San Diego Hysterical Society

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Opening Day at the Auto-Drome

by Rick Andrews

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Harbor Drive was packed with race fans at the opening day of the San Diego Auto-Drome. Red, white and blue bunting hung all around the outside of magnificent new arena.

The Auto-Drome
- Outside the Auto-Drome -

Race teams from all over the world had come to compete: Ferrari, Jaguar, Maserati, Peugeot, Bentley and Hupmobile were all there. But the crowd cheered the loudest for the home-town favorite - James Earl Fay, owner of the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club. Fay's super-charged San Diego-built Wonder Car would finally be racing on a real track, instead of up and down El Cajon Blvd.

As it turned out that day, the traffic congestion around the Auto-Drome was so bad, with cars backed up all the way to Balboa Park, that the racers couldn't get from the train station to the track. The only vehicles inside the Auto-Drome were three track-sweepers. The sweeper drivers were persuaded to compete for a $1,000 purse, and managed to complete 458 of 500 laps before the last spectator got bored and left.


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