Our favorite racing books/biographies

Started reading The Bobby Unser Story on Alberto's recommendation, and I'm already thoroughly enjoying it.  Bobby's personality comes through clear as a bell.  Of course when I'm reading it, I hear his distinctive voice in my head    "SAM, YOU'RE WRONG!"  LOL

Have read the new book by Bob Kehoe on Art Pollard this week, very good book starts abit slow but very interesting as I didn't know a huge amount about Art before. He appears to have been a real gentleman on and off the track who would of achieved more in Indycars had he got to that level earlier in his life (he was almost 40 when he did his first race).

Quite possibly the best autobiography i have ever read. I recommend it to any touring car fan, many funny moments in the book including while he was sat on the grid, he looked over at Peter Brock who was pointing at a pair of tits in the crowd to his adventures in NASCAR and almost losing his team.


I read it on kindle as it is hard to get here in the UK, but if you can get it, read it!

Alex is simply an extraordinary human being. This book is really fun to read. The fact that he called Ganassi "Cheeep/Cheap" made me laugh so hard




Not a typical racing book, but man, what an interesting read. And sad, too. Steve Olvey and Terry Trammel are true heroes

Couple of books I enjoyed over the years I fully recommend:

Brock Yates: Enzo Ferrari - The man, the cars, the races
Peter Morgan - Porsche 917: The winning formula
Michael Fuller: Inside IMSA's legendary GTP Race cars

Life At The Limit: Triumph And Tragedy In Formula One
Beyond The Limit

Two books i have read and enjoyed by the Late Prof Sid Watkins, former F1 doctor.

With Can-Am as part of our 2018 schedule, I have been leafing through one of my very favorite coffee table books, Can-Am Cars in Detail    This is from David Bull Publishing and is not an inexpensive book by any means, but it is amazing.  Great photography combined with descriptions of the cars presented.  Comes in a cardboard sleeve 

https://www.amazon.com/Can-Am-Cars-Detail-Machines-Unrestrained/dp/1935007114

I'm currently reading this bio on Cale Yarborough. It's probably not the best written book ever but the stunts those Nascar-guys pulled on and off the track... What an era.

This summer also read:
- Kandy Kolored Tangerine Flake Streamline Baby - a collection of early essay's by Tom Wolfe. There is one on car customization in the sixties, one on banger racing and then a long one on Junior Johnson. The latter is probably obligatory reading for everyone interested in sixties Nascar;

- Portnoy's Complaint by Roth - frankly not flabbergasted by it;

- Islands in the Stream by Hemingway - slow start but once Papa gets going, there are few better at captivating their reader. He remains one of the truly greats for me.

Timo