Its membership is primarily composed of people who race cars. LAC History
At that historic meeting in Kingston in 1951, the three clubs represented were the Ottawa Light Car Club (OLLC), British Empire Motor Club (BEMC) and St. Jack Luck, who was an industrial designer at the Kingston Alcan Laboratories, was among the St. Jack Luck devised the rather clever logo for St. LAC of an outline of a car
using the letters S, L, A and C. He subsequently used the same design concept for the CASC logo viz:
The present CASC-OR records show OLLC and St. LAC as joining “CASC” in 1953 and BEMC joining in 1954. OLCC has since ceased operation and been replaced in the Ottawa area by MCO (Motorsport Club of Ottawa). Consequently, St. LAC can be considered as the oldest active CASC-OR club. However, credit should be given to BEMC as probably the oldest Canadian motoring organization as it began in 1928 as a motorcycle enthusiasts group. In that early ’50’s period, like most other Ontario clubs, St. LAC was primarily rally oriented holding a series of navex type events throughout the year. Some road racing was happening at former WWII air bases such as Harewood Acres, south of Hamilton and St. Eugene, near Montreal. However, with the establishment of Mosport in the early 1960’s, as a dedicated road racing circuit and later, St. Jovite (now called Mt. Tremblant) in the Quebec Laurentians, road racing became more popular and St. LAC had many members who participated in various club racing classes. Also, in the 60’s and early 70’s, club rallying flourished in the Kingston area with St. LAC, Belleville’s Quinte and Queens University Tri-Colour clubs each holding events such that a crew had numerous events to enter throughout the year on roads north of Kingston and Belleville that were among the finest gravel rally roads in Canada. On the Thanksgiving weekend, St. LAC would host “The 1000 Islands Rally” which was a National Championship event. Starting Friday night in Kingston in front of the City Hall and going non-stop until Saturday evening, ending in Gananoque with an awards banquet that night. It was a point-to-point event and was very popular with the competitors. On Sunday, competitors and rally workers would have some fun with a driving test at the Gananoque airport. LAC would also man checkpoints in the area north of Kingston for the famous Shell 4000 Trans-Canada Rally during its years in the 1960’s. Two former club members (John Smith & Dave Phippen) with semi-works support from Comstock Ford participated in Cortinas. Nevertheless, by the mid-70’s, club rallying in this area had lost its interest and just as well as it was becoming more and more difficult to find quiet roads north of Kingston due to the many cottages being built along these roads. LAC had also been running driving skill tests involving parking and reversing exercises. However, with the cantankerous British gearboxes that didn’t take kindly to rapid changes to reverse, forward-only auto slalom events started first by Tri-Colour and then by St. LAC, proved quite popular with club members. Since they were held on shopping mall parking lots (No Sunday Shopping then), many spectators would come to watch. The CASC Ontario Region Clubs were holding a championship based upon driving skill tests but as St. LAC began using a slalom for its regional event, the other clubs eventually switched. LAC members having about a 3 – 4 year head start in slalom experience, they tended to dominate the regional series for quite a few years. However, in the late 70’s, St. LAC went through some member changes such that for a period of a few years, it ceased to operate. During this period of time some people from the Kingston area were looking for a Motorsport club found out about the Quinte Autosport Club of Belleville and joined it. After a few years of good success, the Quinte club also went through a down turn of organizers and participants. So in 1986, a few of the Kingston members decided to perhaps run a few events in Kingston, to try to reinvigorate the Quinte club. During these Kingston events a few previous StLAC members came out to participate. Once the organizers heard about StLAC, they decided to reactivate it and become a Kingston based club, much to the demise of the Quinte Autosport Club of Belleville. Currently, St. LAC’s aim is to represent and support Grass Roots Motorsport for the southeastern area of Ontario. It contributes to the region by holding an annual Regional Solo II Championship event, which is considered one of the best in the Ontario Series. Through St. LAC’s affiliation with CASC-OR and ASN Canada FIA, members have eligibility to compete in all forms of regional, national and international motor sports events. As summarized on the “Home” section of the web site, St.LAC members participate in a great variety of Motorsport. The Regional Solo II is named “The Judy Brunner Memorial Slalom” to honour one of the club’s most successful members, who in the mid 60’s to early 80’s won numerous club, regional and national auto-slalom championships as well as SCCA club and divisional Solo II championships in both men’s and woman’s classes in a Lotus Cortina. As part of St. LAC’s support for charities in the Kingston area, donations are made to the local Lung Association. The club also provides personnel to help in the Lung Associations various fund raising activities and is a supporter of the Organ Donor Program. St.LAC also aids the Kingston RCAF Veterans Association by being a member as well as giving contributions. LAC assists the Queen’s University Formula SAE Car program by allowing its team members subsidized entry in the club’s Solo II events. The Eastern Canadian Toyota MR2 Clubs (Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal) along with US guests, hold an annual week-end gathering at Kingston each summer. Some St. LAC members participate by providing instruction for a day-long Friday track session at Shannonville as well as organizing a Saturday autoslalom and conducting a road tour through the very scenic areas of this part of Ontario.
