John Cordts

John Cordts (23 July 1935 - Present): Canadian Formula 1 driver born in Hamburg, Germany who emigrated with his family to Sweden at age two and from there to Canada when he was in his early twenties. He participated in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix—the 1969 Canadian Grand Prix on 20 September 1969. He qualified 19th but retired his Brabham after 10 laps with an oil leak while in 16th place. Only five Canadian drivers made the field for the Canadian GP in the Sixties and John Cordts was one of them—Eppie Weitzes, George Eaton, Al Pease, and Bill Brack being the others.

A couple of outings in Can-Am in 1968 encouraged Cordts to become a regular in this series between 1969 and 1974, driving a succession of Chevrolet-powered McLarens run by Dave Billes's Performance Engineering. His best Can-Am finish was second at Road America in 1974. In 1968 he set a track record of 101.8 mph at Harewood Acres that stood until the track closed in 1970 and was also known for his participation in the SCCA Trans-Am Series where he had, at one point, piloted a BF Goodrich-sponsored Pontiac Firebird.

After a spin in the original Trans-Am series for BF Goodrich in the early 1970s, John Cordts left motorsport and retired to Vancouver Island.