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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Motor sports
10 September 1961: at the boomerang-shaped racetrack at Monza half
a dozen teams are preparing for the Italian Grand Prix. It is the
biggest race anyone can remember. Phil Hill - the first American to
break into the top ranks of European racing - and his Ferrari
teammate, Count Wolfgang von Trips - a German nobleman with a
movie-star manner - face one another in a race that will decide the
winner of the Formula One drivers' championship. By the day's end,
one man will clinch that prize. The other will perish face down on
the track. Seeped in danger, seductive glamour and burning rivalry,
this is the story of two young men living in the shadow of oblivion
and dicing with death.
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.
This book details the origin and history of the Mirage sports cars,
designed by the British-based John Wyer Automotive firm to contest
the various versions of the World Sports Car Championship between
1967 and 1975, funded by the Gulf Oil Corporation. The cars began
as developments of the Ford GT40, but they soon assumed their own
identity. After 1975, the Mirage was no longer in John Wyer hands,
but the name lived on, and the marque remained a significant player
in the World Championship for some years. This book includes the
developmental and race history, with a full list of all events and
individual chassis numbers.
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.
At 10 o'clock on the twenty-eighth of May 1907 the first Isle of
Man Tourist Trophy motorcycle road race began. The riders pushed
off on their 500cc single cylinder bikes and ten laps and 158 miles
later, Charlie Collier aboard a Matchless would be declared the
victor. This book is a history and celebration of the bikes of
those early years of the TT races. It covers the events and
personalities that led to the creation of the race and its
challenging course; the early success of the British motorcycle
manufacturers: Norton, Velocette, AJS and Matchless and their
riders. The origins of the Italian Fours: Gilera and MV Agusta
Quattro are covered and the influence and reign of the Japanese
manufacturers too are covered: Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki.
There are also details of the technical developments that enabled
the bikes to conquer the mountain course with world-record beating
times.
This is the previously untold story of a very special British
racing team. The British Racing Partnership (BRP), which operated
from 1958 to 1964, is best known for its association with Stirling
Moss, who was driving a BRP-entered car at Goodwood on that fateful
day in 1962 when a serious crash ended his career. Less familiarly,
BRP became the first fully sponsored team in Formula 1, partnering
with Yeoman Credit, a go-ahead finance house, in an initiative that
led to a transformation of the sport. This book tells the entire
history of BRP in unprecedented detail, thanks to the author's
prodigious research and numerous interviews over the years with
many leading participants, including Moss himself, team boss Ken
Gregory, top driver Tony Brooks, chief mechanic Tony Robinson and
many others. Lavishly produced and illustrated with more than 300
period photographs, this book will be treasured by all motorsport
enthusiasts.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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