Thunder in the Park

Pete Lovely said it best: “We couldn’t believe they would let us race through this beautiful park, which was almost in the heart of a major city.” Not only were the races held for three years on what many sports car publications called “the best road race course in the United States”, but they also attracted some of the top drivers, cars and a combined total of more than 250,000 spectators. The Golden Gate Park races played an important part in helping the sport grow in the West as it introduced sports car racing to a new generation of fans and amateur drivers. Many of those spectators had never seen a sports car race before and, as the word spread about this exciting event, attendance increased each year. The races were highly successful but that is only part of the story. Just as interesting is how the idea for the inaugural event came to light, and from the most unlikely of sources.

The year was 1947, World War II had concluded two years earlier and life had, in large part, returned to normal in San Francisco. It was here that a group of young, single, successful businessmen met on a regular basis for lunch. During one such meeting, the group’s discussion turned to the plight of a local girl’s swim team that wanted to compete in the AAU championships in Chicago but lacked the necessary funds. This group of young businessmen raised $1,000 for the girl’s swim team, which went to Chicago and on to the 1948 Olympics, where they won several medals. With this initial success, the group decided to formalize their fundraising efforts and established a corporation under the name of The Guardsmen, with the simply stated purpose of “helping kids.”