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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Motor sports > Car racing
'A tragic age and a tragic character, both seemingly compelled to
destroy themselves...a chilling reminder of how little control we
have over our fates' Damon Hill 'One of the greatest motor racing
stories' Nick Mason 'Timely, vivid and enthralling ... it's
unputdownable' Miranda Seymour, author of The Bugatti Queen Dick
Seaman was the archetypal dashing motorsport hero of the 1930s, the
first Englishman to win a race for Mercedes-Benz and the last Grand
Prix driver to die at the wheel before the outbreak of the Second
World War. Award-winning author Richard Williams reveals the
remarkable but now forgotten story of a driver whose battles
against the leading figures of motor racing's golden age inspired
the post-war generation of British champions. The son of wealthy
parents, educated at Rugby and Cambridge, Seaman grew up in a
privileged world of house parties, jazz and fast cars. But motor
racing was no mere hobby: it became such an obsession that he
dropped out of university to pursue his ambitions, squeezing money
out of his parents to buy better cars. When he was offered a
contract with the world-beating, state-sponsored Mercedes team in
1937, he signed up despite the growing political tensions between
Britain and Germany. A year later, he celebrated victory in the
German Grand Prix with the beautiful 18-year-old daughter of the
founder of BMW. Their wedding that summer would force a split with
his family, a costly rift that had not been closed six months later
when he crashed in the rain while leading at Spa, dying with his
divided loyalties seemingly unresolved. He was just 26 years old. A
Race with Love and Death is a gripping tale of speed, romance and
tragedy. Set in an era of rising tensions, where the urge to live
each moment to the full never seemed more important, it is a richly
evocative story that grips from first to last.
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.
This is a story of excitement, laughs, astonishment and anger - a
story of the determination of a man with a dream and a passion for
motor racing in the big leagues. It is the first time that the
history of the always under-financed Gordini racing team has been
documented in English, and the first complete story of Gordini
himself in any language. This volume will appeal to new enthusiasts
and old hands of Formula 1 and sports prototypes, especially those
who have owned a Gordini engined-car. It charts Gordini's early
life and beginnings in motorsport, up to 1969 when Renault took
over the Gordini company, keeping his name on all the racing
engines until 1986, before finally resurrecting it for a
performance version of the Renault Twingo and Clio in 2009. The
book is packed with evocative period images from important
collections, supplementary transcripts in English from many
contemporary interviews, plus recollections from former employees
remembering their time working with Gordini, and an exhaustive set
of statistics. All the way it's a roller coaster of joy, despair,
humour, and stunning images. The racing legend of 'Le Sorcier'
lives on.
The hugely entertaining, and extremely candid, autobiography of one
of the most colourful characters in motor sport Eddie Jordan gave
Michael Schumacher his first drive, and helped groom a whole series
of drivers early in their careers, including Damon Hill and Johnny
Herbert. But he funded his first move into motor sport by selling
smoked salmon well past its sell-by date to rugby fans leaving
Lansdowne Road; when stopped for speeding by a policeman, he ended
up selling him his car. Jordan set up his own team, and moved into
Formula One at the end of the 1980s. It wasn't long before the team
began to pick up podium finishes, and in 1998 won its first race -
a remarkable achievement on a comparatively small budget. The
following year was even better, but sadly this was to be the peak,
as the search for more finance and legal battles with sponsors hit
hard. Eventually, in January 2005 he sold the team. AN INDEPENDENT
MAN goes behind the scenes to reveal the true personalities of the
drivers Jordan worked with, and his battles with Bernie Ecclestone.
It shows how, when so much money is involved, nothing is ever
simple. His has been a life lived to the full, and his account is
packed full of superb stories, colourful adventures and revealing
tales.
Stirling Moss is a national treasure. Arguably, the world's
greatest all-round racing driver, he was a hero to several
generations of schoolboys and countless enthusiasts throughout the
world. He is still held in the highest esteem and is mobbed
whenever he attends events. He was one of the first of the
jet-setters, living a glamorous life of high octane motor sport and
beautiful women. He only had to be seen with a fabulous female
twice and all the papers would be reporting they were engaged. If
he sneezed, the Press wrote about it. He was the Beckham of his
era. Above all, he was a dedicated sportsman and probably the first
to make motor racing his sole profession. He had to make a living
out of it. He went rallying in the winter, not just for the fun of
it, but to make some money during the racing off-season. Throughout
his career he created his personal scrapbooks, several volumes per
year, and he kept a diary. This book dips into his personal records
and is spiced throughout with treasures to delight and fascinate.
These are supplemented by period comments and many of his
anecdotes. Moss has a fund of stories and is refreshingly non-PC!
In spite of being adored and respected by the public for more than
50 years, Stirling remains the modest man he always was. Long-term
friends and former colleagues have shared their fond memories with
Philip Porter for this book. The year 1955 was a truly remarkable
one for Stirling Moss. Yet to really establish himself at the
highest levels after gamely persevering with uncompetitive British
machinery, he finished the year second only to the great Fangio in
the World Championship and a household name, a mega-star. If there
had been a world championship for sports cars, he would have won it
by a handsome margin for he recorded some extraordinary victories
in possibly his greatest year. In 1955, Moss won his first Grand
Prix, won the uniquely gruelling Targa Florio, won the classic
Tourist Trophy for the third time and, most amazing of all,
brilliantly won the Mille Miglia, the sensationally dangerous 1,000
race around the roads of Italy, reaching over 170mph! This book is
a light-hearted look at the fun, the excitement, the lifestyle, the
challenges, the tragedies, and the victories.
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 first generation of Sunbeam Alpine was produced in 1953-54 and
was named after the prestigious Alpine Rally which ran through the
mountains of France and Italy. The name was resurrected in 1959 for
a new model, the principle subject of this book. It was launched in
July of that year on the French Riviera and remained in production
until 1968. The Alpine was used in racing and rallying in many
places including Britain, continental Europe, the United States and
Canada. In this book, author John Willshire looks at the history of
the Sunbeam Alpine, its development and production history, the
different variants produced and its use as a rally and race car as
well as advising those who want to own and operate their own Alpine
today. The first book dedicated to the history of the Sunbeam
Alpine alone for more than twenty years, this is the first book on
the subject with such a wide range of historic and modern
photographs.
'HILARIOUS AND OUTRAGEOUS' CHRIS EVANS THE HILARIOUS FULL-THROTTLE
MEMOIR FROM ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHARACTERS IN UK MOTOR RACING
SHORTLISTED FOR THE TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2020 Two-time
championship-winning and record-breaking racing driver, Jason Plato
is a living, breathing example of what you shouldn't do if you want
to become a professional racing driver: DO NOT: * Steal a JCB in
Monaco and end up in prison there - twice * Kill Bernie Ecclestone
(almost) * Choose fags and booze over the gym * Give Prince Charles
the finger on the M42 * Make enemies with a 6ft 6" rival who is a
black belt in everything Since joining the Williams Touring Car
team in 1997 he has had more race wins than Lewis Hamilton and
Stirling Moss, competed in more races than Jenson Button and set
the largest number of fastest laps ever. But he's also a rule
breaker who has had more than his fair share of near-death
experiences, drunken escapades and more. There is nothing sensible,
predictable or considered about Jason. But this is how he became a
racing legend. ______ 'As entertaining as watching him drive, a
cracking read!' Sir Chris Hoy 'Jason Plato is one of the most
gifted racing drivers of his generation!' Damon Hill
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.
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Nuvolari
(Paperback)
Christopher Hilton
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This is a biography about Tazio Nuvolari (1892-1953) who is widely
regarded as the greatest racing driver of all time. In this
fascinating assessment of Nuvolari's life, Christopher Hilton seeks
to understand Nuvolari the man - and the Nuvolari legend as it
unfolded. This new biography is an invaluable addition to motor
racing history and essential reading for anyone interested in the
sport. During the 1930s into the 1940s his reputation for skill and
bravery eclipsed a whole generation of rivals. Even today his name
alone evokes a classic era in the history of road and Grand Prix
racing. Yet there is no current affordable biography of him in the
English language. Using original documentary material, race reports
of the time from several countries and the recollections of
Nuvolari's contemporaries, the author recreates the excitement
generated by his driving and the impact it made on motorsport.
Nuvolari's virtuosity at the wheel came with a competitive instinct
so fierce that he repeatedly broke cars and his own body. The
author captures many aspects of Nuvolari's strong personality - a
personality which, in the days before intrusive journalism, was
virtually unknown. The extraordinary performances that decorated
Nuvolari's long career form the backbone of the narrative - the
1930 Mille Miglia, the 1935 German GP, the 1938 British GP at
Donington, the 1948 Mille Miglia. Marking the half century after
Nuvolari's death, this new biography is an invaluable addition to
motor racing history and essential reading for anyone interested in
the sport - even if they are followers of modern Formula 1 heroes
like the Schumachers, Coulthard and Montoya.
Nobody built sports cars like British manufacturers in the 1950s
and 1960s. There was something very special about the combination
of low-slung open two-seater bodywork with a spartan interior, a
slick sporting gearchange and a rorty exhaust note. This was
wind-in-the-hair motoring, and it was affordable by the average
young man - at least, until he got married and had a family. The
names of MG and Triumph stood proudly out from the rest, but there
were many others as well. Austin-Healeys and Jaguars were grander
and faster, but they still embodied that almost indefinable fun
factor. Then there were the bit-part players, who did their best to
secure a place in the affections of the sports car buying public.
British sports cars were hugely popular overseas, especially in the
USA. And tellingly, when Japanese manufacturer Mazda wanted to make
a sports car in 1989, it sought inspiration from these very
classics of the 1950s and 1960s. Today, the Mazda MX-5 is the
world's best-selling sports car.
To mark the 60th anniversary season of the Castle Combe circuit
this book has been published telling the story of the Wiltshire
race track from 1950 right through to the end of the 2009 season.
The title completely updates the story first told in the book "The
First 50 years", which was published in 2000 and sold out several
years ago. All the photographs are new and the story of the last 10
years covers the circuit's rise to hosting British Formula 3 and
British GT racing. It also cover the subsequent noise issues that
brought massive change to this incredibly popular venue, as well as
the creation of the Castle Combe Racing Club. The two-wheel action,
including non-championship British Superbike events, is also
detailed. This new edition also takes in personal views on the
circuit from drivers like Ian Flux, Mike Jordan, Ilsa Cox, Brian
Fisher and Bob Higgins. The updated story of the last decade takes
in the development of the hugely popular local championships.
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.
You can run to the sun, but can you ever hide? From the bestselling
author of Villa of Sun and Secrets.Monte Carlo means different
things to different people; for some it's a billionaires
playground, overflowing with glitz and glamour but for others it's
where dangerous secrets lay hidden. For Nanette Weston, and her
then fiance, F1 racing driver Zac Ewart, their dream life came to
an abrupt halt 3 years ago following a car accident which Zac
walked away from, but left Nanette being airlifted back to the UK,
never to return and never to see her fiance again. Monte Carlo was
a place she wanted to forget, not revisit. But when her friend and
employer, Vanessa asks Nanette to look after her children in the
Principality for a few months, Nanette knew she had no choice but
to return. As the F1 circus once again comes to town, with Zac in
pole position, mistakes of the past, leave legacies for the
future... This book was previously published as Follow Your Star by
Jennifer Bohnet. What readers are saying about One Summer in Monte
Carlo: 'As always with Jennifers books I was able to escape into a
completely different world, one we can only dream about.' 'I could
imagine myself as the main female character and could hardly put
down the book.' 'A superb fast-paced read with a real surprise and
absolutely loved the F1 glamour of Monaco - I really felt I was
there!' 'Such a roller coaster ride of people's lives. Tragic, sad,
happy tumultuous feelings of life in the fast lane.'
Now in paperback! In 1974, to rave reviews, Porsche produced the
930/911 Turbo to the public and set off on a new road. At the same
time, the governing body of motorsport introduced a new
'silhouette' formula to sports car racing. Thus the immortal 934
and 935 were born. This book tells the story of the 911 Turbo and
its racing cousins, from the 1974 2.1-litre RSR Turbo Carrera to
the tube-framed 750 horsepower final variants of the 935. These are
the cars which still bring a gleam of pleasure to any of the
drivers lucky enough to have sampled their enormous power and,
sometimes, their wayward handling!
You can run to the sun, but can you ever hide? From the bestselling
author of Villa of Sun and Secrets.Monte Carlo means different
things to different people; for some it's a billionaires
playground, overflowing with glitz and glamour but for others it's
where dangerous secrets lay hidden. For Nanette Weston, and her
then fiance, F1 racing driver Zac Ewart, their dream life came to
an abrupt halt 3 years ago following a car accident which Zac
walked away from, but left Nanette being airlifted back to the UK,
never to return and never to see her fiance again. Monte Carlo was
a place she wanted to forget, not revisit. But when her friend and
employer, Vanessa asks Nanette to look after her children in the
Principality for a few months, Nanette knew she had no choice but
to return. As the F1 circus once again comes to town, with Zac in
pole position, mistakes of the past, leave legacies for the
future... This book was previously published as Follow Your Star by
Jennifer Bohnet. What readers are saying about One Summer in Monte
Carlo: 'As always with Jennifers books I was able to escape into a
completely different world, one we can only dream about.' 'I could
imagine myself as the main female character and could hardly put
down the book.' 'A superb fast-paced read with a real surprise and
absolutely loved the F1 glamour of Monaco - I really felt I was
there!' 'Such a roller coaster ride of people's lives. Tragic, sad,
happy tumultuous feelings of life in the fast lane.'
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