With the SickKids Fundraiser at the CSCS event over, it was time to take the No. 12 F1200 car back to Vallis Motor Sport to get ready for the Vintage Grand Prix in a couple weeks. The race car is so light, the big GMC pickup makes easy work of hauling it all the way down to Welland, Ontario.
When the truck arrived, Bill Vallis was hard at work when as his is every day since his VMS team was established so many decades ago. Whether he’s rebuilding the transmission for a classic VW bus, or lapping the valves on a Formula 1200 engine, Bill is always busy.
A modest man, despite his recent induction into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame, Bill doesn’t have a fancy shop. But just glance around the place and you’ll knw how many years of experience the boss-man has. Championship plaques from 2014 hang next to a VW clock presented by the Niagara Volks Folks as an award of merit back in 1995. And that’s the recent stuff.
Vallis specializes in rebuilding circa 1963 VW Beetle engines; air-cooled, 1200 cc, marvels of engineering. He explains the internal workings of the camshafts and rockers with familiarity. Bill has taken these apart and put them back together so many times, he could teach a class. Thank goodness he doesn’t. Thank goodness he is all about racing..
For young Daniel Demaras, this was his first trip to Vallis HQ, and Bill took the opportunity to explain all about the internals of the flat-four engine. Ported and polished cylinder heads, dual-plane intake manifolds, and 3-angle valve jobs. This is how power is made.
There are so many stories hiding on the shelves and under covers at the race shop. Some stories are so old that Bill hardly tells them anymore. Drivers that started in F1200 and went on to fame and fortune. Or others that got out of racing and just got regular jobs and had families.
But then a young racer like Daniel comes along and joins the historic Vallis Motor Sport team. Bill and his sidekick Johan get a new racer to impress with their tall tales. And for Daniel, it’s like being a part of the long racing heritage that makes this formula so unique.
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