Previously unseen photo of Fred Wacker (driver) and Charles Hornburg (entrant) with his Jaguar C Type at the 1954 Pebble Beach Road Races. Wacker did not finish. We are grateful to the Pebble Beach Company for the photo by Julian P. Graham, from The Pebble Beach Company Lagorio Archive, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Pebble Beach Road Races.
In 1952–1953, Fred Wacker Jr. served as the National President of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). At the same time, Charles H. Hornburg Jr. was establishing himself as the primary West Coast Jaguar distributor in Los Angeles, importing iconic race cars like the Jaguar C-Type to the US and in bringing Jaguar’s competition machines to American road racing during the 1953 season. Wacker — himself a passionate gentleman racer — divided his 1953 racing schedule between American SCCA events and European Formula 1 races, driving for the Gordini team.
Wacker began racing in 1949 with a modified MG TC, placing 3rd in class during his competitive debut at Watkins Glen. He quickly progressed to high-powered machinery, ordering a series of Cadillac-engined Allard J2s. He painted them black and christened them the “8-Ball,” becoming a front-runner in Midwestern sports car events; he is wearing his #8 helmet in this photo. In 1950, he won the Sebring 6 Hours alongside Frank Burrell.
The 1952 Watkins Glen Tragedy: A critical turning point in Wacker’s career—and the landscape of American motorsport—occurred during the second lap of the 1952 Watkins Glen Grand Prix, which was held on public streets. While avoiding a collision with fellow driver John Fitch, Wacker’s Allard swerved too close to a crowd sitting on the curb. The crash injured ten spectators and killed a seven-year-old boy. The tragedy fundamentally ended open-street road racing across the United States. As the National President of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) (1952–1953), Wacker channelled this disaster into safety reform. He successfully collaborated with General Curtis LeMay to secure military air bases for safe racing, and he worked to build permanent circuits like Wisconsin’s Road America.
International and Formula One Exploits (1951–1954); Wacker was one of the earliest Americans to test his skills in major European endurance and Grand Prix races:24 Hours of Le Mans: He entered the legendary endurance race twice. In 1951, he drove a Chrysler-powered Cunningham C2-R for Briggs Cunningham’s team, and in 1952, he piloted an OSCA MT4 1100 with Phil Hill. In 1953, Wacker bought into a factory-supported effort with the French Gordini team, racing a six-cylinder Gordini Type 16. He painted his single-seater in American white and blue.
He made history in 1953 at the non-championship Grand Prix des Frontières in Chimay, Belgium, finishing 3rd. This was the first post-war Grand Prix podium finish by an American driver.Championship Record: Wacker entered 5 Formula One World Championship events, starting 3 of them. His career-best finish was an impressive 6th place at the 1954 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. He finished five laps behind winner Juan Manuel Fangio but missed out on World Championship points, which were only awarded down to 5th place at the time.
Bremgarten Crash: His 1953 F1 season was cut short during practice for the Swiss Grand Prix at Bremgarten, where he suffered a severe crash resulting in a fractured skull and broken ribs. Following his stints in Europe, Wacker returned home to focus on his engineering businesses in Chicago while continuing to race sports cars locally until retiring from the cockpit. He was posthumously inducted into the SCCA Hall of Fame in 2024.