Morning All
It's my dad's birthday next week. We have a bit of a tradition of buying each other nice books. So I'm looking for an interesting motorsport book. Something a bit different. We've bought each other the more obvious ones. He's into all types of racing, cars and bikes.
As usual, I thought this would be the perfect place for recommendations.
What've you got?
Riding Man by Mark Gardiner is a good read.
For 100 years, the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy races have been the world's most dangerous organized sporting event. As one of thirty thousand fans who attended the annual spectacle, Mark Gardiner harbored no illusions about his own skill or bravery. He was, however, an avid motorcyclist for whom the race represented a boyhood dream. He went home, quit his job, sold everything he owned, and returned to the Island to race there himself.
I was going to say the same, very interesting bloke.
Wayne Rainey - His Own Story.
Shunt?
Have a look in octane as they have a good review section
Parrish Times - Steve Parrish. Fun little read from the fun years of racing.
If that extends to motocross, The Inside Line by Rob Andrews is fantastic. Richard Williams' A Race With Love And Death is a really interesting biography of British pre-war GPS ace Richard Seaman (and yes, they did all call him Dick - keep your smart comments to yourself), racing and winning for Mercedes in the mid/late 30s when they had 500 horsepower, rubbish skinny tyres, no brakes and lethal tracks. That era fascinates me (see also Rosemeyer! by Chris Nixon, long out of print but a great read of a bygone era).
Oo - and +1 for the Newey book. I didn't dig John Barnard's attempt to jump on the "superstar designer as co-author" bandwagon.
Thanks for the recommendations, everyone. Looks like some belters here. I think I'll order him a selection of these to keep him going. And of course, borrow them off him once he's read them 😀
+2 for Newey, beaten to it.
Bugatti Queen is a hell of a story, highly recommended!
+3 for the Adrian Newey book.
That Near Death Thing - very good TT book that follows Cummins, Martin, McGuinness and Dunlop over a couple of years.
Sid Watkins - Life at the limit
https://www.waterstones.com/book/tuning-the-a-series-engine/david-vizard/9781859606209
If you can find stock somewhere. Not quite about racing, but takes you through an engine from air intake to exhaust, telling you how it works, how it's made, what's good or bad, and how to iron out all the problem areas to get the most from it, explaining why along the way. All about the mini engine, but the principles can be taken to most once you know how it works. He also did two on the big and small block chevy, and another about general horsepower improvements, but the A series book is the most comprehensive.
Ha! David Vizard and speedsport books. Excelent. still got a few eg: Tuning Ford Escorts and Capris and How to Modify Cylinder Heads.
But my suggestion Engineer to Win by Carroll Smith
Old, but fascinating and much is still very true today.
