While automobile races had been held in Europe earlier, it was not until after 1900 that organized races were held in the United States. These contests took the form of road races--usually over a series of connected links of the best roads available. The most important of the early races were held on Long Island, New York.

As a result of the efforts of the Savannah Automobile Club, the International Grand Prize Race of the Automobile Club of America was held in Savannah, Georgia, for the first time in November of 1908 and was enormously successful. In 1910 and again in 1911 the most famous drivers and the finest racing cars from all over the world returned to the city for the Grand Prize Race. The 1911 event attracted thousands more who came to witness the famous Vanderbilt Cup Race, the fastest race of this length up to that time (291 miles in 3 hours and 56 minutes).

Julian K. Quattlebaum was among those who lined the Savannah race course for a glimpse of the big Fiats, Loziers, and Mercedes that roared around the turns, across the finish line, and into autoracing history. He has written a new introduction to this edition and has gone through his collection of early photographs of the cars, the drivers, and the races to add to the generous selection of illustrations in the original edition.

Living with motorcycles, each with a distinct personality, and riding the backroads, learning more about life from each motorcycle. Motorcycles are living, breathing creatures and all riders believe this, regardless of what they admit. This book takes you on the ride. Hang on tightly

While automobile races had been held in Europe earlier, it was not until after 1900 that organized races were held in the United States. These contests took the form of road races--usually over a series of connected links of the best roads available. The most important of the early races were held on Long Island, New York. As a result of the efforts of the Savannah Automobile Club, the International Grand Prize Race of the Automobile Club of America was held in Savannah, Georgia, for the first time in November of 1908 and was enormously successful. In 1910 and again in 1911 the most famous drivers and the finest racing cars from all over the world returned to the city for the Grand Prize Race. The 1911 event attracted thousands more who came to witness the famous Vanderbilt Cup Race, the fastest race of this length up to that time (291 miles in 3 hours and 56 minutes). Julian K. Quattlebaum was among those who lined the Savannah race course for a glimpse of the big Fiats, Loziers, and Mercedes that roared around the turns, across the finish line, and into autoracing history. He has written a new introduction to this edition and has gone through his collection of early photographs of the cars, the drivers, and the races to add to the generous selection of illustrations in the original edition.

On a cold February day in 1979, when most of the Northeast was snowed in by a blizzard, NASCAR entered the American consciousness with a dramatic telecast of the Daytona 500. It was the first 500-mile race to be broadcast live on national television and featured the heroes and legends of the sport racing on a hallowed track. With one of the wildest finishes in sports history--a finish that was just the start of the drama--everything changed for what is now America's second most popular sport.
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HE CRASHED ME SO I CRASHED HIM BACK is the story of an emerging sport trying to find its feet. It's the story of how Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, A.J. Foyt, and Kyle Petty came together in an unforgettable season that featured the first nationally televised NASCAR races. There were rivalries--even the sibling kind--and plenty of fistfights, feuds, and frenzied finishes. Rollicking and full of larger-than-life characters, HE CRASHED ME SO I CRASHED HIM BACK is the remarkable tale of the birth of modern stock-car racing.

A Practical Guide to Race Car Data Analysis was written for the amateur and lower-level professional racers who either have a data system in their cars or who may be thinking about installing one but who do not have access to an experienced data engineer. Many of the data systems available today at reasonable prices offer capabilities that only professional race teams could afford just a few years ago. Unfortunately, most of these racers do not know how to use more than a small part of those capabilities. Using real track data, numerous real-world examples, and more than 200 illustrations, the Guide gives them the knowledge and skills they need to select, configure and use their data systems efficiently and effectively. Beginning with a detailed discussion of the things racers need to know about the hardware and software necessary for a an effective data system, the Guide continues with chapters on basic data analysis tools, more sophisticated data analysis tools like x-y plots and math channels, damper potentiometers and the wealth of important data they produce, brake and clutch pressure sensors, and creative use of math channels. The Guide concludes with a comprehensive scheme for analyzing data, examples of the data views used with the scheme, and detailed information on how to create and configure the data views.

Meditations on maximum velocity. An introspective history of the land speed record.

Volume 1 of the Cole Coonce drag strip reader. Churned out between races while sitting in a trackside porta-potty, Coonce's collection of incendiary drag strip journalism was written during his days at Super Stock & Drag Illustrated, Full Throttle News and Nitronic Research, between his stints as a guitar player in Braindead Soundmachine and his return to show business as Angelyne's fluffer in Studio City, California. Its 256 pages of ack-ack includes "Viva La Nitro " and "Who's Afraid of Arley Langlo?"

The growth of sports car racing in Northeast America was not painless. Tragedy, mystery, subterfuge, intrigue, and an adherence to a particular club philosophy all featured in its story during the 1950s, when professionalism in the sport was always bubbling under the surface. The northeast area of America has long been considered the cradle of post World War II sports car racing; the Sports Car Club of America was founded there, and it was the entry point to America for a host of European sports cars. Early in the 1950s, road races had been permitted by some State authorities, but due to fatal accidents a ban on such racing came into effect. Forced to find alternative venues, the motor clubs were attracted to civil airports and a few military bases. But the drivers craved more challenging venues on which to hone their skills. This resulted in a few individuals chancing their reputation - and a great deal of money - and opening purpose-built circuits. This book gives a unique insight into this intriguing journey through the decade. Extensively researched, the compelling story and stunning contemporary photos, many previously unpublished, paint a fascinating portrait of a nascent sport coming into its own.

If you are determined to WIN but you have more motivation than money, Think Fast is the book you have been looking for. Neil's clear and entertaining guidance will show you how to overcome your competitors' bigger budgets and finish ahead of them. Unlike any other auto racing technology book, Think Fast is not about the technology, but about WHY TO use some technologies and avoid others in your quest to WIN races. Think Fast can help any race car driver or race engineer tackle the big challenges and cross the finish line FIRST. Think Fast is a professional racing industry insider's detailed description of his unique process that makes racing drivers and race cars faster and work together more effectively. Both driver and car development techniques are covered, including very cost effective approaches to problems faced by every motorsports competitor. There are numerous ideas that will help any racer, from an autocrosser on a shoestring budget to a top echelon racing team engineer with extensive, state of the art engineering development resources. Both road course and oval track racers can benefit from the many original concepts that are included in Think Fast. Highly technical subjects are presented clearly, while mathematical equations are avoided entirely. Think Fast is intended to complement other racing technology books that are already on the reader's shelf. Think Fast is divided into two sections, Fast Fundamentals and Fast Physics. Fast Fundamentals presents the short list of challenges faced by the racer that matter the most and includes an extensive, clear discussion about each challenge. Fast Fundamentals includes an extensive chapter on highly innovative race car driver development techniques. Fast Physics is more technically oriented and presents hundreds of lessons learned, engineering concepts, tips, and tricks that have never been revealed in print until now.

A turn-by-turn driving guide to the Laguna Seca Raceway for the high performance driving enthusiast features illustrations showing the driving line for each corner, track entry, and track exit, and photographs from the driver's perspective of each section of track.

Frazier Douglass has camped with a motorcycle for over ten years and quickly learned that it's an inexpensive way to travel. Increasing gasoline prices now make motorcycle-camping a viable vacation option for an increasing number of people. It's easy to experience nature, travel and camp comfortably in state, national or private campgrounds. Douglass shares his tips on camping gear, including sleeping bags, sleeping pads, kitchen supplies, cooking and many other items, which can easily be packed on a motorcycle without a trailer or a chase vehicle. He shows how to pack these items safely when riding with a travel companion, and how to use the supplies in the campground. He provides crucial information on how to stay dry in wet weather and how to stay warm in cold weather and presents solutions to dozens of practical problems that might be encountered when camping on a motorcycle trip. Comprehensive and organized, Lightweight Camping for Motorcycle Travel summarizes the preparation that should be done before taking an initial motorcycle camping trip, goes through each step of the trip, and provides practical information and advice. Douglass addresses issues critical to every motorcycle camper, sharing the wisdom he has acquired in his travels.

This book examines the popularity of NASCAR and its role as sport, business, and religion in America. When Dale Earnhardt died in a fiery crash at Daytona Motor Speedway on February 18, 2001, the world stopped turning for millions of race fans. Lovers of the sport enshrined his iconic number 8 car and his racing legacy with a worship and reverence never before seen in the sport of car racing. Fascinated by the response of the media and the fans to Earnhardt's death - and grieving himself over such an untimely loss - L. D. Russell began exploring the deep attraction to cars, tracks, and speed driving fan's love of stock car racing and their adulation of Earnhardt. "Godspeed" records Russell's visits to rural race tracks, to races at Darlington Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Lowe's Motor Speedway, and Richmond International Raceway, and his conversations with NASCAR chaplains and fans about their love of the sport. Russell weaves his own reflections on the meaning of speed, death, and religion into a colorful story that covers the thrill and agony of racing as well as its tremendous popularity. Over the last decade, NASCAR has become the fastest-growing spectator sport in America. First, this phenomenon indicates that the sport has moved well beyond its Southern blue-collar roots to capture the hearts and souls of Americans at every socioeconomic level. Second, the mourning over Earnhardt indicates that at its deepest level NASCAR, like every religion, satisfies a basic human need: it is at the same time a celebration of life and a way of dealing with death. For seasoned NASCAR fans, "Godspeed" offers reflections on the history of racing and the lore and legends of the sport. For first-time fans, the book provides an in-depth look at the reasons that so many are attracted to the roar of engines and possibility of witnessing death on a Sunday afternoon at the track. For the uninitiated, "Godspeed" offers an absorbing introduction to enthralling appeal of car racing. Russell looks at both the intangible and tangible rewards that NASCAR offers its followers, as well as the ways it meets its followers' needs, particularly in the experience of transcending life's limitations. For anyone who's ever been spellbound by the electrifying power of speeding cars hurtling hellbound toward a checkered flag, "Godspeed" takes you behind the wheel to experience the exhilarating thrills of NASCAR and its tremendous existential appeal.

Since 1960, the first official rumble of high-performance engines has echoed across Southern California's Fairplex at Pomona, signaling not just the beginning of another year of exciting NHRA Drag Racing, but also the launch of a thousand dreams of glory. From Don Garlits' first winged dragster in 1963 or his revolutionary rear-engine Top Fueler in 1971 to Bill Jenkins' tube-framed Vega Pro Stocker and Kenny Bernstein's aerodynamically enhanced Budweiser King Funny Cars, the Winternationals has always been fertile ground for the birth of new technologies and the launchpad for drivers to stake their claims at one of NHRA's most majestic events. In 2010, the Winternationals celebrates its Golden Anniversary. In these pages, you'll relive the excitement and wonder of every Winternationals and explore in-depth the many facets of the event's intriguing history, from the heroes of the dragstrip to the machines they drove to glory.

The late 1960s and early 1970s were a significant era in the world of international sports car racing. As the motor racing rule-making body moved back and forth between cars that less and less resembled road going vehicles, prototype sports car racing captured the imagination of manufacturers, teams and fans alike. Porsche vs. Ferrari vs. Alfa Romeo vs. Matra provided some of the best racing for sports cars ever witnessed, and by 1973, the Matra prototype - little more than a Grand Prix car with full bodywork - was dominating the scene. That period has always been viewed as one of the great eras in sports car racing, when all the Grand Prix drivers were fully active in sports car as well as F1 machines. This is the story of a great time, and a great model, in motorsport.

To mark the 60th anniversary season of the Castle Combe circuit this book has been published telling the story of the Wiltshire race track from 1950 right through to the end of the 2009 season. The title completely updates the story first told in the book "The First 50 years", which was published in 2000 and sold out several years ago. All the photographs are new and the story of the last 10 years covers the circuit's rise to hosting British Formula 3 and British GT racing. It also cover the subsequent noise issues that brought massive change to this incredibly popular venue, as well as the creation of the Castle Combe Racing Club. The two-wheel action, including non-championship British Superbike events, is also detailed. This new edition also takes in personal views on the circuit from drivers like Ian Flux, Mike Jordan, Ilsa Cox, Brian Fisher and Bob Higgins. The updated story of the last decade takes in the development of the hugely popular local championships.

Part travelogue, part meditation on an author and his work, Zen and Now is a tribute to a beloved American book and the landscape that inspired it.
Since it was first published in 1974, Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance has become a modern classic, a beautifully constructed blend of travel narrative and philosophical inquiry that has moved generations of readers. One of those readers was journalistMarkRichardson, who after rediscovering the book at middle age, decided to retrace Pirsig's journey. Fromthe back of his own motorcycle, Richardson investigates what happened to the reclusive Pirsig, his family, and the people described in the book in the years after its surprising success.

Created in 1950, the Formula One World Championship is the pinnacle of auto racing. The most popular form of motor sports on Earth, some of its marquee teams are known throughout the world, such as Ferrari, McLaren, and Lotus. Formula One's glamorous outlook and incredible marketing power make one believe that it is a fantasy world of expensive machinery and super hero drivers, a dazzling array of lines and colors. But if one looks closer into the history of the world Championship, one will notice another side to Formula one, a side of failure. It is obvious that not every car can be a Lotus 49 or a Williams FW 14B. And not every engine can have the impact of a Ford Cosworth DFV or a Honda turbo, in fact very few are, but some stand out as some of Formula One's most famous failures. What are the worst? That is certainly open to debate. Each year, for every winner, there are numerous disappointments, but this novel hopes to illustrate the fights and famines of the Grand Prix World.

Eighteen unforgettable routes along riverways and ridges, down rustic roads and coulees, and over 1,800 miles of southern Wisconsin's best rides

"While you were sitting in the stands or watching at home on TV, did you ever ask yourself what's really going on behind the scenes? Take a ride on the seat next to auto-racing legend Bobby Allison and relive the dramatic saga of the ""Alabama"" Gang in this unique look at NASCAR from the inside."
Bobby Allison, who ranks third place in wins in NASCAR history, began his Grand National/Winston Cup career in 1966. After winning eighty-five races, he retired in 1988 when an accident at Pocono Raceway nearly killed him. He was severely brain injured, and it took him a full fifteen years to recover. After the accident, more tragedy struck. In 1992 his younger son, Clifford, died in a crash at the age of twenty-seven. A year later, his other son, Davey, died in a helicopter accident, and in 1994 he lost his close friend and protege Neil Bonnet in a fatal crash. Then Bobby and his wife, Judy, separated and divorced. Through it all Bobby Allison persevered.
Today Bobby's mind is as sharp, detailed, and analytical as anyone's in sports. Bobby remembers so much, in such great detail, the stories he tells leap off the page. It's all there---the feuds, the infighting, the victories, the accusations of cheating, and worse.
Incredibly, Bobby, the poster boy for hard work, honesty, and integrity, holds "nothing" back, even when it reflects poorly on him. "It happened, and there's nothing I can do about that," is what he says. The result is raw racing history.
Along with the Earnhardts, the Jarretts, and the Pettys, the Allisons are racing family royalty, and "Miracle," a family saga of determination, loyalty, and love, is filled with some of the greatest racing stories of all time. If you ever wanted to read a book that puts you in the garage, in the pits, and in the boardrooms, and at the same time tugs at your heartstrings---this is the book for you.

Turn-by-turn guide to Jackie Stewart's infamous Grune Holle (Green Hell) - der Nurburgring Nordschleife, including full color aerial images of the entire 20.832 km circuit. Updated 2nd Edition now shows the ideal line. Built in 1927, high in the Eifel Mountains around the ancient village and castle of Nurburg, the exceptionally long Nurburgring was originally conceived to provide a showcase for Germany's auto racing talent. For 50 years, 'Ring fever continued to grow, and the Nordschleife (the northern loop) would become the most famous Grand Prix circuit in history. Sadly, Grand Prix racing ended forever on the 'ring when suspension failure on Nikki Lauda's Ferrari led to his terrifying crash in only the 2nd lap of the '76 German Grand Prix. But today, any licensed driver with a road-legal car or motorcycle can still experience Jackie Stewart's infamous Grune Holle for only 27 Euro each lap (2014 price.)"

"The Chrysler engineers went through every combination that was possible. Whether it was different springs, different shocks, different sway bars, different weights.They had a book, it must have been about a two-by-three foot book It was a heck of an engineering force."
-Richard Petty
Seven-time NASCAR champion
Winner of 200 Grand National/Winston Cup races

Across decades of thrilling competition, many of NASCAR's greatest drivers-from Marvin Panch to Jim Paschal, Richard Petty to Buddy Baker, Bill Elliott to Ward Burton, Ryan Newman to Kasey Kahne-have thundered around America's legendary racetracks at the wheel of Chrysler Corporation's Dodge and Plymouth stock cars. Power, innovation, and design have characterized these remarkable vehicles, and NASCAR's record books have been written in the wake of their no-holds-barred competition.

Now, the full story of Chrysler's conquest of stock car racing is told in "TOP SPEED: Dodge and Plymouth Stock Car Racing." Written by award-winning motorsports journalist Frank Moriarty, this book begins with the corporation's first sales and earliest laps, then marches through the years, arriving in the present-day world of the NASCAR "Car of Tomorrow."

Like Moriarty's best-selling "SUNDAY DRIVERS: NASCAR Winston Cup Stock Car Racing" and the acclaimed "SUPERCARS: The Story of the Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth SuperBird," this new book introduces you to all the machines that have made Chrysler's racing efforts so successful. But equally important are the men behind the wheel, and you'll meet them all-including a special section containing exclusive conversations with Richard Petty, Buddy Baker, Pete Hamilton, and the legendary crew chief Harry Hyde.