We’re fathers…and this is personal. That has become the rally cry of Guardian Angel Motorsports as they embark on their sophomore effort at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. They won’t win the GT class on Sunday afternoon. No way, no how, no sense in kidding anyone. The field is too deep, the four GAM drivers are too inexperienced, and frankly, there’s not a Bergmeister or a Henzler among them. But they’re not at Daytona to win on the track. “Our goal is to win in the paddock and in race fans’ hearts,” begins Bruce Ledoux, co-founder of GAM with friends David Quinlan and Dan Watkins.
We’re fathers…and this is personal. Colin Ledoux is six years old. His inquisitive gaze and bright smile make all the busyness in a race garage seem somehow extraneous. Meet him with a handshake on a Friday, and he’ll greet you with a hug on Saturday. In fact, he’s so engaging and affectionate that his special-needs teacher has taken to calling him Romeo. Ledoux and wife Linda began noticing issues with their son soon after he was born, “At two months, he was vomiting all the time, and he had huge red lesions all over his body,” explains Bruce. Repeated trips to Children’s Hospital Boston ticked possibilities off the list. Finally, severe food allergies were diagnosed. But, other problems soon came to light; as months passed, it became apparent that his cognitive development lagged. A 2.5-year process of once-a-week visits to Children’s Hospital led doctors to a diagnosis of unbalanced chromosomal translocation, with a largely unknown prognosis.”
Guardian Angel Motorsports was born from this uncertainty. In 2009, the team debuted at the Rolex 24 under the TRG banner, persevered through off-road excursions and subsequent trips to the garage, completed 572 laps (123 adrift of the GT winner), crossed the finish line, and presented a check for $75,000 to Children’s Hospital of Boston. But the checkered flag didn’t mean the end to children in need. Ledoux, Quinlan, and Watkins cast their gazes forward.
For 2010, Guardian Angel Motorsports runs in support of two children-centric charities: the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) and Love146 (to help end child sex trafficking). The work of FAAN hits close to home for Ledoux, as two of his children — Colin and Emily — would suffer life-threatening anaphylactic shock just from being exposed to peanuts or sesame. Four percent of the U.S. population suffers from food allergies. And with 1 in 17 children under the age of three affected, the percentages are growing. Worse, the severity of allergic reactions seems to be growing; authorities in England reported a three-fold increase in the incidence of anaphylactic reactions requiring hospitalization from 1994 to 2004.
But, Ledoux is quick to admit that, while his personal story drives his motivation, his actions are aimed well beyond his own family. “We want to help has many children as possible by giving them the luxury of a chance to win.” Strength of family and access to care have given Colin and Emily every chance to win, but Ledoux points out, “So many children don’t have that luxury.” As planning for the 2010 Rolex 24 got underway, the three GAM co-founders found themselves at the doorstep of Love146.
Child sex trafficking is something that people don’t want to discuss…something that people don’t even want to know exists. But, it exists, so it needs to be discussed. UNICEF estimates that two people every minute are trafficked for sexual exploitation. The vast majority of these are women, and half are minors.
“The truth is, I worried that this issue was too dark for us to tackle,” admits Ledoux. But, humanity dictates that the darkest issues be brought to light. In a meeting with Love146 co-founder Rob Morris to discuss GAM’s plans, Ledoux mentioned 2009′s check for $75,000. “Rob nearly fell off his chair, and then explained how they build therapy tree houses at their safe homes,” relates Ledoux.
“Each tree house helps approximately 200 children heal each year. They cost $7,500 each to build.” He said, ‘Bruce, do you realize that a $75,000 gift could help us save almost 2,000 children?’ And that did it for me. How does a responsible parent — one that values a child’s life, her right for a chance, her right for a childhood — say no to that? You can’t.”
We’re fathers…and this is personal. When you watch the race on Saturday and Sunday, look for the names Ledoux/Quinlan/Watkins/Doyle/Sheehan in the #18 TRG/Guardian Angel Motorsports Porsche. Don’t look in the top-five, but look for them anyway. They won’t win, but maybe a couple thousand kids will.
If you’d like to help: https://donate.guardianangelmotorsports.com/
Some of the other teams racing for charitable causes at the 2010 Rolex 24:
No. 6 Michael Shank Racing DP – Every Lap Counts (http://www.everylapcounts.com )
No. 7 Starworks Motorsport DP – Race 4 Haiti (http://www.race4haiti.com )
No. 07 Godstone Ranch Motorsports GT – Texas Heart Institute (http://www.godstoneranchmotorsports.com/pledges/Godstone_Ranch_Pledges.htm )
No. 14 Autometrics Motorsports GT – Children’s Tumor Foundation (http://racing4research.blogspot.com )
No. 41 Dempsey Racing/Team Seattle GT – Seattle Children’s Hospital (http://www.teamseattle.com )
Bob Chapman