Don Haddow

DON HADDOW

EVE WHITE

FOR MOST OF US, being a champion in one sport would be more than enough, but Don Haddow of Toronto, Canada has proven his ability in three demanding sports — skiing, motorcycle racing and car hillclimbing. Skiing, his earliest love, gave him the Ontario Junior Ski Jumping Championship at a time when he was just beginning to discover the thrill of racing. He had a go at sports cars first, with an M.G., but after trying a friend’s Triumph motorcycle, switched to two wheels.

In the winter of 1959/60 Don was instructing at Gray Rocks, a ski resort in the Laurentian Hills, when a very bad fall splintered his leg. The whole season was spent in a gradual return to health, and by the end of the year, Don was offered a ride on a U.S.-entered BMW Rennsport motorcycle.

This, his first ride of the year, proved to his audience that Don’s skill could outlast a long layoff, and in the final lap of the Indian Summer Trophy Races he overtook the rider who had led all the way, and won, even though his clutch had given out and he was changing gears without it.

In the building/trying-out stage, the Jordan Special, a lOOOcc Vincent-engined hill climb car was offered to Don, and although a try at racing it was made, the car was always getting shunted in corners, and sundry other bad luck decided the builder, Herb Jordan, to keep the special for hill climbing.

Back to skiing for the 1960/1961 season, and another fall, another broken leg, much quicker to heal this time, giving Don time to break all the local hill climb records in the Jordan Special, on both paved and dirt hills, sometimes beating his own records.

Although not yet thirty years of age, Don has crammed a lot of adventure and speed into his life, making comebacks after his accidents which continue to amaze. •