Since 1894, when motor racing's colourful history began with a bang (and a banger!), drivers, racers and lunatics alike have done many stupid and bizarre things all in the name of motor sport. Author Geoff Tibballs has gathered together this absorbing collection of stories from over a century of motor racing around the world, including the Frenchman who drove 25 miles in reverse, the Grand Prix in which the leading drivers were so far ahead that they stopped for a meal in the pits, the Le Mans 24-hour race won by a car patched up with chewing gum, and the driver who drank six bottles of champagne - virtually one per pit-stop - on the way to winning the Indianapolis 500. The stories in this book are bizarre, fascinating, hilarious, and, most importantly, true. Revised, redesigned and updated for a new generation of petrolheads, this book contains enough extraordinary-but-true tales to drive anyone around the bend. Word count: 45,000

The 1980s was a momentous decade in Formula 1 and this book captures its extraordinary drama. A superb range of 250 colour photographs by Rainer Schlegelmilch, one of the greatest motor racing photographers of all time, is supported by insightful commentary from Quentin Spurring, who had the senior editorial role on Autosport magazine for much of that decade. Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell all made their debuts in this decade and became, with Nelson Piquet, the stars of the era - they were arch rivals equipped, at one stage, with the most powerful racing engines of all time. McLaren and Williams first established themselves as regular winners in this period, and these teams, with Ferrari, remain big players today. This was a decade when Formula 1 was transformed by political upheaval, technical innovation and extended TV coverage, all of which laid the foundations for today's globally popular sport.

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 DPPI (Diffusion Presse Photo International) agency is the brainchild of a handful of men who shared a passion for both photography and automobiles - especially sports cars. DPPI immediately set about sharing as widely as possible the day-to-day experiences of drivers and racing teams on road and track. The first volume of this collection - the first of its kind - takes us to the heart of a golden age in motorsport history. Be it at Le Mans, during hillclimbing races, or on the first tracks devoted to what would later become the main attraction, Formula 1, both cars and drivers are accessible, welcoming. Everyone smiles at fans, who are not yet crowded against the rails of the route or circuit. The curated selection comprising hundreds of photographs from DDPI’s vault, with commentary by the photographers and people involved at the time, draw the reader into a universe full of adventure, stories brimming with humanity that centre on exceptional machines. Text in English and French.

"The legacy and mythology of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL-aka the "Sports Car of the Century"-is beheld through the genius lens of top automotive photographer Rene Staud ..." - Maxim "What a stroke of fate: 70 years of the SL, 70 years of Staud and 10 years of The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Book. You might even say: The star is reborn." - Maxim Australia This iconic sports car, from the first Mercedes 300 SL to its latest successors, proves that technology can indeed evolve into art. And who better to showcase this procession of pioneering automobiles than Rene Staud, whose striking photographs will captivate any enthusiast. This book, based on Staud's successful calendars, is an ode to an extraordinary vehicle whose spell stars such as Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Alfred Hitchcock have all fallen under. The elaborately orchestrated pictures show sleek curves and precision in every detail, conveying the passion for this breathtaking automobile. A photographic tribute to the "sports car of the century", covering the 70-year history of the 300 SL racing car models from 1952 to the latest SL generation. Text in English, German and French.

The original rally Quattro debuted in 1980, and was based on the road car, but with a highly tuned 300bhp engine. In 1981, Audi Quattro works driver Michele Mouton became the first woman to win a World Championship rally. The Quattro took the Manufacturers' Championship in 1982 and 1984, and the Drivers' Championship in 1983 and 1984 with Hannu Mikkola and Stig Blomqvist respectively. Audi implemented a continuous development programme for the Quattro, and the A1 and A2 were produced to meet the Group B regulations introduced in 1983, while the fearsome Sport Quattro S1 was introduced in 1984. The ultimate development - the S1 E2 - was introduced at the end of 1985, producing over 500bhp, and winning the 1985 San Remo rally in the hands of Walter Roehrl and the famous Pikes Peak hillclimb with Michele Mouton. This Manual looks at the design, evolution, anatomy and operation of the Quattro.

The Le Mans 24 Hours is the ultimate endurance race, a true test of man and machine. It is a classic feature of the motorsport calendar, attracting more than 230,000 people to the track every year to see one of the greatest spectacles in racing. Shot over two years, this book's specialist panoramic photography gives a real sense of the many aspects that make up the Le Mans experience: the sun setting on night time qualifying, brake discs glowing in the dark, sprawling fan camp sites, and the elation as battered cars complete the epic race. The photos in the book were taken at the height of the battle between Audi and Peugeot for dominance of the track. Featuring the R15, 908 and R18, as well as the other great marques of Le Mans, including Aston Martin, Corvette, Ferrari, and Porsche, this book is a timeless tribute to the Le Mans 24 Hours.

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.

Officially licensed with the ACO, the organisers of the annual Le Mans 24 Hours race, this sumptuous book is the seventh title in this decade-by-decade series and completes coverage of the endurance classic from its very beginning to the end of the 20th century. This title covers the nine races of the 1930s (no race was held in 1936) in which honours were divided between Italian, French and British manufacturers. Each race is exhaustively covered in vivid photographs, an insightful commentary providing more detailed information than has ever been published about the period, and full statistics. Compiled by an acknowledged authority of this legendary race, this series of books is treasured by all enthusiasts of sports car racing. In the 1930 race Bentley achieved its fourth consecutive success, Woolf Barnato and Glen Kidston the winning drivers in the very same 'Speed Six' with which they had won in 1929. Two of Britain's greats of the era, Earl Howe and Henry Birkin, won for Alfa Romeo in 1931, beginning a four-race victory streak for the Italian manufacturer. Tazio Nuvolari, the outstanding Grand Prix ace of the pre-war decade, secured an intensely dramatic last-lap victory in 1933 in the closest Le Mans finish to date. Lagonda (1935) and Delahaye (1938) secured a win each, while Bugatti took two with the great Jean-Pierre Wimille driving its innovative Type 57 'Tank' cars, with all-enclosing bodywork. Highly detailed year-by-year treatment of the decade's nine races, giving unprecedented depth of information and photographic coverage for each year. Official status provides a number of unique features, including the reproduction of photographs and full-colour race poster artwork from the ACO's archives.Complete data for each year includes technical regulations, entry list, circuit changes (with diagram), full results and category awards. The whole work is beautifully designed and presented.

The amazing and dramatic story of Bill Lester, one of the most well-known NASCAR drivers in history-and a pioneer whose determination and spirit has paved the way for a new generation of racers. Winning in Reverse tells the story of Bill Lester whose love for racing eventually compelled him to quit his job as an engineer to pursue racing full time. Blessed with natural talent, Bill still had a trifecta of odds against him: he was black, he was middle aged, and he wasn't a southerner. Bill Lester rose above it all, as did his rankings, and he made history time and time again, becoming the first African American to race in NASCAR's Busch Series, the first to participate in the Nextel Cup and the first to win a Pole Position start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Whether you are contemplating a career or lifestyle change, challenging social norms, or struggling against prejudice or bigotry, Winning in Reverse is a story for sports fans and readers everywhere about the power of perseverance in the face of adversity.

Officially licensed with the ACO, the organisers of the annual Le Mans 24 Hours race, this sumptuous book is the sixth title in a decade-by-decade series that is building up into a multi-volume set covering every race. This title covers the seven 24 Hours races of the 1920s, plus, as a prologue, all the events held at the Le Mans circuit during the period 1906-23. Each running of the 24 Hours is exhaustively covered in vivid photographs, an insightful commentary providing more detailed information than has ever been published about the period, and full statistics. Compiled by an acknowledged authority of this legendary race, this series of books is treasured by all enthusiasts of sports car racing.

This was the defining decade for the Le Mans 24 Hours. It started with six consecutive victories by Ferrari, overwhelming Aston Martin and Maserati. But then Ford threw its all-American dollars at the race and won it four times in a technically exciting period that also brought the competitive emergence of brands such as Alfa Romeo, Matra, Porsche and Renault. The participation of great automobile manufacturers spurred the development of many iconic racing cars: Ferrari Testa Rossa and GTO, Ford GT40 and Daytona Cobra, Porsche 904 and 917. The machines that were specially built for Le Mans evolved through the decade from front-engined brutes to mid-engined monsters. By the end of the period, many of them could achieve more than 200mph (300kph) on the awesome straights that defined the race, thrilling as many as 300,000 spectators at trackside. Almost 50 companies built cars that were raced at Le Mans in the 1960s. The 24 Hours became an annual cauldron of corporate rivalry and a high-speed proving ground for innovative automobile technologies.Above all, it became an incomparably arduous and complex challenge to man and machine that captured the imagination of the public the world over.

When Fiat entered rallying in 1970, its ultimate aim was to become World Rally Champion - and the 131 Abarth of 1976-1980 provided the machinery to make that possible. Within the Fiat-Lancia empire, the 131 Abarth not only replaced the 124 Abarth Spider sports car, but was also favoured ahead of the charismatic Lancia Stratos. By 1970s standards, the 131 Abarth was the most extreme, and effective, of all homologation specials. Compared with the 131 family car on which it was originally based, it had different engine, transmission and suspension layouts, was backed by big budgets and by a team of superstar drivers, and was meant to win all round the world.Not only did it start winning World rallies within months of being launched, but in 1977, 1978 and 1980 the 'works' team also won the World Championship for Makes, and set every standard by which Rally Giants were to be judged. The 131 Abarth was backed by a peerless team of engineers, so was there ever any doubt that successors like the Lancia Rally 037 and the Delta Integrale would eventually come from the same stable?

The Ford GT 40, Alpine, Ferraris, BRM, Lotus, Mini Cooper and more, apotheoses of design and mechanical thunder, outdared each other continuously in pursuit of the top spot, in rallies and endurance races such as Le Mans. Indeed, it was in 1966 that one of the authors of this work, Johnny Rives, got to drive the n° 53 car down the Hunaudières straight. The drivers, whether at Le Mans, in hill-climbs or on the first circuits of what had not yet become the full circus that is Formula 1, were universally accessible and welcoming, smiling at amateurs and the media, who were not yet clustered in droves around the route or track. Amazing memories! Text in English and French.

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.

Ever since its launch in 1959 the original Mini has been a stalwart of the motor racing scene. Even today, there is a bewildering array of formulae that it can compete in. This book explains how to prepare a historic mini to the original pre-1966 Appendix K standard, which provides the racer with the largest choice of national and international events to compete in. The contents include regulations and safety; sourcing a suitable car; every aspect of preparation including body, engine, transmission, electrics and ancillaries; setting up and race preparation and testing and racing.

Drifting is the newest, most exciting motorsport we have seen in the United States since the invention of the limited slip differential - it may be the most exhilarating contest of man and machine ever devised From the winding mountain passes and desolate industrial roads of Japan, this unique sport of sliding a car sideways through a series of corners has become a huge hit in America. Drifting, or dorifto as they call it in Japan, extracts the most exciting aspect auto racing, extreme oversteer, and makes it the focus of an intense and visually intoxicating new motor sport. How to Drift: The Art of Oversteer is a comprehensive guide to both the driving technique and car setup required for drifting. The author defines various precision driving techniques used in drifting and explains them from a racecar driver's point of view. How to Drift illustrates the finer elements of car control required in drifting with technical descriptions, detailed line art and intense photography. This book even includes a budget drift car build-up with detailed suspension, chassis, and engine modifications that will help you turn your economy car into a drift machine-on top of that, there's a chapter detailing the finer aspects of an SR20DET swap

A fascinating insider's look at life behind-the-scenes at Formula One. 'An essential read' AUTOSPORT 'A must for the real inside story' FORMULA 1 RACING 'Recommended for anyone interested in F1 on the inside' MOTORING NEWS Formula One Grand Prix mechanic Steve Matchett takes the reader on a compelling journey through his life in the pit-lane, from his beginnings as a young apprentice, through his time at Ferrari and BMW to his later success with Benetton. He gives eye-witness views of the great drivers, including Michael Schumacher, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. He also talks of key Benetton personalities, and explains how the team was transformed into a strong, competitive organisation, winning three World Championships. His determination and frustration in trying - and eventually succeeding - to break into the high-pressure world of Formula One leaps off the page.

Experience the full career of racing legend Mario Andretti as recounted by the champion himself. The core of this biography is presented via interviews Andretti has given over the decades and expertly brought together by author Mario Donnini. Anecdotes, testimonials, quips, and jokes come together to give new light on motor racing history. Mario Andretti is a legend in two worlds: Europe and the United States. Some of his accolades and championships include: -1978 Formula 1 World Champion, -1969 Indianapolis 500 Victor -1965, 1966, 1984 IndyCar Champion -1967, 1970, 1972 12 Hours of Sebring Victor -24 Hours of Daytona Victor, and many other endurance classics What counts most is that Mario is the last F1 world champion whose mother tongue is Italian, even if he did win the title when he was an American citizen. The volume contains hundreds of pictures--many of them previously unpublished--which illustrate the long and unrepeatable career of an all-time authentic icon of motor sport.

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.