Role at Riverside: Racer

Hailing from Saint John, New Brunswick, Bill Sommerville made select trips to Riverside during the 80s and 90s with his sportsman car. Bill’s first race car was a $75 flathead Ford – that was 1966, and even now, in 2014, he still competes on a limited basis. In the 48 years in between he has raced at tracks all over the Maritimes and into Maine. He is a two-time Petty Raceway track champion, a multi-time Hammond River track champion, and also claimed the pro stock division title at Speedway 660. His best season ever came in the early 90s when he won 13 feature races between Hammond River Raceway and Speedway Miramichi. His favourite racing memory came not long after that when he won a ‘Heroes of the Sport’ pro stock event at Speedway 660, with his son Lonnie finishing second, and his other son Larry, managing the pits for both teams.

William ‘Bill’ Sommerville was inducted in the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame November 15, 2014.