A story of true drive - now the topic of a major documentary Founded in 1977 by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head, Williams F1 represents the last of the true independent teams; a company devoid of corporate dogma and run by enthusiasts driven by a love of racing and the satisfaction that comes with beating the rest of the world. Since its first Grand Prix victory at Silverstone on 14 July 1979, the team has won a further 116 GPs, delivered seven World Champions - among them Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill - and won nine Constructors Championships. This is the definitive history of the Williams team as told by those who have worked for Williams past and present. At the heart of the book are Sir Frank's personal recollections, along with memories and anecdotes from those at every level: from the shop floor to the upper strata of management; from the mechanics and machinists to the drivers - Mansell, Hill, Alain Prost and Alan Jones among them. It relates both the incredible highs of winning against the odds while never shying the terrible lows - the tragic deaths of Piers Courage in 1970 and Ayrton Senna in 1994 among them. Conveying the history and soul of a unique band of people, Williams F1 explains exactly why the Williams team is held in more affection than any other team in Britain, if not the world.

This was a very important period in the Le Mans story. Ferrari and Jaguar raced to stake claims as the foremost manufacturers of high-performance cars. Mercedes-Benz came back from war-ravaged Germany and again set the standards in race-car engineering. Aston Martin finally won at its 20th attempt. Enormous crowds - approaching half a million people - saw the first rear-engined saloons to compete at Le Mans, and the first mid-engined sports-racing cars, and the first diesels. As the victorious manufacturers actively promoted their successes, their commercial rivals also set out to win. As many as 15 brought 'works' teams every June, with purpose-built cars. On-track performance soared. In 1949 the fastest car hit 135mph (217kph) on the unique Mulsanne straight. Before the end of the 1950s, top speeds exceeded 180mph (290kph). This fascinating book tells the stories of these increasingly potent racing cars and conveys the punishing nature of an incomparable event - the ultimate test of the mental and physical abilities of the fragile individuals who make up racing teams, be they drivers, engineers, strategists or mechanics.The thorough statistics in the book result from fresh research, and there are more than 400 evocative photographs, many of them - including very rare colour images - never published before.

This decade at Le Mans began with the first victories by Porsche, whose awesome 917 racing car, capable of more than 240mph (385kph), established a distance record that would stand for almost four decades. One of a hat-trick of wins by Matra, effectively the French national team, was achieved in a famously frantic, head-to-head duel with Ferrari. In 1975, the oil crisis led the ACO to run its race to a 'fuel formula', and it was won by the Ford-supported Gulf-Mirage team. Porsche, using motorsport to develop its turbocharging technology, won again in 1976 and in 1977, when Jacky Ickx produced one of the greatest drives ever seen in motor racing anywhere. A massive effort by Renault, again with a turbocharged engine, delivered success in 1978. The decade closed, as it had started, with a soaking wet race that was won by Porsche. This 10-year chronicle describes events as they unfolded during each of the races. The reader will learn about the ever-changing regulations - many introduced to encourage fuel efficiency - that governed the races, and follow the technical advances made by innovative competitors as they strove to win the biggest prize in motor racing.

The history of the Mercedes provides the thread for this book that narrates the early history of automobile racing from the beginnings in 1895 until the First World War in 1915 when racing temporarily ceased. The book focuses on the races themselves, the drivers and mechanics, the engineers in the background and the technical progress of the cars. Automobile racing had its origins in Paris, and French marques and the Automobile Club de France were dominating the scene. But in 1901 a foreign troublemaker emerged, the Mercedes. This German machine was to play a leading role, its career and evolution becoming an image of the whole period. The individuals who built and drove these early racers laid the foundation of a new industry, conceived the modern, high-performance engine, and gave magic to a series of races, which drew ever more spectators and thrilled entire nations. This richly illustrated history answers many questions from this time in automotive history. Early chapters discuss the marketing of the original Daimler engine in France, the position and influence of Emil Jellinek and Wilhelm Maybach, and the great town-to-town and Gordon Bennett races. Later chapters focus on the French Grand Prix, the great crisis of 1909, the voiturette movement, the Mercedes and Benz successes in America, including the record attempts of the Blitzen Benz, and the role of Ernest Henry in the development of the revolutionary Peugeot. Final chapters describe the career of the 4.5-litre Mercedes and its impact on future designs.

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.

For the fourth consecutive year, Sebastian Vettel has won the Formula 1 World Championship for drivers. He did so with 13 victories out of the season's 19 races, from the Grand Prix of Belgium to the Brazilian GP. Only Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were able to get the better of the great German champion with their sporadic wins. And Vettel's string of successes also enabled Red Bull to confirm once again it is still the top constructor. On the technical front, the 2013 world championship acquired a certain stability, even if there was no lack of new elements, like the abolition of the cars' nose step, the elimination of the double DRS and Ferrari's adoption of faired half-axels by. All aspects carefully explained by Giorgio Piola in his latest book in the "Technical Analysis" series, which is now a must-have for all enthusiasts. This edition also includes over 300 colour illustrations, which unveil all the secrets of the cars that battled for the 2013 world title; and then there is an early look ahead to the principal changes of 2014, when the cars go back to being powered by a turbocharged engines of 6-cylinders and 1600 cc. instead of the classic normally aspirated V8.

A great little sports car race took place on an island in Lake Erie, offshore of Sandusky, Ohio. The drivers came on ferry boats to compete for silver cups in an age when there were no sponsors and no prize money. The drivers were car salesmen, stock brokers, engineers, printers, etc. Often, the cars they raced were those they drove as daily transportation: MGs, Porsches, Triumphs, Alfas and others. In this well illustrated history, drivers, officials, mechanics and spectators share their stories. The text paints a vivid picture of the sports car racing scene in post-war America.

The 24th and final edition of the Mille Miglia, held on the 11th and 12th of May 1957, has passed into history above all due to the tragic circumstances of the accident involving de Portago and Nelson's Ferrari 335S, which crashed in the latter stages of the race near Mantua. It was however, also a race characterised by a bitter struggle amongst the Maranello marque's drivers, a duel that never happened with Moss and Jenkinson's Maserati 450S and the last career win for Piero Taruffi. Behind all this, there was also another story, one equally as fascinating and rich in incident, that of the crews racing in the minor classes: from the Tuned Touring and the 750 classes to the Gran Turismo and Sport 750 and 1000 categories. This previously neglected story of "little" cars and almost unknown drivers is recounted by Carlo Dolcini, a painstaking and accurate historian, who has reconstructed in engrossing detail the "minor" episodes of those days, drawing on a wealth of photographic documentation.

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.

On a bright October morning in 1904, thousands of people flocked to Nassau County on rural Long Island to witness the first international motor sports competition in America: the newly created Vanderbilt Cup. By 1906, the number of spectators multiplied to a quarter million and America's place in motor racing history was assured. In 1908, the Vanderbilt Cup was joined by a second international competition, the International Grand Prize, the first grand prix held outside France. By 1913, the Indianapolis 500 would supplant the Vanderbilt Cup and Grand Prize as America's preeminent race, forever turning mainstream America's attention away from road racing and toward the oval tracks then proliferating around the country. Concentrating on the years between 1904 and 1916 and featuring a wealth of photographs, this book examines the early and relatively unknown history of American motor racing. Beginning with an overview of motor racing history, it covers the French origins of the sport and the first international competitions such as the annual Gordon Bennett Cup and the ill-fated Paris to Madrid race. The primary focus is on America's first three races of international stature: the Vanderbilt Cup, the International Grand Prize and the Indianapolis 500. Compiled in great part from contemporary sources such as newspaper accounts and automotive journals, the book covers not only these races, but also the ways in which each spurred development of the American automobile industry, making it at last a true competitor for that of Europe.

For more than 50 years the Formula Ford Festival has been the proving ground for ambitious racing drivers looking to make their mark. The Brands Hatch meeting was where the likes of Johnny Herbert, Damon Hill and Jenson Button first made their names, while both Michael Schumacher and Nigel Mansell never made it out of their heats. Now a club meeting, in its heyday the Festival was one of the UK's biggest motor sport events, drawing tens of thousands of spectators, and enjoying more than a decade of prime coverage on the BBC's Grandstand. From humble beginnings at a cold Snetterton, the move to Brands Hatch, the peak of the 1980s followed by a gentle decline, this book tells the story of the Festival. Drawing on exclusive contributions from some of the event's legends and prestigious alumni, it covers all the on-track action together with off-track intrigue and controversies.

As soon as there were automobiles, there was racing. The first recorded race, an over road event from Paris to Rouen, France, was organized by the French newspaper Le Petit Journal in 1894. Seeing an opportunity for a similar event, Hermann H. Kohlsaat?publisher of the Chicago Times-Herald?sponsored what was hailed as the ?Race of the Century, ? a 54-mile race from Chicago's Jackson Park to Evanston, Illinois, and back. Frank Duryea won in a time of 10 hours and 23 minutes, of which 7 hours and 53 minutes were actually spent on the road. Race cars and competition have progressed continuously since that time, and today's 200 mph races bear little resemblance to the event Duryea won. This work traces American auto racing through the 20th century, covering its significant milestones, developments and personalities. Subjects included are: Bill Elliott, dirt track racing, board track racing, Henry Ford, Grand Prix races, Dale Earnhardt, the Vanderbilt Cup, Bill France, Gordon Bennett, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Mercer, the Stutz, Duesenberg, Frank Lockhart, drag racing, the Trans Am, Paul Newman, vintage racing, land speed records, Al Unser, Wilbur Shaw, the Corvette, the Cobra, Richard Petty, NASCAR, Can Am, Mickey Thompson, Roger Penske, Mario Andretti, Jeff Gordon, and Formula One. Through interviews with participants and track records, this text shows where, when and how racing changed. It describes the growth of each different form of auto racing as well as the people and technologies that made it ever faster.

• Formula 1 of the 1950s and '60s: images from a legendary era of motorsport
• Driver portraits, racing action and historic Formula 1 cars from Ferrari, Porsche, Alfa Romeo and Jaguar
• Over 270 photographs from Edward Quinn's archive, some of which have never been published before
• Insights into post-war Monaco: lifestyle, glamour and celebrities
• Text in English and German

An access-all-areas look inside the thrilling world of Formula One.

Formula One is one of the most intense, complex and secretive sports on the planet. Recent documentaries such as Netflix’s Drive to Survive series have given a glimpse of life inside the paddock, but there are so many more stories from this high-stakes, globe-trotting world that remain untold.

In F1 Confidential, Guardian journalist Giles Richards speaks to the men and women inside Formula One to reveal the inner workings of the world’s most glamorous motorsport. Featuring exclusive interviews with experts at every level – from drivers and team principals to engineers and pit mechanics – and from teams including Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren and more, this is an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look inside a modern Formula One team.

With a foreword by former F1 world champion Damon Hill and contributions from dozens of insiders – including Lando Norris, Christian Horner and Toto Wolff – each with their own fascinating stories, insights and revelations, F1 Confidential takes you inside Formula One like never before.

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.

'I loved it. I thought it was fascinating - really, really interesting story that he's got to tell... I've known him for years and I learned an awful lot.' Marc Priestley Kimi Raikkoenen is the Finnish superstar Formula One driver with a reputation for being fast on the track and silent off it - until now! In this superb and authorised portrait of Raikkoenen, Kari Hotakainen gets to reveal the side of the man that few beyond his close family and friends have ever seen. Enigmatic and private, Ferrari's former world champion driver rarely opens up to outsiders, but he granted Hotakainen exclusive access to his world and to his way of thinking. It ensures that this will be a book that will delight all fans of motorsport, who have long revered the Finn. Including never-previously-seen photographs from his own collection, The Unknown Kimi Raikkoenen takes the reader into the heart of the action at grands prix around the world, behind the scenes as race strategies are planned, and opens up the private side of his life that he normally guards so carefully. With all the cult appeal of I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the raw excitement of Formula One and the insight of the best biographies, this is a book every sports fan will want to treasure.

The fifth volume in the Car Racing series charts 1969, the year of avoiding unnecessary risk. Le Mans circuit, 14 June 1969. Silence reigns. In a matter of seconds, the din will rise from the engines of 45 cars roaring to life. Into this sonic gap, a man strides towards his destiny. Unlike his neighbours, he does not run. He walks to forestall superfluous danger. At the risk of ruining the race for his crew - and for Ford. Jacky Ickx has just said no to unnecessary risk, no to herringbone starts at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with drivers leaping into their cars without taking the time to properly strap themselves in before launching full throttle into the race. Three years earlier, stuck upside down with a back injury and trapped in the cockpit of his BRM he had just spun around on the first lap of the Belgian Grand Prix, Jackie Stewart felt gasoline gushing over him. A mere spark would have spelled tragedy. From this nightmare moment onwards, the Scottish driver campaigned against dangerous circuits and imposed the first safety standards. In 1969, Jacky Ickx - the 'GT40 walker' - won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, even as Jacky Stewart was crowned victor of the Formula 1 World Championship in his Matra MS80. Text in English and French. Also available: Car Racing 1965, 9782702210963 Car Racing 1966, 9782702211014 Car Racing 1967, 9782702211113 Car Racing 1968, 9782702211236

The Official Formula 1 Season Review 2014 catalogues all the twists and turns of the most exciting Grand Prix season for years and gives fans a unique, access-all-areas pass behind the scenes of the 2014 F1 season. Throwing new light on the headlines and key incidents, this official Formula One Management (FOM) review features full race reports from all 19 races and the crowning of Lewis Hamilton as world champion. Illustrated with amazing photography from LAT and exclusive insight from the drivers, this book also contains all the official statistics from an action-packed year of F1 racing. Officially licensed by FOM, including a foreword by Bernie Ecclestone, The Official Formula 1 Season Review 2014 is the most authoritative and fascinating record of the F1 season you can buy.

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.

Officially endorsed by the ACO, the organisers of the annual Le Mans 24 Hours race, this sumptuous book is the fifth title in a decade-by-decade series that is building up into a multi-volume set covering every race since 1923. Each year is exhaustively covered in vivid photographs, a detailed and insightful commentary, full results data and a glorious rendering of the official race poster, the whole work providing coverage that far exceeds any previous books in quality, depth and authority. Compiled by an acknowledgedexpert on this legendary race, this series of books is treasured by all enthusiasts of sports car racing. - Highly detailed year-by-year coverage of the decade's ten races, giving over 32 pages of information and photographs for each year. - Official status provides a number of unique features, including the reproduction of the full-color race poster artwork for each year and photographs from the ACO's archives. - The images are entirely in colour, and the emphasis is on photographs that enthusiasts will not have seen before. - The story of each race is told through photographs and an accompanying commentary. - Complete data for each year includes technical regulations, entry list, circuit changes (with diagram), lap chart, full results and category awards. - The whole work is beautifully designed and presented. - The 1990s was a richly varied decade, with winning cars from a wide range of manufacturers: Jaguar, Mazda, Peugeot, Dauer, McLaren, Porsche and BMW.

The ideal gift for Grand Prix fans this Christmas Explore the unique stories behind every Grand Prix track in this fully updated second edition. Written by award-winning journalist Maurice Hamilton and complete with bespoke digital maps of each course, this is the ultimate guide to the circuits of Formula One. Each venue is listed in chronological order from the first time it hosted a Grand Prix, starting with Monza, then taking in renowned locations such as Spa, Nurburgring, Monaco and Silverstone, all the way up to F1's latest destination: Miami. Uncover little-known facts about famous circuits and discover the story behind some of the sport's lesser-known venues. This fully updated second edition includes: * All 77 Formula 1 circuits, featuring six additional venues from the previous edition * Bespoke digital maps of every racetrack * Statistics including circuit lengths, lap records, and names of corners and straights * Alphabetical and 'by country' indices for ease of reference

Who are today's hot rodders? Where do they come from, what do they value, and why? Do gearheads and old metal have any place in tomorrow's transportation landscape? What will be left behind? What will be carried forward? Over an eight year period, gearhead/geographer David Miller crisscrossed America in his home-built 1958 Chevy Apache custom truck interviewing hot rodders who are thoughtful and passionate about what they do, willing to speculate about why they do it and about what lies ahead. This book is a collection of their stories and a celebration of how they roll. It is a testament to what will be lost unless rodders can defy the trend towards mechanical cluelessness, anonymous vehicle styling, driverless vehicles, and a "get back in line and wait to be served" mentality that increasingly permeates our transportation landscape.

Thruxton has been described as "the UK's Speedbowl." The circuit is home to the prestigious British Automobile Racing Club, and during the period covered by this book the author was editor of the club's magazine. As a result, he was able to get behind the scenes at many of the events, including F2, British Touring Cars, Aurora AFX F1, and club races. In the 1980s Thruxton featured in the early careers of many Formula One drivers, and the book records the early performances of such luminaries as Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Derek Warwick, Alan McNish, Mike Thackwell, Mika Hakkinen, and many more. Featuring many previously unpublished photographs from the author's personal collection, this is an insightful account of racing at one of the fastest motor racing circuits in the UK.

Prior to 1999 Audi did not have a sportscar in its range, let alone having ever raced one. But between 2000 and 2006 the Audi R8 won 63 of the 80 races in which it competed - including five out of six Le Mans 24-hours - making it the most successful long-distance racing car of all time. The latest in Veloce's WSC Giants series, this book charts those races and describes the development of the R8, as well as profiling the 35 drivers who raced it between 2000 and 2006. It also includes the story of the Audi R8R and R8C of 1999. Illustrated in colour throughout with many previously unpublished photos, the book features individual chassis details and results, plus observations from significant individuals - engineers, team managers, drivers etc - concerned with the Audi R8. By the time the R8 was replaced by the diesel R10, it had revolutionised the marque's image, helping to change it from a staid, but worthy, saloon car manufacturer to one of the world's leading premium car producers.

This book provides an in-depth look at the First American Grand Prix (known as the "Grand Prize of the Automobile Club of America"), the Vanderbilt Cup Race and the golden era of early road racing. It explores the feud over international racing sanctioning rights between the two major car clubs of the period, the AAA and ACA. The feud led to Savannah's selection as the home of the American Grand Prix Races from 1908 to 1911 and the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race. By examining Savannah's earlier fame in national bicycle racing competitions and its ties to the powerful dynasties who controlled the racing world, the book explains how and why Savannah was chosen. It reveals why the races and course were considered "America's Greatest" by international racing experts of the period and includes many biographies of the drivers who came to Savannah and the colourful stories of other significant people in the industry. The book closes with the coming of motorcycle racing to Savannah, after the major auto races ended. Finally, the book explores the theories and complexities of why Savannah's races and road racing in general came to an end.