Mike Balfe

One of the most successful early British Columbia drivers and a force in organizing racing in the area was Mike Balfe. Mike started out in MGs from his hometown of Vancouver and often won in his own area as well as when he came down to race stateside. He was one of the twelve original founders and an early officer in the Sports Car Club of British Columbia (SCCBC). Mike started out in a stock MGTC, in which he raced in the very first events at Abbotsford, Bellingham and Gray Field. His early plywood-tail modification of the MG attracted a lot of attention and to many typified the homegrown approach taken by many B.C. drivers on low budgets. In 1955 Mike became assistant manager of Leverington Motors and this helped him move up to a TR2 and then a TR3. He drove the famed (some might say “dreaded”) Fairthorpe Electron later on. In his racing career, Mike won several races as well as well as club championships and served as an officer for the SCCBC including a stint as President in 1958.