[Books] Books - My Top 20

[alesi95]

I agree the JYS book really was a let down. His racing career is pretty much skipped over in favour of his corperate achievements and the Stewart F1 team.

[thejester]

McLaren Memories - Eoin Young

Trying to locate a copy of 'From the Cockpit' by Bruce McLaren himself. The man's career spanned the absolute classic era, racing alongside everyone from Moss & Gonzalez through to Clark and Stewart, going from a driver to a designer and team owner/driver. Fantastic stories.

[Knowlesy]

Has anyone read Coopers book on Piers Courage? I'm thinking of getting that next, but not if it's a lemon.....

[ensign14]

Originally Posted by knowlesy

Has anyone read Coopers book on Piers Courage? I'm thinking of getting that next, but not if it's a lemon.....

Yes and it is an orange rather than a lemon. You won't regret it.

[Pete Fenelon]

Agreed - a very atmospheric book, not just an excellent and penetrating bio of Piers but a very good survey of racing at a particular point in time. Has a lot about the young Frank Williams, too.

Cooper was one of the best Autosport journos (I used to really enjoy his pieces from Japan when he was their man out there) - he really understands what makes racing drivers tick, and that insight helps him to paint a very detailed portrait of Piers and his world.

[ensign14]

At times it almost reads as a biog of Charlie Crichton-Stuart - and that's not meant as a criticism. You get a real feel of living hand-to-mouth in a camper van whilst removing prize money from the Continent at a rate in the F3 screamers.

[Knowlesy]

Right you two, I've ordered this book on your recommendation so if it sucks I'll be round your houses with a big ruddy stick!

I'm a fan of Coopers writing in general though.......I have some old Autosports and have enjoyed reading his out-in-Japan columns, as well as his articles and features. A good writer, who does too much writing for F1 Racing. He should leave that to Matt Bishop or peter Windsor, two highly annoying journalists.

[Knowlesy]

Also got myself a 1996 Autocourse for £15......

[kingfloopy]

My favorite motorsports books is Best Damn Garage in Town by Smokey Yunick. I've read it about 100 times since I bought it.

My second favorite would have to be The Unfair Advantage, its a classic.

J.D.

[Andy77]

i dont have 20 books lol but have a couple faves

Porsche - The Fine Art Of The Sports Car by Lucinda Lewis, Thunder Bay Press San Diego
Can-Am by Pete Lyons
Can-Am Racing Cars by Karl Ludvigsen
Hitler's Grand Prix In England - Donington 1937 and 1938 by Christopher Hilton
The Speed Merchants by Michael Keyser
The AVUS Story by R. Kitschigin
Der Nürburgring - Daten, Fakten, Zahlen - Geschichte und Geschichten by Jörg Thomas Födisch
Zanardi - Nicht zu Bremsen by Gianluca Gasparini

at the moment I'm watching out for The Porsche Drivers Handbook by Vic Elford.........

[Pete Fenelon]

Originally Posted by kingfloopy

My favorite motorsports books is Best Damn Garage in Town by Smokey Yunick. I've read it about 100 times since I bought it.

My second favorite would have to be The Unfair Advantage, its a classic.

J.D.

Love 'em both. Only trouble with Smokey's book is after an evening reading it you start cussin' like him

[Pete Fenelon]

Originally Posted by Andy77

i dont have 20 books lol but have a couple faves
The Speed Merchants by Michael Keyser

That's such an atmospheric book - fantastic photography.

[ensign14]

Originally Posted by Andy77

Can-Am by Pete Lyons

This is a great one as well, Pete Lyons is such a good writer. I detect however a slight sportscar bias?

[Andy77]

Originally Posted by ensign14

This is a great one as well, Pete Lyons is such a good writer. I detect however a slight sportscar bias?

Heh just a slight. I like almost any 4 wheel and 2 wheel racing except rallye coz i miss the direct wheel to wheel fights there.

[FIRE]

I don't have read many books about autosport but I like these:

Le Mans 24 Hours - Brian Laban

Porsche in Motorsport: The First Fifty Years - Peter Morgan

Targa Florio 'The Post-War Years' 1948-1973 - David Owen
I hope someone will publish a book with the same quality as Laban's Le Mans 24 Hours book about this great Italian race.

Life in the fast lane - Steve Matchett
Are his other 2 books also a good read?


I am planning to buy Scarlet Passion: Ferrari's Famed Sports Prototype And Competition Sports Cars 1963-73.

[Pete Fenelon]

Steve Matchett's other two books are good, but perhaps 9/10 where his first was a 9.5 - "The Mechanic's Tale" tells of his apprenticeship as a road car mechanic and his whole F1 career, with a lot of insights into how a team actually works over a period of years; "The Chariot Makers" is an intro to modern (post-2000) F1 technology structured around conversations with enthusiasts about how you'd go about building the "ultimate F1 car". I think Steve's writing became slightly slicker and a bit less personal as he progressed and became part of the media rather than a mechanic with a pen...

[richard_sykes]

Originally Posted by Pete Fenelon

Steve Matchett's other two books are good, but perhaps 9/10 where his first was a 9.5 - "The Mechanic's Tale" tells of his apprenticeship as a road car mechanic and his whole F1 career, with a lot of insights into how a team actually works over a period of years; "The Chariot Makers" is an intro to modern (post-2000) F1 technology structured around conversations with enthusiasts about how you'd go about building the "ultimate F1 car". I think Steve's writing became slightly slicker and a bit less personal as he progressed and became part of the media rather than a mechanic with a pen...

agreed more documentry than drama

[jump]

Life in the Fast Lane is my all time favourite, but The Mechanics Tale is a very close second. Definately worth reading.

[kingfloopy]

I really liked The Mechanic's Tale. I've been trying to get a copy of The Chariot Makers, but the book store I ordered it from doesn't want to cooperate and get it here.

J.D.

[richard_sykes]

Get it from amazon. Its okay but not as good as MT.

[Hip Priest]

I have just obtained Kings of the Nurburgring by Chris Nixon, via a special offer from Motorsport magazine. I've been too busy to begin reading it so far, but has anyone else read it?

[Pete Fenelon]

Yes. It's not Chris's best book (that was Mon Ami Mate, I reckon) but it's got some very good text and superb photography - most of which I haven't seen before. It's basically structured as a brief history of the circuit and then focuses on drivers who've won major races at the Ring, and the races they won there. A good way to remember Chris who passed away a few months ago.

[Hip Priest]

Thanks Pete.

I'll hopefully find some time this weekend to get stuck into it. I've already had a good look at some of the pictures. The scenery is amazing, as are the cars of course!

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by FIRE

I don't have read many books about autosport but I like these:

Le Mans 24 Hours - Brian Laban

Porsche in Motorsport: The First Fifty Years - Peter Morgan

Targa Florio 'The Post-War Years' 1948-1973 - David Owen
I hope someone will publish a book with the same quality as Laban's Le Mans 24 Hours book about this great Italian race.

Life in the fast lane - Steve Matchett
Are his other 2 books also a good read?


I am planning to buy Scarlet Passion: Ferrari's Famed Sports Prototype And Competition Sports Cars 1963-73.

I am almost half way in Scarlet Passion. It's a good book, but I prefer the writing style and stories like in Peter Morgan's Porsche in Motorsport.

[Alan Raine]

Doe's anyone remember The Castrol Drivers Manual by Frank Gardner. The Tech stuff will be a bit dated now, as it was written in the 70's, but it's worth a read for Gardners sense of homour alone!