John Cannon

John Cannon (21 June 1933 - 18 October 1999): Racing driver who competed under the banner of Canada though he was born in London, UK, moving to Canada in 1958 after a stint in the RAF. He started competing in his twenties in local sportscar events. Racing an Elva Courier in 1959 he finished fifth and sixth at Thompson and second and fourth at St. Eugene, with two victories in 1960 with the Elva Courier at Watkins Glen and Thompson.

In the first year of the Can-Am he was the top finishing Canadian propelled by a fourth-place finish in the opening event at his home course, Circuit Mont-Tremblant. His most memorable achievement came in 1968 when Cannon scored a surprise victory at a wet Laguna Seca, coming from 15th on the grid to lap the field thanks to the judicious choice of intermediate Firestone tyres. In 1969 and 1970 he moved into single-seaters, contesting the prestigious L&M Continental series (the US equivalent of Formula 5000), winning that championship in 1970 driving a McLaren M10B for St. Louis trucking magnate Carl Hogan's Hogan-Starr operation.

Cannon participated in one World Championship Formula One Grand Prix on 3 October 1971 in the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, finishing 14th and scoring no championship points. He also participated in one non-Championship Formula One race, the Questor Grand Prix, finishing 12th. During 1971 he ran strongly in a number of rounds of the European F2 championship, impressing many. Cannon also made 15 starts in the USAC Championship Car series on a part-time basis from 1968 to 1974, with his best finish being 2nd place in the second race at Circuit Mont-Tremblant in 1968.

He also attempted to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1970 and 1974 but failed to make the race both years. He ran the Australian F5000 Rothmans series at the start of 1976, winning the Sandown Park round. He was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 1993. Cannon died in 1999 when the experimental ultralight aircraft that he was flying near his home in New Mexico suffered a structural failure, causing a crash.