Club Arnage

I'm off on me hols next week and need a recommendation for some petrol head / car / motorsport related reading. An autobiography would be good.

Come on chaps - book reviews should be submitted below... ;D

Rich,

Not cars, but a biking book- "Jupiter's Travels" by Ted Simon. An autobiographical account of a 4 year round the world motorcycle trip on a Triumph Bonnie, back in the early '70's.

My copy is a Penguin paperback, from 1980, so may well be difficult to find now.
ISBN 01400.54103
I don't know that off the top of my head; I had to look on the back of the book !

The Perry McCarthy book is a good and easy read, can't give you any details at the mo as JPC has it!!

I was just about to say Perry McCarthys book.

Heard a lot of good things about it

Pez's book is a mind numbingly ambling read IMO.
I found it to be a bit like a 11 years olds first day back to school story, after the summer holidays: "then I did this, then I did that  and then we had our tea".
Didn't give me too much to think about, but entertaining in places I guess.

Valentino Rossi , by Paul Oakley( i think , books at work )

Absolutely ace, and the book moves on quickly.

It puts a new edge on just how good the lad is on 2 wheels.

Rich, Try 'It Beats Working' by the journalist Eoin Young. As a journalist by trade his writing is somewhat less prosaic that El Pel.

If you don't know of him see the text below from his website:

"Eoin Young is a New Zealander who left a bank job to join Bruce McLaren and help set up his racing team. More or less. He arrived in the UK in 1961 as a freelance journalist, covered the Formula Junior season with Denny Hulme, joined McLaren in 1962. Founder director of team. Established Motormedia 1966. Started weekly "Autocar" diary page in 1967 -- it ran until 1998. Covered CanAm, Indy and GP series. In 1979 established as a dealer in rare motoring and motor racing books and ephemera. Still trading with regular lists. Autobiography "It Beats Working" published in 1996. He lives in tiny low-beam period cottage in Bookham, Surrey. Drives VW Golf VR6. "

The book is both informative and very funny (in my view) and there are many tales of drivers and team owners/managers' extra curricular exploits. Along with a real insight to the motor sport scene that can only be recounted by someone directly involved.

I bought it a couple of years ago and am taking it on my hols to re-read this year.

To get a sample of his writing style have a look at his website www.eoinyoung.com and read one of the diary pieces.

Happy reading.

If your looking for a god bio, Gerald Donaldson's bios of either Gilles Villeneuve or James Hunt are probably as good they get.  Both have been out for some time but I think are still available as paperbacks.  My persnal favorite is John Tiplers terrific new bio of Ronnie Peterson but its a a quite large "coffee table" type of book and maybe not the easiest to bring along if traveling.
Fax

Life at the Limit: Triumph and Tragedy in Formula One  
Sid Watkins

Interesting in places, may give you a slightly different view of Ecclestone but not much, may be better than watching dubbed english programmes on tv (if your going abroad that is) or reduced pixel films on the back of the seat in front on the aircraft.

sycophantic in places, particularly about A Senna esq

Was E involved in the great train robbery? we had a debate once that he was behind it  :-X

I should also mention the late, great Mark Donohue's masterpiece "The Unfair Advantage".  This was re-released a couple of years ago with additional material from Mark's son David (Le Mans GTS winner with ORECA Viper a few years ago).  The original book was fetching over $500 on the secondary book market.
John

If the Land Speed Record is your thing, Richard Noble's book "Thrust: The Remarkable Story of One Man's Quest for Speed" is an interesting read.

It covers a bit of LSR history, his own Thrust exploits including Thrust 1, Thrust 2 in which he set the LSR and Thrust SSC which Andy Green drove to 763 mph.

Noble is quite a character and can charm cash for his LSR ventures from Shylock.

(http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/1852252685.02.MZZZZZZZ.jpg)

if you want something Le Mans related, can't recommend enough this book.  Not only does it cover the making of the film, but also Mr McQueens life history and the history of Le Mans as well.  Three books in one.  Bagin at half the price.