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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Motor sports > General
This is the second of a high quality series to collect & keep.
Moss recovered from the accident that had almost killed him the
year before and you can relive the experience as he relishes the
challenge of the newly-introduced F1. The book is based on Moss'
own scrapbooks, albums and great memories. It is a beautifully
reproduced and presented book, capturing in glossy period
photography and stylish archival text the excitement of motor
racing in its heyday. Stirling Moss is an icon. Even just the words
'Stirling Moss' conjure up an immediate picture - an image of
speed, excitement, daring, jet-setting and beautiful women. By 1961
he was at the height of his remarkable career. He was
unquestionably the finest racing driver in the world, the benchmark
by which lesser mortals were judged, and a charismatic sportsman,
known the world over. A hero to millions, his story is the stuff of
legend. Often battling against the odds, he would brilliantly
triumph against adversity. There was no better illustration of this
than his 1961 season. Being better prepared for the new formula,
Ferrari had a new, much more powerful engine than the British
constructors. So Moss was to race with an under-powered Lotus. But
Lotus could not sell his team a 1961 car so he had to race a 1960
example. Stirling preferred to race for a gentlemanly private
entrant rather than a works team. And Ferrari had three, and at
times four and five cars, ranged against him. As the best in the
world, Moss relished a challenge and needed some handicapping to
level the playing fields and feed his addiction to true
competition. For 1961, though, the uncrowned champion was
handicapped in four ways. Stirling was driving last year's car, a
car with considerably less power and one entered by a private team.
He had no team mates to help him but was on his own - a David
against several Goliaths. Surely that was too much, even for a
genius? Add to that the massive accident he suffered during 1960 of
which "Autosport" Editor, Gregor Grant, wrote: 'His remarkable
recovery from his serious Spa accident gained for him the
admiration of the world, and was a lesson in determination and
sheer courage that would be difficult to emulate'. The stage was
set for one Stirling's most incredible seasons and this is the
behind-the-scenes story told by his own scrapbooks, his albums, his
recollections and no holds barred comments about the cars, the
circuits, the crumpet and the other drivers. Here we have all the
fun and the flavour! It includes over 500 illustrations.
During his time as speedway reporter for MCN, Andrew Edwards
travelled extensively witnessing first-hand the thrills and spills
of world class speedway, meeting the top riders and hearing and
reporting on stories of epic euphoric success and sometimes
tragedy. Here Andrew recounts his own story from humble beginnings
in provincial journalism in the West Midlands to national newspaper
reporting of Grand Prix world meetings with anecdotes and
characters described in his own style with a fair bit of humour
along the way. How he met with some of the greatest headline makers
over decades of speedway reporting becoming great friends of many
along the way including legendary names like Ivan Mauger, Barry
Briggs, Bruce Penhall, Peter Collins, Simon Wigg, Jason Crump and
Kenny Carter. There is also the story of how Andrew experienced
major changes in the publishing industry, from hot metal presses,
the days when clanky ink ribbon typewriters were the latest
technology and even before mobile phones were invented, right
through to a new dawn of the new digital printing revolution.
Not only has Cosworth designed and supplied many race car engines,
which won F1, CART, and many other Championship races, but it has
also produced many celebrated high-performance road-car engines. In
more recent times, its growing expertise in developing electronic
data capture components, and in providing ultra-high-tech engine
manufacturing facilities, has made it a world leader. The expansion
continues, and in this book the Cosworth story has been brought
up-to-the-minute to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of
the legendary DFV F1 engine.
Augie Pabst was one of the best American sports car racers in the
late 1950s and early 1960s. He started driving small production
cars and progressed rapidly to the best and fastest racing machines
of the day. Along the way he scored many major victories and won
two National Championships. He not only raced on all the major US
and Canadian courses, but also on the international stage at Le
Mans, Brands Hatch, and Nassau. His career was marked by two-year
stints at three of the best American teams; Meister Brauser, Briggs
Cunningham, and Mecom. He raced against and often beat not only the
top US drivers, but many international stars as well.Pabst has a
disarming boyish charm, accentuated by a wide smile and engaging
personality, and is a favorite on and off the track, well-liked by
all who come into contact with him: fellow drivers, team members,
and fans everywhere. His story is told here and profusely
illustrated with racing scenes showing many of the cars he drove -
among them; Ferraris, Maseratis, Lotus, Porsches and of course the
famous Scarabs.
Brembo, a leader in the development and production of high
performance braking systems is turning 60. Over the decades, the
principal mission of the Italian company has been to brake to best
effect the greats on two and four wheels as well as daily users of
private cars and motorcycles. The history, evolution and on-going
success of this prestigious Italian company are the themes of this
official book, which opens with a preface by the Brembo chairman,
Alberto Bombassei. The book reviews the diverse facets of the
"Brembo universe": from its commitments in the automotive,
motorcycling and motorsport fields to its attention to all aspects
of design, always one of Brembo's strong suits, from the
progressive internationalization of the company through to the
particularly topical aspects of sustainable production. The
contributions of the six principal authors - Vincenzo Borgomeo,
Massimo Clarke, Gaetano Cocco, Patrizia Giangualano, Lorenzo
Ramaciotti and Umberto Zapelloni - are complemented by a similar
number of testimonies from figures from within the company and
those who worked there at length. The Brembo "phenomenon" is also
presented through a wealth of fascinating photographs, mostly drawn
from the company archives, which document the unique story of a
manufacturing company born in Italy and now a true icon of Italian
excellence throughout the world.
This is the third and final volume in a series exploring the
history of sports car racing in the Southern United States. With
the exception of the Sebring 12 Hours, the meets were largely
ignored by the national press, and no comprehensive research
material is available for the numerous events organized between
Texas and Florida, when amateur competition surged in the late
1950s. Yet, the South offers a rich road racing history, often
fueled by wealthy oilmen from Texas and Oklahoma.Many of the events
were hosted on airport courses and featured the top echelon of
European sports cars. Late-model Ferraris, Maseratis, Jaguars,
Listers, Porsches, OSCAs and Climax-engined cars such as Lotus,
Cooper and Elva did battle with American V8-powered vehicles, both
Corvettes and homebuilt Specials. This book offers a race-by-race
account of all 1959 and 1960 Southern events, from Novice Races to
the weekend-ending Features competition.The author has scoured
local newspapers of the period for race reports and results and
interviewed many of the drivers, mechanics and owners that were
involved in the competitions. He provides an exhaustive report of
the time, vividly illustrated by period photographs, many from the
archives of Bob Jackson, the acclaimed press photographer.
In the most glittering era of sports car racing, the late 1960s and
early 1970s, the Lola T70 and its descendants radiated star
quality. These big racers, both brutal and beautiful, graced the
Can-Am stage in North America as open spyders and the world sports
car championship as closed coupes. Powered by big American V8
engines, they were massively fast and exceedingly popular, both
with fans and the racers themselves. In this important new book,
which has taken Lola enthusiast Gordon Jones three decades to
complete, the racing history of the T70 and the Can-Am models that
followed -- from T160 to T310 -- is exhaustively recorded, complete
with a superb array of over 600 photographs. All sports car
devotees will treasure this labour of love.
This long-awaited book is a photographic memoir by the only man to
have won World Championships on motorcycles and in cars. Containing
nearly 300 photographs from Surtees' own collection as well as from
the world's finest motorsport picture libraries, this major book
presents a complete visual record of Surtees' life accompanied by
fascinating commentary written in collaboration with co-author Mike
Nicks. Chapters of particular interest are those covering Surtees's
formative years and the extraordinary 1960 season in which he raced
both motorcycles and cars, winning two World Championships on MV
Agusta bikes as well as taking second place for Lotus in the
British GP, which was only his second Formula 1 race. Royalties
from sales of the book will go to the Henry Surtees Foundation,
which was set up to honour the memory of John's son Henry, who was
killed in a freak accident at Brands Hatch in 2009. - The early
years (up to 1952): a childhood around motorcycle racing,
apprenticeship with Vincent, then racing a Vincent Grey Flash. -
Getting established (1953-55): Moving on to ride mainly Manx
Nortons, he did 86 races in one year, and in 1955 achieved his
first grand prix win, in the 250cc Ulster GP on an NSU. - The glory
years (1956-60): dominating top-level motorcycle racing for five
years with Italian team MV Agusta, taking seven World Championship
titles on 500cc and 350cc bikes. - The remarkable year of bikes and
cars (1960): overlapping his last year of motorcycle racing with 17
car races, including four F1 World Championship events. - Ferrari
driver (1963-66): established in cars, he joined Ferrari, winning
his first race - the Sebring 12 Hours for sports cars - and the
following year becoming F1 World Champion. - Can-Am champion
(1966): after recovery from a huge crash in a Lola T70 sports car
and acrimonious departure from Ferrari, he bounced back in North
America to win the spectacular Can-Am series. - Turning Japanese
(1967-68): Honda invited Surtees to develop and drive its F1 cars
for two years, with victory in the Italian GP at Monza the
highlight. - Becoming a constructor (1969-78): going into
single-seater racing, including F1, with Team Surtees and cars of
his own manufacture; Mike Hailwood won the European F2 Championship
in 1972. - The latter years (1978 onwards): fully active on the
historic scene as a restorer and driver of motorcycles and cars,
then nurturing son Henry's career until the tragic accident. Royal
Automobile Club shortlist of contenders for Motoring Book of the
Year!
This book is the first English-language study of motorsport and
Italian Fascism, arguing that a synergy existed between motor
racing and Fascism that did not exist with other sports. Motorsport
was able to bring together the two dominant, and often opposed,
cultural roots of Fascism, the Futurism of F. T. Marinetti, and the
Decadence associated with Gabriele D'Annunzio. The book traces this
cultural convergence through a topical study of motorsport in the
1920s and 1930s placing it in the context of the history of sport
under Mussolini's regime. Chapters discuss the centrality of speed
and death in Fascist culture, the attempt to transform Rome into a
motorsport capital, the architectural and ideological function of
the Monza and Tripoli and autodromes, and two chapters on the
importance of the Mille Miglia, a genuine Fascist artefact that
became one of the most legendary motor races of all time.
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