Cars are one of the most significant human creations. They changed our cities. They changed our lives. They changed everything. But in the next thirty years, this technology will itself change enormously. If Google get their way, are we all going to be ferried around in tiny electric bubble-cars? Or will we watch robots race a bionic Lewis Hamilton? And what about the future of classic cars? In Autopia, presenter of The Gadget Show and former executive producer of Top Gear Jon Bentley celebrates motoring's rich heritage and meets the engineers (and coders) who are transforming cars forever. From mobile hotel rooms to electric battery technology; from hydrogen-powered cars to jetpacks, Autopia is the essential guide to the future of our greatest invention. Fully designed with illustrations and photographs, this will be the perfect Christmas gift for car and technology enthusiasts everywhere.

Christopher Hilton documents the race that caused the worst crash in motor racing history in this new and full study of the fateful day. Through a host of interviews - with drivers, team members, journalists and spectators - and original research at Le Mans, Hilton examines the aftermath of the crash that has affected what we see of motorsport on our television screens today. The worst crash in motor racing history - killing more than 80 people - was produced by a ferocious and haunting combination of circumstances: nationalism, raw speed, the nature of a 24-hour race, and chance. The crash drew in Mike Hawthorn, the blond playboy from Farnham, in a Jaguar, and Juan-Manuel Fangio, one of the greatest drivers of all, in a Mercedes. A crowd of 250,000 watched hypnotised as Hawthorn set out to break Fangio, the two cars going faster and faster...and faster. Another English playboy, Lance Macklin, was caught up in the crash in his Austin-Healey, along with a 50-year-old Frenchman driving under the assumed name of Pierre Levegh. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It cost him his life, even as his car was torn to pieces that scythed into the dense crowd. After 6.2 7pm on 11 June 1955 nothing would ever be the same again and the consequences of the momentous crash are still being felt. In this new and full study of the fateful day, Christopher Hilton sets the race itself in the context of the 1950s. Through a host of interviews - with drivers, team members, journalists and spectators - and original research at Le Mans and in the Mercedes archive in Stuttgart, he recreates every aspect of the race and the crash. Much of the material has never been seen before. He examines the aftermath - the bitter blame game, the conflicting testimonies, the direct threat to motorsport in Europe - and chronicles the beginning of the culture of safety that has affected what we see of motorsport on our television screens today.

Murray Walker combines and enclyclopaedic knowlege of Grand Prix racing with an unbridled fanaticism that remains undimmed after more than half a century of race commentaries. In his personal tribute to the sport, he celebrates the most talented drivers of all time, the rivalries that have set his pulse racing and the circuits he finds the most inspiring. This updated edition of Murray Walker's Formula One Heroes gives an 'in a nutshell' appraisal of legends old and new from an esteemed hero and geniuine F1 insider who, even now he' retired, cannot keep his all-consuming passion off the page.

Valentino Rossi is the greatest living motorcyclist. His legions of fans adore him (over 4,000 turned up to see him in Leicester Square last March). He has fought through the 125 and 250 class groups to win the World Championships five times and has been ranked in the top three places at the World Championships for the last nine years. He is currently the MotoGP World Champion, and has won on a Honda bike - considered the best - and most recently on a Yamaha - considered the worst. He is arguably the greatest racer ever - and certainly the most entertaining - his post race antics and cheeky personality have won him as many fans as his on-track prowess. He is the kind of star who only comes along once in a while - a Muhammad Ali or Pele - hugely talented, massively driven, yet also scorching charismatic, unnervingly rebellious and totally endearing - a twentieth-century version of the hell-raisers of old. All who know Rossi say he is a consummate professional, that he works harder than anyone could ever realise, but that most of all, he still loves what he does. He just seems to win more because he's still enjoying himself so much.He is infamous for his on the edge riding, pushing himself and his bike to the very limits of what they can do, and screaming around racecourses in record times. But he is also well known for his good looks, his techni-coloured hair and cheeky humour - and for his sheer youthful exuberance in victory - his post-match victory laps have become a thing of legend. Previously he has driven victory laps in full beach gear, including flip-flops, with a man sized chicken riding pillion (and also, in a jibe to Max Biaggi who had an unceremonious break-up with the model Naomi Campbell, with a life size doll of Claudia Schiffer strapped on behind him.) His warmth of character coupled with his amazing career statistics to date - his first GP win aged 17, his first world title at 18, his first 500 class win at 21 and his first MotoGP win at 22 - mean that this young man has the motorcycle racing world at his feet. His raw talent coupled with his firm belief in the 'entertainment' aspect of his sport and the importance of his fans, means that he really is the David Beckham of bikes - he has done the near impossible and transcended his own territory. His appeal - being at the top of his game without being a purist, still being seen to be young and excited by the game, and being a perfectionist on and off the track when it comes to his driving - means that he really is one of the superstars of the sporting world.

The complete guide to getting started in motor racing, from going to a racing school to buying a car and learning race-craft. This book Is full of useful information and practical advice, written by experts and ideal for anyone considering making a start in one of the world's most exciting sports. More importantly, this book also shows how you can get into motor racing on a very limited budget.

AUTHOR OF SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, LIFE TO THE LIMIT In his 17 years as a Formula 1 driver, Jenson Button has picked up a thing or two about how to do the job properly. Sure, you need to be able to drive a car fast, but you also need to know the real rules for making it to the top. Like, how to tell a multiple F1 champion they need to check their blind-spot. What the difference is between a helmet and a hat, and indeed a 'helmet-hat'. And how to face down your team when you've just stacked their multi-million-pound car into a wall during practice. How To Be An F1 Driver lifts the lid on the people, the places, the weird rituals, the media, the cars, the perks and the disasters. Join Jenson as he reveals how not to race a stupid big truck, why driving Le Mans is like having five shots of tequila before lunch, and what to do when you finally hang up your helmet-hat.

Explore more than 25 legendary F1 race tracks in high-definition satellite photography. From the glamour of Monaco and Yas Marina, to the heritage of Silverstone, Monza and Spa-Francorchamps, Formula One Circuits from Above showcases more than 25 legendary F1 race tracks as you've never seen them before. Powered by unique Google (TM) Earth photography, this stunning illustrated book highlights the signature properties of iconic circuits including Monza, Interlagos and the Nurburgring in incredible detail, providing an unparalleled insight into the unique strengths and challenges of each. This insightful commentary is accompanied by fascinating details on the history of each circuit, as well as the outstanding drivers and unforgettable moments that have defined them: the rivalries, the controversies and the spectacular feats of driving skill. Whether you're a seasoned F1 fan or a newcomer to the sport, Formula One Circuits from Above captures the colour, drama, history and excitement of Formula One.

Formula One is speed, glamour, danger - and eye-watering wealth. Driven: The Men Who Made Formula One tells how a small group of extraordinary men transformed Formula One from a niche sport played out on primitive tracks surrounded by hay bales and grass verges into a GBP1 billion circus performing in vast theatres of entertainment all over the world. Led by Bernie Ecclestone, the billionaire ringmaster, this clique started by scraping a living to go racing and ended up creating space-age cars, turning drivers from amateur gladiators into multimillion-pound superstars, like Ayrton Senna and Lewis Hamilton, while the names of Ferrari, McLaren and Williams are now as familiar around the world as Manchester United or Real Madrid. For 20 years, Kevin Eason watched how these men operated like a sporting Mafia, protecting each other while squabbling over the vast wealth pouring into the sport. As motor racing correspondent for The Times and then with The Sunday Times, Eason was privileged to have a ringside seat as this cabal of wealthy characters ruled and then were pushed out of the sport they created. This colourful and compelling account of the extraordinary flourishing of Formula One explores the quirks and extravagances of the men who converged - in one generation - to shape their sport; disparate characters with a common impulse: they were racers - and they were driven.

The subject of this book is Ferrari's racing history from 1960 to 1965, a period that was one of the most successful in the marque's history so far. In this era, which began with completion of the transition from front-engined to rear-engined configuration, Scuderia Ferrari won just about everything with a variety of iconic machinery that included the 'shark-nose' 156 and the fabled 250 GTO. Driving Formula 1 Ferraris, Phil Hill and John Surtees delivered two World Championship titles in the space of four years. Ferrari sports cars racked up a string of six consecutive victories in the Le Mans 24 Hours, a feat subsequently surpassed only by Porsche. This book covers this period in detail for the first time and exclusively features the work of one of the greatest racing photographers ever.

Since the early 1920s the name Bluebird has been synonymous with world speed record breaking on land and water. Driven first by Sir Malcolm Campbell, then his son Donald, and latterly by Donald's nephew Donald Wales in electric powered vehicles, they have consistently pushed records ever higher.This book is the story of the design and construction of the fastest of the Bluebirds, the Campbell-Norris 7 (CN7). This car, now resident in the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in England, is the most sophisticated design ever produced for a wheel-driven record breaker. Using methods and materials developed for the aircraft industry, the CN7, given suitable running conditions, was capable in 1960 of a speed exceeding that produced by the present wheel-driven record holder 19 years later.The author was first employed by the designers Norris Brothers Ltd as a design draughtsman on the Bluebird K7 hydroplane. After completing his National Service in the RAF, he rejoined the company to work with the two chief designers developing the specification for CN7, and he later became project co-ordinator for its construction.

Occasionally a spark of inspiration can become the catalyst for transition. Just such an occasion took place with the construction of Thompson Speedway in 1940, a five-eighth-mile banked oval track, dubbed "The Indianapolis of the East." A road course joined to the oval in 1952 enlarged the track to form the first privately-owned complex where sports car drivers could race safely. It transformed the face of sports car racing in America, and hastened the demise of the dangerous open-road events together with the majority of flat and boring airfield race venues. These two volumes tell the story of the ground-breaking racetrack and, as far as possible, detail the drivers and cars that participated in the races. They are profusely illustrated with contemporary photographs showing well-known drivers such as Briggs Cunningham, Bill Lloyd, Bill Spear, Lance Reventlow, Walt Hansgen, George Constantine and Denise McCluggage in action driving Maseratis, Jaguars, Porsches, Coopers, Ferraris and other makes that they imported from Europe and that are now in such popular demand. Today, the Raceway has been regenerated and runs as a successful venture under the control of Jonathan Hoenig, great-grandson of the original owner. Volume One, The Formative Years: 1945-1959, covers the years 1938-1960 and describes the development of sports car racing at Thompson as early as 1945. It explains the politics involved between land-owner, John Hoenig, and Raceway manager George Weaver, and their unsuccessful attempts to establish a working relationship. Their disagreements led to the development of the Raceway's second layout by Weaver as it separated from the Speedway Oval in 1958. Volume Two, Changing Fortunes: 1960-1977, sees Hoenig and Thompson Raceway in Windham County Court in 1961, the culmination of a long-standing dispute over share holdings. SCCA policy changes in the first half of the 1960s involving the conflict between professional and amateur status also contributed to the eventual demise of the Raceway under Weaver's control in 1967. Subsequently, the venue was revived by the Hoenig family, with a new track that incorporated the original Speedway oval, but the fuel crisis, a lack of investment and a general decline in spectator interest led to its closure again in 1977.

Four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion Alain Prost is one of the best racing drivers of all time. Having discovered karting at the age of 14 during a family holiday, Prost progressed through motorsport's junior ranks, winning the French and European Formula Three championships, before joining the McLaren Formula One team in 1980 at the age of 24. In his six seasons with McLaren, Alain Prost won 30 races and three driving titles and in 1985 he became the first French World Champion. In 1986 he became the first back-to-back champion since Jack Brabham 26 years earlier. In 1987, his 28th Grand Prix victory beat Jackie Stewart's 14-year-old record. However, in 1988 his brilliant new team mate Ayrton Senna won eight races and the driving title. Thus began the sensational rivalry that conspired to push two of the sport's greatest drivers to unprecedented heights of success and controversy, and the most bitter feud in Formula One history.

The vision of one man, Captain Sherman 'Red' Crise, resulted in the Bahamas Speed Weeks, a series of motor races held on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas. They started in the mid-1950s and continued for thirteen years, before ending due to a mix of political decisions, ill fortune and a shift in the direction motor racing had taken. These years have been described by many commentators as the golden age of motor racing, where internationally-acclaimed drivers attended the Speed Weeks to mix with the many amateur racers from America who came to enjoy the scenario of sun, parties and racing. For many drivers the social scene was as important as the racing, and in latter years prize money was an extra incentive to turn up. This well-researched account tracks the history of the Speed Weeks with its roller-coaster ride throughout its initial thirteen years' existence. This revised edition includes 300 additional photos, greatly expanded indices, updated information and new chapters highlighting the 2011 and 2012 Revival Meetings.

Cars are one of the most significant human creations. They changed our cities. They changed our lives. They changed everything. But in the next thirty years, this technology will itself change enormously. If Google get their way, are we all going to be ferried around in tiny electric bubble-cars? Or will we watch robots race a bionic Lewis Hamilton? And what about the future of classic cars? In Autopia, presenter of The Gadget Show and former executive producer of Top Gear Jon Bentley celebrates motoring's rich heritage and meets the engineers (and coders) who are transforming cars forever. From mobile hotel rooms to electric battery technology; from hydrogen-powered cars to jetpacks, Autopia is the essential guide to the future of our greatest invention. Fully designed with illustrations and photographs, this will be the perfect Christmas gift for car and technology enthusiasts everywhere.

Known as the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing," the Indy 500 humbly began in 1911. Labeled as the first speedway, this two-and-a-half-mile oval is now home to many of today's top races, including the Brickyard 400, the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the SportsCar Vintage Racing Association, the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, and its most famous race, the Indianapolis 500. In The Indianapolis 500: Inside the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, speedway tour guide and racing aficionado James Craig Reinhardt shares what makes the legendary racetrack special. He reveals the speedway's unbelievable history, fast-flying action, notorious moments, and its secrets, including facts about the beginning of the brickyard, why the drivers kiss the finish line, how milk became the drink of choice, and much more. The perfect gift for the veteran or rookie, The Indianapolis 500 is a must-have for all race fans.

Gifted with a rare blend of superior ability and unshakeable nerves, Michael Schumacher is the outstanding Formula One driver of his generation. Over the past 15 seasons he has won an unprecedented seven world drivers' championships and in the process has captured the imagination of fans all over the world. For all his success, Schumacher is also a controversial figure, feared for his ruthless tactics and despised for using extreme methods in pursuit of success. From his first Grand Prix with Jordan to his Benetton world championships and his attempt to win back Ferrari's crown, this is a thorough and engaging look at Schumacher's entire racing career. The story behind Schumacher's record five consecutive world titles is uncovered, and his impact on the racing world as a whole following his retirement is examined. Frank, honest, and adroit, this is an in-depth look at the life and career of a champion.

The Monaco Grand Prix is considered one of the most demanding races in Formula 1. Constant gear changes and the slowest corner in the world championship have always demanded everything from the racing drivers. Edward Quinn captured the most famous car race in the world from 1950 to 1965 in numerous photos. In his recordings, the well-known Formula 1 track is presented with almost no crash barriers and run-off zones, without advertising posters and sponsor logos. Many of his pictures are now combined for the first time in a large-format illustrated book. Accompanied by short descriptions and background information, they give a fascinating insight into the motorsport history of that time. Text in English and German.

RAC Rally Action! truly represents an enthusiast's view of the RAC Rally: allowing you to relive the events if you were there, or offering the next best thing if you weren't. Tony Gardiner always took a week of his annual leave to watch The RAC. and reckons he covered more than 28,000 miles chasing rally stages around the country. Luckily for us, he always took his trusty Zenit camera and recorded hundreds of moments of RAC Rally action, each now frozen in time for posterity. These images, which have not previously been published, have an energy which brings the rally back to life and reminds us how far removed modern rallying is from the much simpler pre-WRC era. For all who love the 'Rally of the Forests' period of top level rallying, here is an incredibly involving evocation of three decades of great motorsport. All aspects of the event are covered including rare photos from manufacturers' archives, rally documents (regulations, programmes, road books, crew notes), and a full-color cutaway illustration of a famous winning car. This publication has full approval of the Royal Automobile Club and the Motor Sports Association.

It was by chance that the author stumbled across a long lost programme for the opening meeting of Hanley Car Speedway for 21 July 1938. The programme had been hidden away in family papers for almost sixty years and it sparked an enduring interest in Midget Car Speedway. Motor sport had been the preserve of the rich and glamorous, but now the ordinary man could build a car and race it on a shoestring budget. It was the start of motor racing as we know it today and without the development of midget car racing, we perhaps would not have seen the Formula Three, Formula Ford and other series that we take for granted today. Although a short-lived craze that hit the UK during the 1930s, midget car racing was an incredible motor phenomenon with some races and events attracting over 60,000 people from all over the country. Derek Bridgett's Midget Car Racing chronicles this bizarre but immersive little-known motorsport. Focusing specifically on the Belle Vue Speedway, this incredible book is profusely illustrated with photographs from the period.

Raoul 'Sonny' Balcaen grew up in Los Angeles at a time when it became the epicentre of American motor racing, nurturing a vast talent pool of people whose influence has echoed through to today. As a teenager, he successfully competed with his home-built Top Fuel dragster during the formative years of the sport. With Lance Reventlow, he worked on the famous Scarab sports cars and was standing in the dyno room when the team's all-American Formula 1 engine was fired up for the first time. A period as Jim Hall's crew chief and a close association with Carroll Shelby added to the know-how that guided him towards becoming a successful entrepreneur and led to all that followed. This engaging memoir is the very personal history of a momentous time and place in which we meet a who's who of West Coast road-racing heroes. * Aged 17, Balcaen built his own Top Fuel drag racer, the 'Bantamweight Bomb', which he developed relentlessly and drove to many successes. * His role in the fabulous Scarab sports cars - the landmark all-American racers - and insights into life with their creator, the incomparable Lance Reventlow. * Working as crew chief to the brilliant Jim Hall, preparing and running his Lotus Eleven and Lister-Chevrolet long before the famous Chaparrals emerged. * A second spell with Scarab, this time with the Formula 1 project - the first American Grand Prix car - plus a special job for Reventlow converting a Scarab sports racer into a street car. * Onwards into setting up his own successful business, IECO (Induction Engineering Co), to create and sell high-grade performance and appearance accessories, with Chevrolets - especially Corvair and Vega - featuring strongly. * His many-faceted dealings with Carroll Shelby, leading to consultancy and even assignments as occasional Shelby American company pilot. * Along the way we meet many other big names of the era, including Chuck Daigh, Bruce Kessler, Warren Olson, Dick Troutman, Tom Barnes, Phil Remington, Ken Miles, Leo Goossen, Jim Travers, Frank Coon and Pete Brock.

10 September 1961: at the boomerang-shaped racetrack at Monza half a dozen teams are preparing for the Italian Grand Prix. It is the biggest race anyone can remember. Phil Hill - the first American to break into the top ranks of European racing - and his Ferrari teammate, Count Wolfgang von Trips - a German nobleman with a movie-star manner - face one another in a race that will decide the winner of the Formula One drivers' championship. By the day's end, one man will clinch that prize. The other will perish face down on the track. Seeped in danger, seductive glamour and burning rivalry, this is the story of two young men living in the shadow of oblivion and dicing with death.

Englishman David Hobbs - `Hobbo' to his friends and fans - is one of motor racing's most remarkable all-rounders. In a 41-year driving career he raced in almost every imaginable category: endurance sports racers, touring cars, Formula 1, Formula 5000, Indycars, IMSA, Trans-Am, Can-Am and even NASCAR - he has done the lot. And on top of that he has been a television commentator in America for nearly 40 years, bringing wit and wisdom to the screen, presently as part of NBC's Formula 1 team. Now, at last, he has put down all his experiences in this highly readable memoir that will be welcomed by racing enthusiasts on both sides of the Atlantic. Early racing years: from his mum's Morris Oxford in 1959 to Jaguars and a Lotus Elite - and coming to the notice of the racing world. Sports car speciality: Le Mans in 1963 with the Lola Mk6 GT followed by Lola T70 drives and finally the big break; two Ford GT40 seasons with John Wyer's mighty Gulf-sponsored team bring a win at Monza in 1968 and third place at Le Mans in 1969 - and then a Porsche 917 Le Mans drive in 1970. Single-seaters: coming close to a Formula 1 breakthrough with Honda in 1968, but Formula 5000 in America is where success comes, as 1971 champion. Westward bound: the USA becomes his focus, with early highlights including fifth place in the 1974 Indianapolis 500 with a McLaren and leading the Daytona 500 NASCAR classic in 1976. Criss-crossing the Atlantic: returning to old haunts to take up opportunities, including racing Jaguar's famously fragile XJ coupe in 1976 and many more Le Mans outings, topped with another third place in 1984 driving a Porsche 956. Another championship title: ever versatile, he becomes Trans-Am Champion in 1983 driving a Chevrolet Camaro and winning four races. Sports cars galore: racing all the way to 1990, in all sorts of machinery but majoring on those all-conquering Porsches of the period - 935s, 956s and 962s.

The revealing and surprising inside story of the legendary BMC Works Competitions Department told by the three Competition Managers of the highly successful BMC/British Leyland race and rally teams based at Abingdon. The book reveals the inner workings and machinations of one of the most successful motor sport teams Britain has ever seen. Based on previously unpublished internal memos and documents, and the recollections of the prime movers, the book describes the ups and downs, and the politics of big time competition in an exciting era. An excellent and entertaining read and an important factual documentation, no motor sport enthusiast should be without this book.