One of Canada's top motorcycle racers from the 1950s and ’60s has passed away.
Sheldon Smith, who was inducted into the Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame in 1989, died on May 16 at the age of 94. He is survived by his children Joanne and Derrick and extended family.
From 1950 to 1968, Mr. Smith consistently placed among the top riders in provincial and national races sanctioned by the Canadian Motorcycle Association on dirt tracks, road race, moto-cross and endurance events. Among his championships are national titles in 500-mile, 500-cc endurance runs in 1956, 1957 and 1959. He was Canadian moto-cross Scrambles champion in the 500-cc expert class in 1958, and he won the national dirt title honours in the 500-cc junior class in 1957.
According to his Hall of Fame bio, his numerous provincial titles include the 1958 championship in the 500-cc expert class road race.
A Peterborough native, Mr. Smith rode his first motorcycle at the age of 16. More than four decades later, he was still a touring rider with more than 300,000 miles under his wheels. He held numerous executive positions at provincial and national levels of the CMA, and was CMA national president in 1959 and 1960. He was primarily responsible for the development of motorcycle scrambles (moto-cross) in Ontario.