This week I had a request for assistance from a writer, Dave S. Clark of TravelDriveRace.com. Dave is reaching out to the rally community for help with a project he is calling Canada 5000.
The Canada 5000 project is part history and part adventure and is based on the Shell 4000 Rallies that ran across Canada in the 1960s. For the history part of the project, Dave is looking to interview drivers, co-drivers, organizers or anyone who has memories about the original Shell 4000 rallies. Thankfully, much of the rally documentation has been well-preserved and is accessible, but he is looking for stories and anecdotes from those who were around the rally.
The Shell 4000 and its derivatives was held a total of 12 times with various configurations. The Shell 4000 was a major international rally that during the 1960s attracted factory teams and some of the top rally and race drivers in the world. The start and finish cities over the years were as follows:
1961 – Montreal to Vancouver
1962 – Montreal to Vancouver
1963 – Vancouver to Montreal
1964 – Vancouver to Montreal
1965 – Montreal to Vancouver
1966 – Vancouver to Quebec City
1967 – Vancouver to Montreal
1968 – Calgary to Halifax
1971 – Ottawa to Victoria
1994 – Calgary to Calgary
1995 – Calgary to Calgary
1997 – Calgary to Calgary
For the adventure part of the project, Dave is attempting to experience what the rally drivers of the 1960s experienced, by following the routes of several of the original Shell 4000 races, stretching them to nearly 5000 miles, from coast to coast – Vancouver to Halifax. To be historically accurate, he’ll be running the route in a 1967 Volvo 122S, the same model of car that won the race twice and was always a top runner.
Anyone who would like to contribute any historical information or be interviewed for the project, can contact Dave at 587-523-4739 or at davesclark@gmail.com
This is a very valuable project and I would encourage anyone who can help Dave to come forward and add to the knowledge and lore of this marvelous event.
stevemckelvie.wordpress.com 
I believe that it was in 1967 the team of Morgan Cooper and Dick Posenauer from Syracuse, NY competed in the 4000. Unfortunately both have passed so I cannot get any more information.
I have done a bit more research. Cooper and Posenauer ran the International MG 1000 not the Shell 4000. I did note that Jack Lally, the parts manager for the local SAAB dealer for many years did compete at least twice in a SAAB.
Hi Mike,
This is an example of why the work of Marcel Chichak and the project that Dave Clark is embarking on are very important. Some of the information on this rally needs to be documented before it disappears.
Steve McKelvie