racing Team Corvette Grand Sport at the Nassau Trophy.
Returning to Daytona in 1964, for a 2000km race, he and Ulf Norinder finished fifth with a private Ferrari 250 GTO and he was twenty third (fifth in class) when sharing a Mecom Racing Corvette Grand Sport with A.J.Foyt in the 12 Hours of Sebring. In further Mecom Racing outings he was sixth in a USRRC race at Laguna Seca with a Scarab Mk1V but retired a Zerex Special at Pensacola and did not start the Player’s 200 at Mosport in a Lotus 19. Elva Mk V11 drives saw fifteenth and eighteenth at 200 Mile races at Laguna Seca and Riverside and seventh in the 500 mile Road America alongside Charlie Hayes.
In 1965 John raced a Genie Mk10 for Nickey’s Vinegaroon Racing, a team supported by actor Dan Blocker, who played Hoss Cartwright in the popular 1960s television western series ‘Bonanza’. However, his first race was with a Mecom Lola T70 at the Sebring 12 Hours though after starting sixth he and Jack Saunders retired due to oil cooler problems. His first drive in the Genie Mk10 came in October in the 200 Mile Kent, though he did not start, and in the following 200 Mile races he retired at Laguna Seca and was eighth and twentieth at Riverside and Las Vegas. He was fifth in December in the Nassau Classic and second in the following day’s Nassau trophy.
John took victory with the Genie in 1966’s opening USRRC race at Stardust International Raceway in Las Vegas, where, despite slowing with a water leak and a dying battery, he took the flag thirty three seconds ahead of Chuck Parson’s Hilton Racing entered Genie. There were retirements at Riverside, Laguna Seca and Mont Tremblant and his only finish was sixteenth at Bridgehampton but following an accident at Watkins Glen he left the team. Following this, Bob Harris, a noted Hollywood stunt man, took over the driving duties. From July he raced a McLaren Elva Mark 11 which saw tenth at Mont Tremblant, second at the Pacific International Raceway at Kent and victory in the Indian Summer Trophy at Mosport. In early September he entered a round of the Canadian Road Racing Championship and, driving a Mk1 McLaren, he had a close race with the local favourite, Ludwig Heimrath, and took the win. Then followed several Can Am drives from September through till November though his only finishes were fourth at St.Jovite (in a Ecurie Carabine car) and sixth at Laguna Seca.
In Can Am drives the following year, finishes included seventh and eighth at Laguna Seca and Las Vegas then eleventh in the LA Times GP at Riverside. Away from Can-Am, he contested the 12 Hours of Sebring in a Porsche 906 with Ed Hugus, qualifying eighteenth, but their race ended due to a mechanical failure and racing a McLaren Elva Mk11 he had retirements at Watkins Glen and Kent though was fifteenth at Mid Ohio.
He made his USAC debut in 1968 (and would contest the series on a part-time basis until 1974) and was tenth in the Rocky Mountain 150 at Castle Rock Raceway plus sixth and an impressive second place (closely behind Mario Andretti) at St.Jovite with a Vollsted-Ford. He was eighth with a Cheetah-Ford in two Indianapolis 100 races then ninth at Riverside with Vel’s Parnelli Jones Mongoose in December. He continued with the McLaren in Can Am and was sixth at Riverside while a highlight was an impressive win at Laguna Seca, where, after starting fifteenth, he went on to record the fastest lap plus lapped the entire field, including the McLarens of Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren. At the end of the season he was sixth in the Can-Am points table.
John raced an Eagle Mk5 in SCCA F5000 in 1969 (in a team part owned by Dan Blocker) and took three wins, at Riverside (from pole plus fastest lap), Sears Point (from pole) and Mosport (from pole) plus was eighth at Minnesota and fifth at Lime Rock and Mont Tremblant to finish fourth in the championship. Contesting the USAC he was fifth and tenth at Kent with a Vollsted-Ford while a Trans Am outing at Lime Rock with Bud Moore Engineering’s Ford Mustang saw a fourth place finish. It proved to be a frustrating season in Can-Am as he retired a Young American Racing Team McLaren M6B at Mosport (engine) and Mid-Ohio (oil line) plus did not start at St.Jovite due to engine problems in practice. He retired Agapiou Racing’s Ford G7 at Edmonton (injector) and did not start in Texas due to engine problems though his final Can-Am drive in Japan in the Fuji 200 Miles brought a second place result.
1970 started back at Daytona for the 24 Hours but he and George Eaton retired the Randy’s Auto Body Service Lola T70. There was a fourth place result in July at the Indianapolis 150 with a Vollstedt-Chevrolet but he also tried to qualify for the Indy 500 with a Vollstedt but did not qualify. A move to the Hogan-Starr Racing team saw him take the SCCA Continental Formula A Championship (ahead of Gus Hutchison, David Hobbs and Eppie Wietzes) with a McLaren M10B–Chevrolet. There were victories at Riverside (pole and fastest lap), Seattle and Road America, second at Mont Tremblant, Mid-Ohio and Minnesota, third plus fourth at Lime Rock and the Monterey GP at Laguna Seca with his lowest result ninth at Mosport. He had a disappointing Can-Am season with the Agapiou Brother’s Ford G7 as he retired due to overheating at Watkins Glen, Road America and Laguna Seca and an accident in the LA Times GP at Riverside.
At the end of the year he travelled to Australia/New Zealand to compete in the Tasman Series and, starting in January, there were fifth place finishes at Levin and Pukekohe then seventh at Warwick Farm. Unfortunately, a crash at Sandown damaged the M10B beyond repair but he eventually raced a Lotus 70 to seventh place there and finished ninth in the series. During these drives, in January he returned to Daytona to contest the 24 Hours but he, Gregg Young and Masten Gregory retired the NART Ferrari 512M after sixteen laps due to engine problems. He then contested a non championship Questor GP at Ontario but retired the March 701 before competing in European F2 with a 712M where he was fourth at Jarama, seventh and eighth in the Gran Premio Madunina and Gran Premio di Roma (both at Vallunga), eleventh at Mantorp Park and fourteenth at Thruxton and Nurburgring. In later non championship races with the 712M he was fourth at Vallelunga and Monza and ninth in the Swedish Gold Cup at Kinnekulle Ring while an SCCA F5000 drive saw twelfth place at Lime Rock. In October John made his World Championship debut (at the age of 38) in the US GP at Watkins Glen with a BRM P153 and, after qualifying twenty fifth of the twenty nine starters, finished twelfth.
He participated in both the American F5000 Series and selected British F5000 races with a March 725 in 1972 but after missing the first four rounds of the Rothmans European Championship he took pole at Nivelles and, after qualifying second at Mondello Park, finished fifth. Further results saw second and third at Silverstone and Oulton Park, fourth and fifth at Silverstone and Mondello Park then seventh at Brands Hatch and racing Sid Taylor’s car in the US he was seventh and eighth at Riverside and Edmonton. In non championship races with a March 72A-Rover he was tenth in the International Trophy at Silverstone then in two races at Brands Hatch he was sixteenth in the World Championship Victory race but retired a March 725 from the Rothmans 5000.
Returning to Can-Am the following season, in drives with a McLaren M8F took fifth and sixth at Watkins Glen and the Labatts Blue Trophy at Mosport but suffered retirements with a McLaren M20 at the Monterey Castrol GP at Laguna Seca and the LA Times GP at Riverside. In one USAC outing with Webster Racing’s Eagle-Offenhauser at Ontario he was tenth though retired from the second race due to fire.
There was a second attempt at the Indianapolis 500 in 1974 with a Chevrolet-engined Mongoose, but once again he was unable to qualify and in USAC drives with a Minnesota Serendipity Atlanta Foyt TC he retired at Ontario and did not start at Phoenix and Trenton.
It proved a disappointing time in 1975’s US F5000 series with the Anglo American Equipe March 73A as he retired from six races and the only finishes were fourth and tenth at Riverside and Laguna Seca. He started 1976 in the Australian F5000 Rothmans Tasman series with an Anglo American Equipe March 751 and retired at Oran Park and the Adelaide 100 but won the Sandown Park GP, to finish third in the standings. Continuing with Anglo American in the American series, he retired their Lola T330 in two rounds and was sixth in a Team Cannon March 73A at Road America while the Shellsport European championship in Richard Oaten Racing with John Lane’s March 73A saw three retirements and a fourth place at three rounds and fourth at Brands Hatch.
John reduced his racing schedule and his only race in 1977 was the Daytona 24 Hours alongside Dick Barbour and Tony Adamowicz with Modena Sports Car’s Ferrari 365 GTB/4 though they did not finish due to an engine failure. Later in the season, he suffered an accident in the Ferrari during a practice session at Laguna Seca, which led to the car being removed from the entry list. His final racing came in 1978 when he competed in Australian F5000 with a March 73A and he was third at Sandown Park but did not start in the Adelaide 100 and retired due to loss of oil pressure in the Oran Park 100. He was in the entry list for 1979’s 24 Hours race at Daytona with a Modena Sports Cars Ferrari 365 GTB/4, alongside Adamowicz and John Morton, but did not drive during the race though Adamowicz and Morton went on to finish second.
John retired from racing in 1979 and in 1993 was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. On the 18th October 1999 he was flying a home-built aircraft close to the border between Arizona and New Mexico when it experienced problems (allegedly an air supply fault) and he attempted to land it on a corn field near the village of Quemado, in western New Mexico. The aircraft skidded for 620 feet (189 meters) before coming to rest on its top and John was killed.
His son Michael Cannon became involved in motor racing and went on to become an accomplished and highly respected race engineer in Indy Racing.
(Credit goes to ‘Racing Years’ and ‘Racing Sports Cars’ websites for race results)
Bio by Dave Wheeler
A sports car racer who competed under the banner of Canada, he raced in the USRRC series, the Can Am Series and the L&M Continental Series (Formula 5000).
In the USRRC he drove for Nickey Chevrolet in a Dan Blocker, of Bonanza fame, sponsored Genie/Vinegaroon
Tom Stephani drove this historic racer at the 2009 Pacific Northwest Historics. This is Dan Blocker’s Nikcy-Vinegaroon. John Cannon drove this car to a win in the 1966 Las Vegas USRRC race.
In the first year of the Can Am he was the top finishing Canadian propelled by a fourth place finish in the opening event at his home course, St Jovite. John duplicated that accomplishment in 1968 propelled by a famous win over the dominant McLaren team in a very wet race at Laguna Seca. In a three-year-old car, John lapped the entire field including the mighty Team McLaren of Denny Hume and Bruce McLaren. He also attained top Canadian status in 1973.
Cannon also ran in the Continental Series (Formula 5000). In 1969 he drove a F5000 Eagle for Malcolm Starr and won races at Riverside, Sears Point and Mosport. In 1970 Starr Racing was merged into Hogan-Starr Racing Ltd, with team owners St Louis trucking magnate Carl Hogan and Malcolm Starr. Driving a McLaren M-10B (with an Al Bartz Chevrolet 302 engine), prepared by Tom Jobe and Bob Skinner (of drag racing “The Surfers” fame) Cannon won races at Riverside, Kent, Washington and Elkhart Lake, easily winning the L&M Continental Championship.
Cannon participated in one World Championship Formula One Grand Prix, on October 3, 1971 in the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. He finished 14th, thus he scored no championship points. He also participated in one non-Championship Formula One race, the Questor Grand Prix, finishing up in 12th.
Cannon also made 15 starts in the USAC Championship Car series while driving on a part-time basis from 1968 to 1974. His best finish was 2nd place in the second race at Circuit Mont-Tremblant in 1968. He also finished a career best 27th in series points that year. He also attempted to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1970 and 1974 but failed to make the race both years.
He was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 1993. His son Michael has built a career as a race engineer. During the 2006 season at Forsythe Racing in the Champ Car World Series he was race engineer for A. J. Allmendinger.
Ever active, John died in New Mexico, USA, from injuries received in the crash of an experimental aircraft.
Gallery F2/F1 Can-Am/SCCA USRRC F5000
