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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Motor sports
'Rocket' Ron Haslam started racing on the professional circuit in 1972 at the age of 15 and developed into one of the finest, and fastest, racers the UK has ever seen. Winner of three World titles and four British championships, as well as a record six Macau GPs, he rode in more than 100 Grands Prix. Despite tragically losing two of his brothers in motorbike accidents, Haslam kept on riding, setting speed records wherever he went. His son, Leon, the 'Pocket Rocket', is following in his father's extremely speedy footsteps. A national Motorcross champion and national Scooter champion at the age of just 14, he became the youngest ever rider to compete in the 500cc World Championship and is now one of Britain's top racers, competing for Stiggy Honda in the World Superbike Championship. This is the extraordinary story of a father and a son who are addicted to motorbikes, with all the thrills and spills, miraculous escapes and multiple broken bones that involves. Both colourful characters, their story takes us all the way from the 1970s to today and is full of hilarious high-octane derring-do, a cast of characters including legends like Fast Freddie Spencer and Barry Sheene, and nothing less than terrifying but exhilarating adventure.
The 2017 championship is analysed by the authors of this classic official annual, first published with the purpose of informing the public of one of the most compelling and fascinating world championships. Among the new elements for this season is the starting grid of race two, which has been revolutionised in relation to the past, with the winner of the Saturday race obliged to start from ninth place. But the variation of the technical regulation is marginal, apart from the confirmation once more of the various other championships, which were tested over many seasons and reserved for the 1000 and 600 cc, the new entry of the small SuperSport 300 stands out. Apart from the authors telling the stories, there is the work of Fabrizio Porrozzi, one of the best photographers of the SBK World Championship.
"Tales from the Toolbox" is a unique collection of behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes as told, in their own words, by former Grand Prix mechanics who have worked at the top level of the sport during the past 50 years. On the front line of the sport, mixing with drivers and team bosses, they saw a side of it that nobody else got to see and rarely gets to hear about - and this book tells their story. Chapters are themed around a particular aspect of a mechanic's life, ranging from what they consider the highs and lows of their career, to their opinions of drivers and team bosses, the all-nighters, letting off steam, the 'Mechanic's Gallon', nightmare journeys and customs capers. It also reveals a tale of camaraderie between teams and individual mechanics which is hard to imagine in today's highly competitive Formula One environment. The stories are supplemented by photographs from the archives and photo albums of the mechanics themselves, many of which are previously unseen.
This revised reprint of a classic title covers the history and development of the racing Corvettes, from the car's beginnings in the 1950s with just 250 horsepower, through the Corvette GTP of the 1980s, with over 1000 horsepower, and on to 1996 when 4th generation cars give way to the 5th generation. Included are many interviews with the drivers who raced these exciting, weighty and always fast cars, including John Greenwood, Dick Gulstrand, Jerry Grant and `Fast' Phil Curring, amongst others. The book is illustrated with many quality photographs, supplied by General Motors and well-known motoring photographers; it also contains detailed specifications of the production cars, and road test reports.
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 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.
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.
'AN EXCEPTIONAL READ' - Motor Cycle News 'STUART BARKER IS TO WRITING WHAT VALENTINO ROSSI IS TO RIDING [...] A MUST-READ FOR ALL BIKE NUTS' - DAILY MIRROR 'At high speed everything becomes more difficult and more beautiful. When you're racing at 180mph, the semi-bends become bends, the little holes become big holes, everything becomes extreme and bigger. And then it becomes beautiful.' Valentino Rossi is an icon: the most successful and most loved motorcycle racer of all time, he has transcended MotoGP to become a symbol of courage, risk and daring. To race for twenty-three years at the very highest level of the world's most dangerous sport is unprecedented. But then, there has never been a motorcycle racer like Valentino Rossi. He is a modern-day gladiator, a man who still risks his life every time he throws a leg over a motorcycle. Yet for all his two-wheel talents, it is Rossi's endearing character that has seen him transcend the sport. For Rossi, every race is a home race. He turns MotoGP grandstands across the world a sea of yellow - his traditional lucky colour. In more than two decades of Grand Prix racing, he has seen it all. The deaths of rivals and friends, the glory of unprecedented success, serious injuries, fabulous wealth, the greatest battles ever seen on two wheels, the infamous on and off-track clashes with his fiercest rivals . . . Using exclusive new interviews with those who have been part of Rossi's story from start to finish, critically-acclaimed and bestselling motorsport author Stuart Barker has produced the most in-depth book ever written about the Italian superstar - a tale of speed, love and loss, told in full for the very first time, in all its adrenalin-charged, high-octane glory.
**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.
'That evening in the bars in Buckingham and adjacent towns there was only one topic of conversation - the Grand Prix .... motor-racing had 'arrived' in England.' - Motor Sport, 13 May 1950. The British Grand Prix is the oldest race on the Formula 1 calendar, having entertained race fans for over seventy years - and from Kent to Liverpool, the Mirrorpix photographers have been there every step of the way. The F1 World Championship at the British Grand Prix is a race through the highest and lowest moments of a sport that has given us Stirling Moss, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.
For nearly two decades 'A Twist of the Wrist' has been the high performance rider's bible of cornering. Enthusiasts worldwide have used Keith Code's unique perspective on the cornering art to improve there own skills and enjoyment. When Keith began his investigations into cornering in 1976 he left no stone unturned. Code translated his research into the world's number one rider training organisation, The California Superbike School. In addition, his private tutoring work with dozens of roadracers who later became champions is part of the sport's history. This studio recorded, 4 CD audio set is read by the author and contains dozens of new notes and comments that enhance the original work and includes four time World Champion Eddie Lawson's comments on the text.
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.
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
Porsche and motorsport always belonged together - so you would think. But in fact, private owners were the first to be successful with their 356s on the racing tracks. The Porsche 550 Spyder from the 1950s was the first racing car manufactured at the plant - and achieved great successes right from the beginning! Motorsport not only gave Porsche the opportunity to test progressive technology that could be transferred to roadsters, it also was the ideal marketing tool with an enormous influence. Looking back at models like the Porsche 917, 904 and 956, successful serial winners and racing legends emerged from that. Just as legendary are Rene Staud's Porsche photos. As one of the best and most famous automobile photographers in the world, he staged the top-class sports cars in a way so far unmatched. Beyond the racing track's noise and dirt, the Porsche models unfold their unique magic and show the tough developmental work behind them as well as the timelessness of functional design. Text in English and German.
'Every time I have ridden 66, within 10 miles of setting off, I never want that ride to end. I think it's because Route 66 encapsulates struggle, and, ultimately, triumphing over unimaginably difficult conditions. I think everyone can connect with that.' RIDING ROUTE 66 follows Henry Cole as he travels along Route 66, on a journey of self-discovery. Route 66, or the 'Mother Road', is one of the most famous roads in the USA. Crossing the width of the country, it is an immensely challenging road to travel. Henry has ridden it four times. This book is about the freedom that only the road and a motorcycle can give you, and the importance of embracing the highs and lows of life equally. Henry is one of the most well-known figures in motorcycling, having presented over twenty series of many TV shows as well as being the founder of bespoke motorcycle manufacturer Gladstone Motorcyles.
Racecar driver Earnhardt was at the top of his game-until a minor crash resulted in a concussion that would eventually end his 18-year career. In his only authorized book, Dale shares the inside track on his life and work, reflects on NASCAR, the loss of his dad, and his future as a broadcaster, businessperson, and family man. It was a seemingly minor crash at Michigan International Speedway in June 2016 that ended the day early for NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. What he didn't know was that it would also end his driving for the year. He'd dealt with concussions before, but no two are the same. Recovery can be brutal, and lengthy. When Dale retired from professional stock car racing in 2017, he walked away from his career as a healthy man. But for years, he had worried that the worsening effects of multiple racing-related concussions would end not only his time on the track but his ability to live a full and happy life. Torn between a race-at-all-costs culture and the fear that something was terribly wrong, Earnhardt tried to pretend that everything was fine, but the private notes about his escalating symptoms that he kept on his phone reveal a vicious cycle: suffering injuries on Sunday, struggling through the week, then recovering in time to race again the following weekend. In this candid reflection, Earnhardt opens up for the first time about: The physical and emotional struggles he faced as he fought to close out his career on his own terms His frustration with the slow recovery from multiple racing-related concussions His admiration for the woman who stood by him through it all His determination to share his own experience so that others don't have to suffer in silence Steering his way to the final checkered flag of his storied career proved to be the most challenging race and most rewarding finish of his life.
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.
From the first race in 1922, the Ulster Grand Prix has been one of the most thrilling events in the international motorcycling calendar, attracting enormous crowds of spectators to watch the world's great riders in action. Now, a century on, the UGP holds a special place in the hearts of fans here in Northern Ireland and across the world. A lifelong fan, Norman Windrum has been attending the UGP for seventy-five years and has an unmatched knowledge of the race and its history. In this new book, he vividly captures the excitement of the event, from Hubert Hassall's win in the first race in 1922 to Tom Herron's magnificent treble in 1978 and the domination of the Dunlop dynasty from the 1980s on. With over 100 photographs, alongside lively commentary and stories, and bringing together statistics about the race from across its entire history, this is the definitive account of one hundred years of the Ulster Grand Prix.
Ferrari means red. It means racing. Excellence, luxury, and performance. Less well-known is the man behind the brand. For nearly seventy years, Enzo Ferrari dominated a motor-sports empire that defined the world of high-performance cars. Next to the Pope, Ferrari was the most revered man in Italy. But was he the benign padrone portrayed by an adoring world press at the time, or was he a ruthless despot, who drove his staff to the edge of madness, and his racing drivers even further? Brock Yates's definitive biography penetrated Ferrari's elaborately constructed veneer and uncovered the truth behind Ferrari's bizarre relationships, his work with Mussolini's fascists, and his fanatical obsession with speed. "A fascinating and provocative book" The Observer.
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. |
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