JERRY BARBER Pioneer - Sports Cars and Road Racing - 2018 Nominee

By Gio Coletta Nominated by Gio Coletta Jerry Barber was born December When Westwood opened, Jerry and convinced him to buy Peter Arundell’s 26, 1932 in Casablanca, Morocco. He fellow racer Bob Canstabaris had ex-works Lotus 20B with the promise first came to Canada as a World War already started the first of many Mr. that if he did well with the car, he Two refugee, returning to Morocco Mike’s restaurants they were to own in would have a try out the following year briefly following the war, and then the future. There was plenty of time and in a racer. He did settling in Canada for keeps in 1951. money to race. In fact, both Bob and reasonably well but only finished While in Casablanca, Jerry lived Jerry teamed up to win one of the first second in a major race. The four-speed ten minutes away from the Moroccan five-hour endurance races held at the gearbox gave out twice while he was Grand Prix circuit. He started driving end of the Westwood season, driving an leading. cars and motorcycles at 14 years of age. AC Bristol. Jerry also had a Porsche As things turned out, the demands Upon his arrival in Canada, he found 1600 and an Alfa Romeo Giulietta of his business with Mr. Mike’s, plus out about racing at Abbotsford and Spider that he raced successfully. the loss of two good racing friends, Bob Bellingham and he knew he had to be Not satisfied with just road racing, McLean and Peter Ryan, influenced his part of it. Jerry also drove in rallies, mostly in a decision to retire from competitive Two of the cars that he raced at MGTF. He also ran hill climbs in a racing. At 85 years of age Jerry still both locations were an MGTF Mercedes Benz gull wing. drives, and drives fast. Perhaps too fast supercharged and a Devin fibre-glassed In 1962, Jerry decided to go to for his own good sometimes. That’s TR3. Later he bought a Jaguar 120. He England to race and to acquire his first why he now drives a dark four-door won over twenty plaques and trophies . He went to the Lotus sedan. for class wins and podium finishes. factory where

Below: Jerry in a Porsche chasing two cars he would eventually buy: the Mercedes and the Lotus formula junior

Right: A helmeted Jerry with Mr. Mike’s sponsorship

Below right: Formula Junior at Westwood, 1962

2018 Greater Vancouver Motorsport Pioneers Society www.gvmps.org

Above: Jerry, at what looks to be Portland, leading Bob McLean, 1962.

Below left: Circa 2015, former Alfa drivers (3rd from right to the right: Ed Clement, Gio Coletta and Jerry)

Below right: Van-Man-Van rally, circa 1953/54 (with “Ron”, navigator)

Left: Jerry’s Alfa at Westwood

Below: Jerry in England with Lotus, March 24, 1962

2 2018 Greater Vancouver Motorsport Pioneers Society