You might say that Kel Carruthers became a candidate for the Trailblazers’ 2026 Dick Hammer Award when this trifecta photo collage was taken at the Ontario 250-mile road race back in 1971. That was about two decades before the Trailblazers selected Dick Hammer, who was battling cancer at the time, as the first recipient of the Dick Hammer Award.
But, going back to 1971, Carruthers’ 350cc Yamaha two-stroke, a TR2, was clearly out-gunned when exiting Ontario Motor Speedway’s 20 turns, battling the torque-laden 750cc four-strokes that composed most of the field, through each and every corner. Today, The Hammer Award is presented annually to a racer who doesn’t understand the words “give up.” And the feisty Australian certainly didn’t give up, especially during the race’s final few laps. Kel stayed with BSA-mounted John Cooper to the bitter end. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough. As the above photo makes clear, Cooper and his BSA won the race by inches! The late Dick Hammer would certainly be proud that Carruthers was presented the 2026 Dick Hammer Award; he just didn’t give up!
The accompanying three photos show how Kel Carruthers, recipient of the 2026 Dick Hammer Award, nearly won the 1971 Ontario 250 Champion Spark Plug Classic.
Author’s note: As an aspiring moto journalist, this was the first race I’d ever reported on. The article appeared in the January 1972 issue of Hot Bike Magazine.
