May 16, 1936 - October 26, 2017
Horst Kroll
Hometown: Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.
Born in Germany, Kroll came to Canada at the age of 20. For more than 25-years he engraved his name in Canadian motor-sport history. As a driver, team owner and car builder, Kroll competed at some of the highest levels of racing in North America.
Kroll won the Canadian Driving Championship in 1968, driving a Kelly Porsche, the same car he beat the factory Porsches in a United States Auto Club race at Watkins Glen. A visit to Kroll's trophy room at his Scarborough condo is testimony to the success this privateer racer has had at every level he has competed. Kroll has done it all, including Formula Vee, Formula A, Formula 5000, Sports Cars, Players GM series and Can-Am.
From his small auto repair shop in West Hill, Ont, Horst manufactured a fleet of 18 Altona Formula Vees, his cars winning the 1969 Canadian Formula Vee Championship, with Brian Steward behind the wheel. Many young drivers including myself got there start in one of Kroll's Altonas.
Horst with his personal Altona - Shannonville 1982
Over the years Kroll provided auto repairs, specialized vehicle restorations and personal racing services. Kroll's cars provided rides for drivers such as, Paul Tracy, Bill Adam, Joe DeMarco, Duff Hubbard, John Graham, Mike Freberg, and Jacques Villeneuve Sr, just to name a few.
Of the many achievements, his biggest accomplishment was winning the 1986 Can-Am Championship, after being runner up the previous year and third in 1984. Kroll made more starts in Can-Am than any other driver, putting his name in the SCCA record books for the most consecutive top 10 finishes at 18 and the most consecutive finishes at 23. To me these records were most deserving. In over 3 seasons as a crew member with Horst, we never knew what it was like to have a DNF. Anyone who knows Horst will tell you, the one thing that stood out is the never say quit attitude in which he approached every race.
In 1994 Horst was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. The Canadian auto racing legend died suddenly at home of natural causes on Thursday, October 26, 2017 in his 81st year.
Kroll and his Frissbee KR-3 - 2007 VARAC Festival.
(Photo credit;Gary Grant at thegarageblog.com)
For more on Horst see; "Remembering" Horst Kroll
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