Just the ticket

Sir,

I very much enjoyed the Private View feature on Mont Tremblant (December), as I was there as well. The 1966 Can-Am race was my first visit to ‘Le Circuit’ but certainly not my last.

After the first Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport in 1967, our centennial year, the F1 cars and drivers travelled to Mont Tremblant in the late September of ’68. As you can see (below), my three-day ticket cost $12 CDN and $15 for my paddock pass – definitely pre-Bernie days, don’t you think?

The atmosphere was so relaxed, as I recall. The teams were garaged under large tents and separated only by rope barriers. The night before the race I was able to walk freely throughout the garage area, mere feet from the cars and the mechanics working on them. Security just wasn’t an issue. One exception was the Honda team, which for some reason was garaged in a cinder block building in the infield! Their cars had to travel down a short gravel road and cross the track in order to reach the pit area. The race ended with the McLaren-Fords of Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren finishing 1-2, with Pedro Rodríguez third in his BRM.

The race track’s setting in the Laurentian Mountain area north of Montréal was, and is, simply beautiful. Thanks for reviving some great memories.

Bob Beattie, Ivanhoe, Ontario, Canada