Allan Moffat--The Hometown Hero that My Hometown Knows Nothing About

Much to the chagrin of my friends and family, I love to talk about obscure and esoteric historical facts; especially when it comes to cars. I confess to once drinking and explaining the U.S. “chicken tax” to a group of people who could have cared more about the history of parking meters or the Underarm Bowling Cricket Incident of 1981. I even told them how it related to how rare my truck is in Canada versus the rest of the world. So, naturally, I am intrigued by the most random of things.

But one topic that I wouldn’t think was so esoteric was hometown heroes, especially in my home city of Saskatoon. Sports guys are pretty proud of the fact that Gordie Howe was born and raised in a community not far from here. The bookworms are proud of the fact that the guy who wrote Life of Pi is a resident of Toontown. We have named a street after Gene Simmons’ wife, the former Playboy centrefold Shannon Tweed, because she grew up here. We take pride in our famous expatriates.

But none of the car guys here would even have a clue that the G.O.A.T. (arguably) in the racing world hailed from the City of Bridges.

Now, to be fair, the fact that Allan Moffat is a Saskatonian is more of a technicality than a reflection of his life and career. Yes, he was born and raised there, but he spent most of his adult life in Australia. I’ve seen enough interviews of the man to instantly recognize the Australized Canadian accent as having origins in the Canadian prairies. It’s unmistakably from the Prairies.

Yet, he could easily pass as a random ex-pat to anyone none the wiser. Which, as near as makes no difference, the entire population of the city in which he was born. I have yet to talk to a Saskatoon historian about Mr. Moffat, but I suspect that I have a 50/50 chance that they will have a clue of who he is.

Therefore, if I end up making a public awareness campaign around town for Allan Moffat, I would be perfectly alright with looking like an overzealous James May if it meant that a car guy in my town had something to be proud of. There’s very little racing prestige here, at least in the public opinion. Hell, there’s very little in the way of a motorsports community in Saskatoon. There’s actually some relative significance to associating the place with a famous guy who moved away from it as a teenager. We do it all the time.

Mr. Moffat’s accomplishments are, simply put, the stuff of legends. He’s won the Bathurst 500/1000 race (considered the pinnacle of Australian motorsport) four times; he’s won the Australian Touring Car Championship four times with 32 race wins to his name; he’s a member of the V8 Supercars Hall of Fame; and he has been awarded the Order of the British Empire. This is just a sample of what Moffat has achieved in his career. However, if you want to get a good sense of what motor racing in Australia was like during Moffat’s time, this article by CTzen Dylan Smit does an amazing job of showing how absolutely epic Allan Moffat really was.

Yet it seems that few people in his birthplace even knows who he is.

As shameful as that sounds, I am not really surprised. Motorsport doesn’t seem to be as big of a deal in Saskatchewan as it is in the rest of the world. That, combined with the fact that Moffat moved to Australia when he was 17, and it makes sense why he might not be very well known in Saskatoon. Australian Touring Cars is very much an esoteric interest in Canadian culture.

Yet, I don’t think it’s fair just to recognize Allan Moffat for what he has done (and, oh boy, he has done a lot) for the Australian motor racing scene. Gordie Howe was one of the greatest hockey players of all time, but he was also remembered for being a man of incredible character and humility. I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that Allan Moffat carries a similar reputation in Australia. I think that it’s a testament to the kind of people that we are in this country. Even listening to him speak for any length of time, anyone from Canada will be able to detect a lot of nuances in his speech that give away his Canadian heritage.

I don’t want to take away from the accomplishments of others, but I think that there are less spectacular Saskatonians who are celebrated more than Allan Moffat; and I don’t think that’s right. Do I have a massive bias as a car nerd? Maybe. Do I think he deserves a statue out in front of City Hall? Not necessarily. At the very least, I just want a few more of my fellow townspeople to learn about him and think “hey, that guy was born in Saskatoon, that’s awesome!” God forbid you happen to be reading this, Mr. Moffat, I want you to know that there’s at least one person from ‘back home’ that knows your name, and is proud of what you’ve done.