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Reader's Why [by Michael Ferner]

Probably the strangest car ever to appear in a WC Grand Prix! Its name is probably a
compound of the last names of someone called Stevens (I have to admit this is pure
speculation) and Peter Broeker and its best claim to fame is the fact that it's the only
Canadian car ever to appear in a WC event (the Wolf was actually built in Reading and
the BAR in Brackley, both in the UK).

I am furthermore inclined to think that the manufacturer is identical to Stebro Exhaust
Systems in Ontario, founded in 1956. This little firm, specialised in stainless steel exhausts
for mainly Italian cars, is even present on the Web and I'm planning to investigate further.
But what of its racing exploits? I'm afraid there isn't a lot I can dwell upon since even the
specialist magazines of the time seem to have been taken by surprise by its appearance!
The only thing of note that the Swiss Powerslide mentions is that it apparently took Broeker
more than five minutes (sic!) to enter the car! It was thus perhaps lucky that he did not drive
too fast since leaving it must have been an equally unpleasant experience which could have
had rather worrying aspects in the case of an accident...

Be that as it may, Broeker even has the distinction to have led the new World Champion
Jim Clark for five laps when the Scotsman was delayed at the start with a flat battery.
Well, truth to be told Clark started more than a lap late and never caught up which means,
of course, that when he passed the Stebro on lap 6 it was already lapped by the leaders.
That was the tune of its performance and by the end of the 110-lap race it was no less than
twenty-two laps in arrears! Since two thirds of the 21-car field had retired by then it was even
classified seventh - wow! Its average speed over 2 hours and twenty minutes had been 86.388
mph compared to Graham Hill's winning average of 108.920, i.e. less than 80%!
In practice Broeker had been able to extract 93.453 mph out of the car, still only 82.8%
of Hill's pole effort (112.806 mph), and apparently annoying everybody by coating the
track in oil (besides being a continuous obstacle)!

He was described as a sports car and FJunior racer but the only result I was able to
find was fourth in a rather obscure FJunior race in Meadowdale (Canada?) two months
before the US GP, apparently driving the same car but, of course with an 1100cc 105E.
That race was won by one Ernie de Vos at the wheel of a BT6 Brabham and this driver
was actually entered for a second Stebro to appear at the Glen but, apparently it wasn't ready.
Incidentally, the designation Stebro "4" could either be a chassis or a type identification
and possibly both at the same time! However, the following summer Broeker and a new car,
Stebro "5" made a trip to good ole Europe trying to compete in several F2 races.
He was still embarrassing slow, even after a change from Cosworth MAE to state-of-the-art
SCA power and quietly disappeared after the Reims GP.

Peter Broeker / Canada's Track and Traffic
Stebro At Watkins Glen 1963
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