Selwyn Francis Edge, invariably known simply as 'SF', was a highly significant pioneer of motoring in Britain. When, in 1902, he drove a Napier to victory in the Gordon Bennett Cup, a mighty event on public roads between Paris in France and Innsbruck in Austria, he initiated serious British endeavour in motor racing. He was deeply involved in the birth of Brooklands, setting a 24-hour solo driving record there when the circuit opened in 1907. As a towering industry figure most closely associated with Napier and AC Cars, he played an important role in the growth of car manufacture in Britain. In the words of 'Bentley Boy' S.C.H. 'Sammy' Davis, 'His keen grey eyes, the bushy eyebrows and the hawk-like face... made him a notable figure in any assembly.' This biography uncovers the life of an extraordinary man whose achievements deserve to be far more widely recognised.

Forty cars lined up for the first Indianapolis 500. We are still waiting to find out who won.
The Indy 500 was created to showcase the controversial new sport of automobile racing, which was sweeping the country. Daring young men risked life and limb by driving automobiles at the astonishing speed of 75 miles per hour with no seat belts, hard helmets, or roll bars. When the Indianapolis Speedway opened in 1909, seven people were killed, some of them spectators. Oil-slicked surfaces, clouds of smoke, exploding tires, and flying grit all made driving extremely hazardous, especially with the open-cockpit, windshield-less vehicles. Most drivers rode with a mechanic, who pumped oil manually while watching out for cars attempting to pass, and drivers would sometimes throw wrenches or bolts at each other during the race. The night before an event the racers would take up a collection for the next day's new widows.
Although the 1911 Indy 500 judges declared Ray Harroun the official winner, there is reason to doubt that result, since Speedway authorities ordered the records to be destroyed. But "Blood and Smoke "is about more than a race. It is the story of America at the dawn of the automobile age, a country in love with speed, danger, and spectacle.

One of the greatest drivers of his generation, Jim Hall is even better known as an innovator. From his tiny shop in Midland, Texas emerged a series of Chaparrals that changed the face of racing. His high-winged Chaparral 2E Can-Am car and 2F World Sportscar Championship contender may be the most influential race vehicles of the 20th century. Today, every Formula 1 car uses net downforce, driver-adjustable wings, composite chassis, side-mounted radiators, semi-automatic gearboxes and advanced telemetry to optimize vehicle performance - all things Hall pioneered in the mid-1960s. Here he tells his story - his life, his cars, his relationship with Chevrolet, his battles with sanctioning body bureaucracies - for the first time to award-winning author George Levy in this authorized biography.

Lime Rock Park, the oldest continuously operated road course in America came about more by accident than design. Construction of the course began in 1955 at a time when open road racing had been banned in many states, and the use of military and civil airport runways for racing was losing favor with the paying spectators. Dubbed ‘The Road Racing Center of the East’ the park has a turbulent history bedevilled by financial crises, discord with the SCCA New England Region and expensive court cases involving the Lime Rock Protective Association. Despite the struggle to keep the circuit afloat, it prevailed against all odds. This book narrates this history of mixed fortunes during the first twenty years of the park’s existence when it was under the ownership of four different people and contains material unseen before including over 900 images.

Don't Just Be Good You Can Be Great!Optimum Drive is the complete step-by-step guide to maximizing human performance in any endeavor you choose to conquer Attaining peak performance. Optimum Drive is a motivational book that uses top level race car driving as a metaphor for peak performance. As a professional racing driver and a driving coach for over 20 years, author Paul F. Gerrard gives you his unique perspective on what causes people to stagnate with the idea of being merely good, when each of us has the potential to be great. Gerrard believes that peak performance is within our grasp. He lays out his step-by-step process for attaining peak performance with detailed nuance threaded throughout. If you have ever been curious about maximizing your own ultimate potential, Optimum Drive is for you! Mental toughness. Greatness is as hard to quantify as it is to achieve...probably not a coincidence. In this book, Optimum Drive, professional driver Gerrard helps you understand the mental toughness that it takes to reach that greatness. He starts off by taking you onto the track as he explores what driving at 200 mph can teach us about who we are. Using his experiences from behind the wheel at death-defying speeds, Gerrard breaks down the psychology of driving, what it takes, and how we can use it to achieve greatness in life. Flow psychology and staying in the zone. The key to the mental toughness that Gerrard believes it takes to achieve peak performance is the nirvana-like sensation of flow psychology or being in the zone. Flow psychology, or being in the zone, is a mental state in which one who is performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and joy. It is through flow psychology that Gerrard introduces a blend of holistic mindset combined with a competitive edge, which is essential to successful professional driving. This mix of guts, tenacity and endurance is the foundation of Gerrard's philosophy for attaining greatness. Why you should read Optimum Drive This book is not just about learning how to drive race cars. Use it for anything. Auto Racing (by far the richest sport in the world) has invested more money evaluating human performance than any other sport. Optimum Drive is a step-by-step guide to unlock your hidden potential. Former Top Gear US Stig, Paul F. Gerrard has taught and refined his principles for over 20 years with thousands of successful students.

This book is the first independent exploration of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile's (FIA) institutional history. Virtually unexamined compared with similar institutions like the FIFA and the IOC, the FIA has nevertheless changed from being a small association in 1904 to becoming one of the world's most influential sport governing bodies. Through chronologically organised chapters, this book explains how the FIA manages to link together motorsport circuses like Formula 1 with the automotive industry and societal issues like road safety and environmental sustainability. In an exciting narrative spanning seven decades, it reviews the FIA's organisational turning points, governing controversies, political dramas and sporting tragedies. Considering the FIA to be a unique type of hybrid organisation characterised by what the author calls 'organisational emulsion', this case study contains theoretical innovations relevant to other studies of sport governing bodies. It makes an empirically grounded contribution to the research fields of institutional logics, historical sociology and sport governance.

Gran Turismo races have played a key role in the history of the Monza Autodrome. In the 1970s, the Coppa Intereuropa was one of the most popular events at the circuit. Interest in GT racing then waned over the years and it was only in 1992 that an Italian GT Championship was created, marking the rebirth of the category. From that moment growth has been exponential, with a series of international championships being introduced, featuring cars and drivers of the highest order. This book traces, year by year, the complex story of these championships from 1970 through to the present day, explaining the evolution of the regulations and the cars, but also recording the results of the most important races. Space is also devoted to the single-marque series - Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini - with the story being told through a vast array of photographs, in the main previously unpublished, and painstakingly researched historical texts.

When Don Devendorf and John Knepp got together to form Electramotive Engineering of El Segundo, California, little did they realise that they were setting in motion a train of events which would sooner, rather than later, bring to them and the mighty Nissan GTP cars that they promoted, developed and raced, no less than four IMSA Camel GT Championships. Here, for the first time, is the story of Nissan in racing from 1984 to 1993, the GTP era. The full story of Electramotive and NPTI is told, with interviews with Don Devendorf, John Knepp, Geoff Brabham, Trevor Harris, Kas Kastner, Ashley Page, and many other members of the crew that won the IMSA Camel GT Championship from 1988 to 1991. The story of the European Group C Nissans, using chassis from March and Lola, from 1985 to 1992 is also told, along with interviews from many of the drivers and technicians involved, such as Mark Blundell, Julian Bailey, Dave Price and Bob Bell.

The most definitive and compelling book about the legendary racing driver, now a BAFTA award-winning documentary. 'For the casual racing fan it's a mighty good read, for the Senna fan it's indispensable' Time Out Millions of people around the world watched in horror on that fateful day in Imola at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix when Ayrton Senna's car careered off the track at 190mph. The greatest driver in Formula One history was dead. In this classic sports book, Richard Williams explores the complex Brazilian who was a hero in his own country and an icon to everyone who loved not just motor-racing but sport itself. In his drive to win and his desire always to test himself to the limit, Senna embodied all that is best and most thrilling in sport.

**THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER** Magnus Walker is one of life's originals. Serial entrepreneur, fashion designer, TV presenter, motivational speaker and one of the world's most prolific Porsche collectors, the dreadlocked, tattooed hoarder of individual creativity is a very modern incarnation of success. Raised in the urban decay of Thatcher's Britain, Sheffield-born Magnus Walker left school with just two O levels and drifted for several years before buying a one-way ticket to America. Now, 30 years and three successful businesses later, by following his instincts, rejecting convention and pursuing his passions Magnus has succeeded against all the odds. Here, for the first time, is the full story of his journey from a Northern steel town to the bright lights of Hollywood, from a boy with little hope to an anti-establishment hero. Along the way we'll witness his potent combination of inspiration and graft, discover his motivations and his ambitions, and come to understand his philosophy and the keys to his success. Inspiring and exhilarating, URBAN OUTLAW is a compelling tale of succeeding through pure instinct and determination by a man who was brave enough to follow his own path.

In this richly illustrated book, Terry O'Neil details the origins of a remarkable racecar, the Ferrari 333 SP. This vehicle heralded the famed automaker's return to professional sports car competitions after an absence of more than twenty years. Introduced on the American racing circuit in 1994, it found instant success and continued to be a major player in numerous races in the US and Europe. Of the 126 races the 333 SP entered, it emerged victorious in nearly fifty, making it one of the most successful sport prototype cars in Ferrari's history. Containing over eight hundred images--many of them never published before--O'Neil's book is a vivid look at this inimitable automobile.

With nine victories, he holds the record for the most wins at the Le Mans 24 Hours - and he has written motorsport history. The Book, however, is more than just Tom Kristensen's chronicle of his successes at Le Mans: it takes the reader on an exciting journey through four decades full of emotions - from petrol pumps at his parents' filling station in Denmark to champagne showers in front of 250,000 fans at the world's greatest motor race. Private and never-seen-before pictures, untold stories, new facts and personal insights as told by Kristensen himself make The Book unique. Published in a very large, sumptuous format to best display its superb photographs, The Book will be treasured by the Danish hero's legions of fans and all motorsport enthusiasts captivated by the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Contrary to popular belief, ‘Fluxie’ did not enter the world on full opposite-lock, nor did he have a cigarette in one hand and a pint in the other. Destined to race, he never got the biggest breaks but he did become one of motorsport’s most colourful and best-loved characters, someone who has always lived life to the full. His autobiography tells it how it was, covering not only the highs — including five championship titles — but also the many setbacks. Along the way we laugh with him about much of it, particularly the pranks, but also learn about some dark times that he has never previously divulged. This is a very different kind of racing driver’s memoir. Key content • Early days: growing up on a farm, first kart aged 6, muddling through in the classroom, lots of laughs — but also sexual abuse from a schoolmaster and an early racing mentor. • The spark ignites: starting to race in 1970 with a Formula 6 kart, then onwards to Formula Vee; brushing shoulders with Formula 1 working for the Token and Graham Hill teams. • Grabbing the chances: a Formula Vee title in 1975 leads to Formula 3 and Formula Atlantic, but still with various jobs to make ends meet, including as mechanic to motorcycle racing legend Giacomo Agostini for his four-wheel efforts. • Diversifying into sports cars: successful adventures in Sports 2000 and Thundersports, winning championships in both, plus Thundersaloons. • A true all-rounder: going into the British Touring Car Championship from 1988 in a wide range of tin-tops; racing a Jaguar XJR-15 in the big-money 1991 series held at Grand Prix races, including Monaco. • Championship double in 1996: the ‘golden year’ in the TVR Tuscan Challenge and the British GT Championship, the latter with a McLaren F1 GTR. • So much else: racing on into recent times, notching up nearly 50 years on track; testing competition cars for Motorsport News; driver tuition and track-day demonstrations