Motor Racing Heroes, The Stories of 100 Greats
By Robert Newman
Robert Newman will be no stranger to regular Vintage Racecar readers. Over many years he has scribbled away month after month producing excellent pieces of work for the magazine. His regular “Heroes” column is now the subject of his latest book, Motor Racing Heroes—The Stories of 100 Greats, which is a compendium of 100 previously published pieces.
Newman’s writing is always littered with facts about those drivers who have risen to the pinnacle of the sport, such as Fangio, Senna and Schumacher, or indeed others who sadly lost their lives in pursuit of that endeavor, like Guy Moll—so young, so full of life and ability, but snuffed out all too quickly. Archie Scott-Brown is another driver whose story never fails to show true grit and determination. The writing method is not one of dry laborious figures and details, but a unique style that presents the subjects’ curriculum vitae in an engaging way that holds the readers’ attention. A liberal sprinkling of wit for good measure is a further adhesive quality, keeping the reader enthralled. Motor Racing Heroes is one of those books that you can delve in and out of as the whim takes you and opportunity allows. After just 10 or 15 minutes reading of the thrills and spills of another driver your thirst will be fully quenched.
It’s always difficult to critique a colleague’s work, however, in fairness to other authors it has to be done. There are no photographs or illustrations in the book, but with the cost and continual wrangling over who holds what rights to which photograph it’s understandable why this is the case given the subject matter and eras covered. The production of the book in an A-Z format, from Alboreto to Zanardi, allows easy reference to the reader’s chosen driver, but Robert fails to let the reader into his hidden reasoning as to the order he would put them—but that’s subjective, and everyone has their own opinion. In conclusion, we must give a firm seal of approval for Robert’s work. Of course, Vintage Racecar readers can have a unique look at his next 100—simply keep subscribing!
Available for US$32.99/GB£19.99 plus P&P from Veloce Publishing Ltd. at www.veloce.co.uk.
Reviewed by Mike Jiggle
