The gateway to a history of motorsport. What are your favourite car books? I'm currently reading Joe Saward's Grand Prix Saboteurs. It's a ripping yarn. Recommend me some blinders.

Well motorsport books - Take a look at Autodrome, which has some beautiful photography in it, it's all about circuits which have ceased to be. Also Unraced is interesting to see the technology which never made the grid for one reason or another.

I also have Professor Watkin's autobiography "Life at the limit". Very good!

I'll keep an eye out for them. Thanks! I have both the Prof's books, they are excellent.

I have also just read Richard Williams' Enzo Ferrari - A life. That's provided me with a much greater insight into the Old Man. A fascinating chap.

Autodrome and Unraced are both books that I would suggest. Others include the Doc Watkin's book, The Steve Matchett one about the Benneton years with Schu, the Alan Henry book about williams, and Senna's Principles of Race Driving. I like the Senna book because it has charts and stuff showing late and early turn in apexes, etc.

Does it have a foreword written by Mike Coughlan?

<peek>

I've read bits of that. It's fascinating and shocking at the same time. I don't me that the book is shocking, but some of the stuff written about early safety or the lack thereof....

What Prof Watkins has done for the sport is incalculable. The safety standards, even 25yrs ago, were horrific. Just look at the video of GV's accident, he'd be alive today if he was in one of today's cars.

Have finished the Grand Prix Saboteurs. It's an incredibly moving book. Didn't leave me in tears like David Tremayne's Lost Generation, but it certainly hit home. Still gotta finish Nick Mason's history of Pink Floyd too!

Really want to read Prof Watkins book as being a Senna fan also i know they had a close relationship but to hear the great man about safety must be very interesting.

Not heard of the David Tremayne's book but it sounds like a great but sad read <cry>

This book i have not read but my mate has it and says its great <thumbsup>

Grand Prix Showdown
by Christopher Hilton (1992)

Every season in Grand Prix racing there is a moment of consummation when a World Champion is made. This unique book focuses on the races which decided each of the F1 titles, from Ascari in 1950 to Mansell in 1992. As Hilton writes, these stories demonstrate "how difficult the World Championship is, how elusive, how maddening, how delicate, how starkly dangerous." In that sense, Mansell is "linked by an almost umbilical cord to an enigmatic Italian and 3 September 1950." This amazing book is a full of riveting drama, of absolute joy for the winners and crushing disappointment for the losers. A real gem!


Also i bet Eddie Jordons autobiography would be worth a read

I bought EJ's a few months ago and it's a good read. It tells you just how badly Jordan were in the early 1990's and how close they were to closing down completely.

I want to read Alex Zinardi's book as well as Murray Walker's. I have heard rave reviews about them

I bought my Dad Zanardi's book, he says it's very good.

He has also just finished Raymond Mays' history of BRM which details the early years of the team in great detail. It's rare and pricey, but well worth it, so I hear. I'll report back in more detail once I've finished it.

I cannot recommend The Lost Generation enough. It's absolutely brilliant, but be prepared for a cathartic read. It leaves one questioning one's love for the sport in quite a profound fashion. Certainly, it took me some months to come to terms with the waste of life described within. However, I went to pay my respects to Roger Williams at Donington and came to peace with things. I am prone to great emotion regarding these things so other might find it easier, I don't know. Surely, though, a book should invoke some kind of reaction...?

Murrays book is excellant, mine is signed by the great man himself...

:)

I was unable to put down 'The Lost Generation'. Part of my interest was that I realised many years ago that here was something that was missing from the motor racing bookshelves, and I had the idea in my head to write it myself (even using the same title). As usual, I never got off my arse and did anything about it, and in any case wouldn't have made half as good a job of it as David Tremayne.

If anyone thought Sid Watkins book was good, then I'd recommend 'Rapid Response' by Steven Olvey. Olvey is the US equivalent of Watkins, and he details the changes in safety over the years in Indycar racing. Often uncomfortable reading - you need a strong stomach to digest the details of Gordon Smiley's and Gonzalo Rodriguez's accidents - it is, nevertheless, an interesting and sobering book.

'Grand Prix Saboteurs' has sat on my bookshelf for several months. Due to a variety of reasons I haven't had the attention span required to tackle it yet, but I fully intend to, having read several articles over the years on the subject.

I read an article on Steve Olvey recently, a pioneerng guy Stateside. I will make an effort to pick that up, cheers.

My most recent acquisitions are Christopher Hilton's Nuvolari; a book written by Prince Bira's wife about their life together; and Thunder in the Park - Tom Wheatcroft's autobiography. I have a lot to catch up on!

Enjoy the Grand Prix Saboteurs, it's shocking and utterly addictive.

So's mine. Went to a book signing, oddly enough....

<thumbsup>

I finished the Vic Elford autobiography recently and started on Chris Nixons 'Kings Of The Ring'.
Books I already read and can recommend are The Speed Merchants by Michael Keyser and Can-Am by Pete Lyons.
Another book I really like is Hitlers Grands Prix in England - Donington 1937 and 1938 by Christopher Hilton. The book not only tells about the circuits history and the two mentioned races, it also tells about the Nazi regime here in Germany and how motorsport was used for the propaganda with the big success of the silver arrows and Auto Unions.
For my small english knowledge it was a pretty tough read which resulted in me buying a German - English / English - German Oxford Vocabulary just to understand the more 'special' terms in this book.

cheers
Andy

edit: If you are able to read and understand german you may be interested in the book "Stefan Bellof - Eine viel zu kurze Karriere" by Ferdi Kräling & Rainer Braun. I don't think there is an english translation of this nice biography. The title translates to "Stefan Bellof - A much too short career"

Not really about motorsport but i bet it would bring back lots of memories

http://www.amazon.com/Scalextric-Through-a...c/dp/1844254151