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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Motor sports
'This pacy history of a legendary brand is a love letter to an era of gears and gasoline now accelerating towards its twilight' - Financial Times '[Told] with a genuine affection ... a glorious tale of British seat-of-the-pants invention' - Mail on Sunday --------- From bestselling author, racer and stunt driver Ben Collins - the man who was The Stig - comes a story of spies, speed and hard-driving genius: a driver's love letter to one of the world's best-loved machines. Aston Martin's first, wickedly fast models were forged at a time when Ferrari's premises at Maranello was nothing but a ploughed field. This book celebrates a century of innovators who kept the fire burning brightly for over a century, from the visionary pioneers Martin and Bamford to modern-day design guru Adrian Newey; from a glamorous web of pre- and post-war spies and racing drivers, to David Brown and the achingly beautiful DB models beloved of Bonds past and present. Ben Collins explores the car with the double-o prefix from a unique perspective behind the wheel, carving through country lanes in his father's V8 Vantage, driving Aston Martins in four James Bond movies and competing against them in the legendary Le Mans 24-hour race. Ultimately, this is a very British success story: of a triumph of engineering that has burned brightly from the Roaring 20s to the 2020s, and an iconic car that never says die.
This book presents the first 50 years of the history of the Misano World Circuit "Marco Simoncelli". This historic track - the "Autodromo del mare" or seaside circuit - has witnessed unforgettable chapters in the history of motorsport, on two wheels and four, from the very first season in 1972 when the facility was inaugurated, through to the present day. The texts and the extraordinary photographs accompany readers along a thrilling exploration of the history of a circuit that has hosted the world's greatest riders and drivers from every decade. In a chronological narration that sets out from Emilia-Romagna's Motor Valley of the early 20th century, the book describes the principal races held at the Misano circuit, from the pioneering 1970s with the unforgettable duels on two wheels involving the likes of Giacomo Agostini and Renzo Pasolini to those on four wheels featuring Italian and international drivers. Then came the 1980s, with the motorcycling World Championship arriving on the Riviera together with F.2 and F.3 single-seaters and sports prototype and GT cars. The 1990s instead heralded the Superbike championship and the Super Turismo touring cars. The new millennium has seen the circuit develop into an avant-garde facility on all fronts, capable of hosting international events and prestigious collateral events. The volume is edited by Marco Montemaggi, coordinator and author of numerous books on Italian industrial culture and, in the motor industry, former director of the Ducati Museum and former scientific curator of the Motor Valley project. A scientific committee made up of highly experienced authors and personalities such as Andrea Albani, Davide Bagnaresi, Marco Masetti, Luigi Rivola and Sergio Remondino contributed with passion to the creation of the volume, assisted by many of the protagonists of Italian motorsport, always close to the Misano World Circuit.
Laurel and Hardy, Ant and Dec, Morecambe and Wise, Herbert and Hill. The history of entertainment is studded with brilliant comic duos. Johnny Herbert and Damon Hill between them competed in 261 Grands Prix, amassing twenty-five wins, forty-nine podium finishes, one World Championship, 458 championship points, a Le Mans win, two smashed ankles, a broken arm, wrist and leg, sixty broken ribs, and two bruised egos. Having retired from racing, Johnny and Damon have become the one constant for passionate English F1 fans in a rapidly changing landscape. They have earned cult status as commentators and pundits, with viewers loving their unerring dedication to the sport’s greatness. Drawing on a lifetime of sniffing petrol fumes, Lights Out, Full Throttle stands large over the landscape of Formula One and takes the temperature of the good, the bad and the ugly of the petrolhead’s paradise. It offers F1 fans a tour of the sport – from Monaco to Silverstone; Johnny’s crowd-surfing and Bernie’s burger bar; the genius of Adrian Newey and Colin Chapman; why Lewis Hamilton will never, ever move to Ferrari (probably); getting the yips; money; safety; what it’s like to have an out-of-body experience while driving a car in the pouring rain at 200mph; and the future of the sport in the wake of Covid-19 and Black Lives Matter. Whether you’re a fan of Nigel, Niki, Kimi or Britney, pine for the glory days of Brabham, Williams, Jim Clark and Fangio, or believe that Lewis is one year away from retiring as the GOAT, Lights Out, Full Throttle is the oily rag for the petrolhead fan to inhale while waiting for the racers to line up on the grid.
'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.
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.
Originally published in 1964, Bruce McLaren's autobiography From the Cockpit is classic motor racing memoir. So scarce and expensive are original copies that Evm Publishing, in collaboration with McLaren, is reissuing a facsimile version for all fans to enjoy. In his own words, Bruce describes his inspiring climb up the ladder of motor racing success, culminating in the inception of Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd in 1963. Engaging to read, his book provides fascinating insight into not only his accomplishments but also his unique character, charm and tenacity. In his own words, 'Life is measured in achievement, not in years alone.'
The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge is an endurance ride that takes participants across the United States. Riding 20 hours a day or more for 7-12 days straight, they traverse back roads, brave dangerous conditions and battle mental and physical exhaustion. Fewer than 10 percent of participants are women. They take on the challenge and they excel! Chronicling the journeys of 14 women who participated in the Hoka Hey (Lakota for "Let's do it!") from 2010 to 2013, this feminist cultural analysis relates their often harrowing stories of life on the road and draws comparisons to women in other sports.
No Breaks: A Lost Season in British Speedway is a story of survival. Once the country's second most popular sport, filling Wembley Stadium for meetings, speedway now gets by on crowds numbered in the hundreds. It's been banished to industrial estates in towns like Redcar and Scunthorpe and generally forgotten by the mainstream media. And yet, going into 2020, things were looking up: several star riders were returning to race in Britain for the first time in years and a new, long-term TV contract was in place. Then the coronavirus lockdown happened, cancelling the league season and threatening the sport's very existence. Starting in September 2019, No Breaks hears from those who earn a living from speedway - the riders - and those who continue to keep it alive against the odds: the promoters and fans. Month by month, the book explores British speedway's current health - itself a reflection of wider society - while shining a much-needed light on many compelling and positive stories.
The voice of motor racing and much loved public figure - and the man responsible for introducing millions of viewers to the previously inaccessible world of Formula 1 - tells the story of his incident-packed life, with a brand new chapter on his globetrotting adventures since retirement. Murray Walker is a national treasure. When the man who made famous the catch phrase 'Unless I'm very much mistaken... I AM very much mistaken!!!' announced that he was retiring as ITV's Grand Prix commentator, the media reacted as if the sport itself was losing one of its biggest stars. His reputation for mistakes was the making of Walker. He was the fan who happened to be given the keys to the commentary box - and never wanted to give them back. His high-octane delivery kept viewers on the edge of their seats, while his passion for talking about the sport he loved was matched by an all-encompassing knowledge gained through hours of painstaking research before every race. In his book he writes about his childhood and the influence that his father, British motorcycle champion Graham Walker, had on his career. Failing to match his father's achievements on the track after active service in World War II, he made a successful career for himself in advertising which catapulted him to the top of his profession. An offer from the BBC to take over the commentary seat for their F1 broadcasts was too good to turn down, and it wasn't long before the infamous 'Murrayisms' enlivened a sport which until then had been shrouded in a cloak of unfathomable technical jargon and mind-numbing statistics. He also talks about the biggest changes in the sport over the last 50 years, in particular the safety issues which came to the fore after the tragic death of Ayrton Senna, which he witnessed first hand. His partnership with James Hunt behind the microphone is the subject of some hilarious anecdotes, while his views on drivers past and present such as Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher make for fascinating reading.
Henry Neil "Soapy" Castles grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, and became involved in its pioneering auto racing scene at an early age. Graduating from soapbox derby cars to midgets and sprints and finally to stock cars, he sometimes crashed, sometimes won, saw friends die horribly, and became a champion. Eventually he left the racetrack for Hollywood where he became a stuntman working alongside such stars as Rory Calhoun, Elvis Presley, Kenny Rodgers, Richard Pryor and Andy Griffith. In the 1990s, groundwater contamination at Castle's truck repair business from an Exxon oil storage facility cost him an eye and most of his lungs. His decade-long class action lawsuit won him millions in compensation. Now in his mid-eighties, Castles is still going strong, procuring vehicles for movie and television projects.
While the demonstrations of Spring 1968 all around the world were not the playing field of DPPI's (Diffusion Presse Photo International) photographers, the latter happily continued to flourish in the extraordinary world of motor racing, the atmosphere of which they captured to perfection. Their purpose was both to translate into images impressions like the frightening average speed per lap of 243 km/hr of the Belgian Grand Prix on the Spa-Francorchamps track or the clearance, complete with major skidding, of a snow-covered pass during the Monte-Carlo Rally, and to serve as complicit witnesses to the mixture of tension and freedom that inhabits these men and women of the racing world who gathered each weekend to share triumph and tragedy. It comes as no surprise that such a concentration of action and emotion made a strong impression on the public and inspired brands and emerging marketing services seeking new channels of communication. Text in English and French.
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.
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.
The Spanish rider Carlos Checa triumphed in the 2011 World Superbike Championship aboard the Italian Ducati. Second and third places in the standings went to the excellent Marco Melandri, in his first year in the SBK series, and to Max Biaggi, winner of the 2010 edition. The 2012 season opened at Philip Island in Australia, inaugurating a championship that will also see a race in Russia at the brand-new Moscow Raceway. Once again, this edition of the Superbike World Championship Official Book is intended as the reference volume for the world of production-derived" racers, the bikes that have for many years now represented the beating heart of motorcycle sport, combining fierce competition with high technology, without neglecting the close ties with road-going machinery. Race by race, the book describes the 2012 season, above all through the spectacular photos taken by Fabrizio Porrozzi, complemented by the ever-pertinent texts of his brother Claudio. As well as reporting on the major championship, the book also features chapters devoted to the other categories (Supersport, Superstock 1000, Superstock 600) completing the packed World Championship programme.
The incredible rags-to-riches story of one of the world's greatest motorcycle racers. From humble beginnings in 1930s London, to winning six world titles, Jim Redman MBE is one of GPs most extraordinary characters, and a true legend of motorcycle racing. After migrating to South Africa, he started his racing career in the mid-fifties, and was awarded an MBE in 1964 - a year that also saw him win three World Championships in a single day, a feat, to this day, matched only by Mike Hailwood.During the mid-60s, Jim was THE man to beat on track, but a bad crash at the '66 Belgian GP ended his racing career. Following this, Jim was involved in a number of business ventures - including helping his two sons with their own successful sports careers, and owning a champion sire race horse - until, in 1995, he once again took up a career in racing as a Classic Racer and Demonstration Rider.
The inspirational story of the female motorsport pioneer who broke through the gender barrier to compete in and win some of the most iconic rallies in the world. Rosemary Smith is recognised internationally for her outstanding achievements in the world of motorsport. A female pioneer in a notoriously male-dominated sport, she drove in the Monte Carlo rally eight times, winning the Coupe des Dames on numerous occasions as well as competing in most other iconic rallies all over the world, including the London to Sydney in 1968, the World Cup London to Mexico in 1970 and the East African Safari Rally in the 1970s. In a Hillman Imp, Rosemary won the Tulip Rally outright, beating all the male drivers to the finish. Now, for the first time, Rosemary reveals the inside story of her amazing life, recounting many memorable adventures and exploits both on and off the track. But Rosemary's story is not all fast cars and marathon rallies. She writes with honesty about her early life, about a disastrous marriage and money troubles - and how she overcame it all.
The world of Champ Car auto racing had changed. As cars became more sophisticated, the cost of supporting a team had skyrocketed, making things difficult for team owners. In an effort to increase purses paid by racing promoters and win lucrative television contracts, a group of owners formed Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) in 1978. Soon after, CART split from its sanctioning body, the United States Auto Club (USAC). Though champ cars ran on numerous tracks, the Indianapolis 500 was the payday that supported most teams through the season. From the beginning, CART had most of the successful teams and popular drivers, and they focused on driving a wedge between the track owners and the USAC. Over the next 30 years, the tension between CART and USAC ebbed and flowed until all parties realized that reunification was needed for the sake of the sport. This book details the fight over control of Champ Car racing before reunification in 2008.
Storming the beach at Normandy 70 years ago, little did a 19-year old farm boy Spartanburg, South Carolina, know the incredible times that were in store for him. Fighting for his country at war, Bud Moore earned five Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars, captured with his jeep driver in enemy headquarters of more than 30 German officers and soldiers, and survived to return home and launch a career of enormous fame and wealth. Beginning as one of NASCAR stock car racing's true pioneers, Bud Moore won countless races in the rough and tumble days of the sport and continued on to win three Grand National Championships, a Grand American Championship, and the Sports Car Club of America Trans Am Championship. He won all those while victorious in three Southern 500s, the Daytona 500, and dozens of other major NASCAR events. A Who's Who of America's best drivers have chauffeured Bud Moore machines such as Buck Baker, Buddy Baker, Joe Weatherly, Joe Eubanks, Bobby Allison, David Pearson, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, George Follmer, Lloyd Ruby, Tiny Lund, Darel Dieringer, Billy Wade, Peter Revson, Geoff Bodine, Jack Smith, Speedy Thompson, Fireball Roberts, and many many more. But racing also had a very high price as in less than a year his drivers Joe Weatherly and Billy Wade made the ultimate sacrifice of being killed in their primes piloting Bud Moore racecars. So ever since he entered the sport, Bud Moore continued to find ways to improve the cars making them not only faster, but safer. His innovations were immediately adopted by NASCAR and the automobile manufacturers and many are still in use today. Bud Moore did it all while providing for his wife of 63 years and helping raise three wonderful boys. Very few men or women have had the opportunity to serve their country and excel in their chosen field as did Bud Moore has. Now a gentleman farmer, he tells it all here; the danger and the daring, the heartbreak and the triumph, and the winning the ultimate honor that his sport can bestow.
A new edition of the universally acclaimed out-of-print 1997 book is lightly edited & completely redesigned in colour throughout. This classic of motor racing celebrates the life and achievements of Jim Clark (1936-1968), World Champion 1963 and 1965. A royalty on every copy sold in Britain (price GBP22.50) will be donated to the Jim Clark Trust. Patrons Sir Jackie Stewart, David Coulthard, Dario Franchitti and Allan McNish celebrate the new edition, Sir Jackie describing Clark as "...the best racing driver I ever raced with and against". Three times Le Mans winner Allan McNish: "A modern driver winning the British Grand Prix, racing in Formula 2, then at Indianapolis would be unthinkable." David Coulthard: "There is no question that Jim's achievements and Jackie Stewart's input were fundamental to me becoming a professional racing driver." Eric Dymock details Clark's place in motor racing history and total command of Formula 1, portraying him as an individual, nail-biting and insecure, yet the greatest driver in any sort of motor sport.Celebrating the life and achievements of Jim Clark (1936-1968), Formula 1 World Champion 1963 and 1965, this book details his place in motor racing history and his total command at the wheel. From a Scottish farming family, Clark rewrote the annals of American racing at Indianapolis, second at his first attempt in 1963, winning in 1965. Seemingly equal to the odds of the most dangerous eight years at the top of motor racing, Clark died in an unlikely accident in a minor race at Hockenheim on April 7 1968. Genius at the wheel was not enough. Rivals' campaigns for safety thereafter saved countless lives on and off the track.
LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018 This is my life, not the stuff you've seen, but the things you haven't. This is my childhood growing up in the West Country, my struggles, my doubts and my hopes. It's the people I've met in my seventeen years in Formula One, many of whom I've loved, some of whom I definitely haven't. It's the laughs I've shared, the battles I've fought, some on the track with rivals and friends like Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. It's the pressure I struggled with as I closed in on my World Championship in 2009, it's the calm I felt every time I settled into the cockpit. It's my dad - the many times he saved me, the one moment he doubted me, the hole in my life he left me. It's everything in one go, the good days as well as the bad. A life lived not just as a racing driver but, ultimately, as a human being.
Almost unknown when in 1945 he purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and its famous race, the Indianapolis 500, Tony Hulman soon became a household name in auto racing circles. He is credited with not only saving the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - shuttered during World War II - from becoming a residential housing development but also with re-invigorating auto racing in the United States. Until his purchase of the Speedway, Hulman had not been involved in auto racing; he was the CEO of Hulman & Company, a wholesale grocer. An astute businessman, Hulman made Clabber Girl Baking Powder a national brand. With the rise of the chain grocery stores, such as Kroger, the wholesale grocery industry was slowly consolidating. Hulman successfully led the reorientation of the family fortunes to include a range of businesses including a beer company, a Coca-Cola franchise, a broadcast empire and real estate and gas companies. The book traces the rise of Hulman & Company from a small wholesale grocer in Terre Haute to a dominant regional business, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indianapolis 500 races during Hulman's tenure and his other major investments as well as his philanthropy, particularly to higher education in Terre Haute. |
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