You probably have seen my name on articles in the RPM / NSCA Magazine or on my website HeadsUpRacer.com, but who is Ian Rae? I was born in Scotland and immigrated to Canada in 1988. I raced almost continuously from my youth until I arrived in Canada. I got into drag racing when the politics in kart racing got too much, enjoyed it and started HeadsUpRacer.com in 2001. HUR provides drag racing news, marketing and website design for racers and any motorsport related companies. Many articles seen on HUR have already been published in the RPM / NSCA Magazine and are reproduced courtesy of Chris Biro.

WHEN DID YOU START RACING: 1969 as a thirteen-year-old in go-karts.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST RACECAR: My first true racecar was a 1966 Hillman Imp that I bought from a friend, George Coghill. It ran in the Special Saloon class and was all steel with fiberglass panels. I competed in the Scottish Hillclimb Championship and selected Autocross events before rolling it at the local Rumster Hillclimb event. The car was fixable but a new project came on the scene that meant I used the powertrain and sold off the rolling chassis. I have heard the car is still running in Autocross events even now, over twenty years later.

WIERDEST THING EVER IN RACING: Going to pick up our Clan Crusader Modsports car and then carrying it out through three backyards to get to the trailer. The Clan is a fiberglass monocoque and has no chassis as such; its strength is in how the monocoque is formed. This meant we picked up a corner each and could carry it about at will. If you had seen it that day you would never have believed we could turn it into one of the most feared Modsports cars in Scotland.

MOST SATISFYING MOMENT IN RACING: Your first win is always satisfying but beating the current Scottish Champion to get yours is even better. Pete McCallum had told me just before the final that he always liked to visit all the Scottish circuits at least once to give racers the chance to beat him. I had finished second to him in both the qualifying heats and in the final I did exactly that, I beat him. Entering the hairpin on the final lap I past a frustrated McCallum and took my first win. It was definitely a moment to savor.

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN YOUR CAREER: Without a doubt, Steve Grebeck! I would not have made the contacts I have in the sport if it was not for Steve introducing me to the likes of Pat Musi and Patrick Budd. When I first went to Grebeck’s shop I thought I knew a fair bit about racecar building, boy was I wrong! The great thing about Grebeck was he never made you feel stupid for not knowing something, he would just show you what to do and let you get on with it. Steve knew everyone had their strengths and he knew how to use them. I was proud to be Grebeck’s Web guy.

YOUR PERSONAL FAVORITE RACECAR: My Clan Crusader Modsports car. My partner Henry Sinclair and I built it from scratch from a bare monocoque. The fact that we built it ourselves made it a lot more satisfying when running against professionally constructed cars. Henry and I shared the car in Hillclimb events and I circuit raced the car in the Scottish Road Racing Championships. In North American terms it was not too powerful, its 998 cc engine pushed out only 120 horsepower but it was in an 1100# chassis. I remember racing a Corvette at Ingliston that had lots more power but the superior handling of the Clan meant I was ahead at the end of the race.

YOUR BIGGEST RIVAL: None here yet, but back home it was Henry Sinclair. The big thing about hillclimbing is two people can drive the car at one event. It is a race against the clock. In most cases it is your teammate who is your biggest rival as he has exactly the same equipment as you. In all the time Henry and I were partners he never beat me at an event which was quite satisfying.

THANKS TO: First of all my wife Janis, I could not do this without her support. Back in my karting days I owe a lot to Mark Barnard of Redhill Racing. He tought me a lot about good preparation. The late great Steve Grebeck, you will not be forgotten buddy! Chris and Trish for allowing me to be part of the magazine. Pat Musi and everyone at Pat Musi Performance, Marc and Beth Dantoni, Joe Boniferro and the Smokin’ Joe team, Pat, Randy and the crew at ProCar. There are lots more; you know who you are, thanks to everybody concerned.

WHAT’S IN THE FUTURE: Two things, firstly HeadsUpRacer.com is undergoing a revamp with the help of Scott Brown of Scott Brown Graphic Designs. It may be online by the time this issue is printed, if not keep your eye open for it. Secondly the racing season is coming to a close and that means we can get started on the new RPM/HUR Project S-10 chassis at ProCar in Rochester. Pat and Randy are going to help me put together a state of the art chromeloy chassis to put under the fiberglass body. The new build will be documented in the magazine as it progresses. Make sure you don’t miss an issue.