Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Good book if you are a fan of sports car racing from the 60's
Basically a picture book of 60's sports car racing. Good reproduction quality. I enjoyed it, but to not look for much editorial content. ... Read more

Book Description
As an accomplished racer and a trained engineer, Paul Frre- Le Mans winner, Grand Prix driver, and Road & Track Magazine's European editor-is unusually qualified to discuss both the practical skills necessary to become a top driver and the physics behind vehicle dynamics. Indeed, as 1961 World Driving Champion Phil Hill remarks in his foreword, "It is the analytical ability of Paul the engineer matched to the perception of Paul the race driver that makes "Sports Car and Competition Driving" such a valuable book...Considerable amounts of time can be gained on track by a driver utilizing the countless lessons in this 'textbook'."

First published in 1963, "Sports Car and Competition Driving" sold tens of thousands of copies, establishing it as the definitive book on driving. Now Frre has revised and updated his classic to explain to drivers how to meet the new challenges posed by radical advances in technology.

Frre discusses the physical laws governing a car at speed, giving particular emphasis to the critical areas where the most time is won or lost: the corner. He also recommends proven approaches to practicing, setting up a car, qualifying, passing, and endurance racing-to name only a few of the many topics covered.

With 78 photographs, illustrations and diagrams, including historical shots of greatdrivers in competition, "Sports Car and Competition Driving" is required reading for anyone interested in racing or becoming a more masterful driver on the road. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Sports Car and Competition Driving (Driving)
Interesting book. nice anecdotes.all the physics one might want to know is included in there too..

A very friendly book!
From the first glance, I liked that book much! It is written in a very friendly tone, clear language! It begins with a large chapter about the driving position; there are lots of photos with the right and wrong poses, with analysis of each case. The evolution of the correct driving position is also exposed. Then goes a chapter about power, torque and when to change the gear to achieve different goals: fuel economy, engine lifetime, maximum speed. After that there is a section about the correct braking and pedaling.

The author has dedicated a large topic of this book to quick and safe cornering, explaining the forces and vectors that act upon the axes and wheels; about the oversteer and understeer, about slipping, sliding and skidding. There are very simple and clear formulas to calculate the total adhesion of a wheel with the road.

The rest of the books is about the sport events: how to prepare and how to perform. Should the generic reader be aware of the contests, right?

The detailed reading of the book has shown some arguable points. For example, the author is glorifying the ABS in one chapter and writes about controlled slide in another chapter, not mentioning the controlled slide is hardly possible with ABS. It seems that the textual fragments which were added in the second edition of the book about the modern whistles-and-bells like ABS are not well aligned with the rest of the book (that's why four stars only) which Paul Frere has published in the first edition, and this original text about physics of cornering is just brilliant!

However, if you liked a better book about cornering and not filled with much information about sport events, I would have recommended numerous textbooks by Professor Tsygankov, who has even a separate textbook about the correct handling of the steering wheel. This subject is almost overlooked by Paul Frere.

Great book for drivers of all levels!
Although this book is clearly geared towards people with experience, there are pages dedicated to how to adjust your seat and the mirrors, when and how to brake, using the accelerator for best effect, etc. Everyone can learn something (or a lot) new from this book!

AMAZINGLY Technical!
This book is full of formulas for computing maximum theorhetical speed through corners, and the like.The information is presented in a way that people with several seasons under their belts could use, but definitely NOT for the beginner, unless you happen to also hold a PHD in physics.If you are considering writing a video game, THIS is the book for you.It has all the formulas you'll need to make your car handle realistically.

Interesting
Immediately after reading this book I start feeling better in my car driving seat. I became more calculated in my movements and avoid the stupid rush to go kind of things. ... Read more

Book Description
Explains why cities dig deep in their pockets to host the Olympics and countries breed teams for success on the world soccer stage. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Cultural History of Sports
This is a collection of essays about the effects that major sports events have had on countries that hosted the events. The Olympics and Football World Cup are featured, and the authors of each essay explore different aspects of how each society reacted to some peculiar facet of the experience. In Argentina during the 1978 World Cup, a brutal repression of leftist dissidence was going on while the home country was battling for the trophy they eventually won. The author explains how the Cup experience unified even those being imprisoned and tortured with their right wing captors in the headiness of nationalist sports fervor. Similarly, another essay looks at the way South Korea's and Japan's peoples behaved during the joint World Cup they co-hosted in 2002; whereas the Japanese were reserved to the point of banning street viewings on large screen TVs of the matches, the Koreans enthusiastically embraced the tournament that saw their squad advance to the semi-finals. Some essays are more interesting than others, always an issue with such collections of varying writing skills. But all in all a useful summary of the cultural impact that global sports can have. ... Read more

Book Description
Best-selling novelist Robert Daley was a European stringer for the New York Times in the 1950s and 1960s. He covered Grand Prix racing and was simultaneously seduced and appalled by a sport in which the driver mortality rate would sometimes reach 50 percent annually. It was an era of daring, dashing drivers piloting incredibly powerful race cars around fast and legendary circuits with only primitive safety equipment to spare them disaster. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Inside the High Stakes Game that was F1
Being born in 1982, I wasn't around for this era of Grand Prix racing.Sure, I'd heard the stories about how dangerous a period it was and how drivers put it all on the line every time they got in a car.However, this book made it clear just how dangerous Grand Prix racing - and all motorsport for that matter, was.The driver biographies are certainly not full length, but they provide a snapshot of what was going through the driver's minds when they were racing.I especially enjoyed Phil Hill's comments, especially the statements talking about Enzo Ferrari.

Above all, this is a picture book.That is not a negative to the book though, it is the main feature. The photographs were all taken by the author through the course of his covering F1 during that era as a writer/photographer.

Very interesting book.
This is one of those books that I read cover to cover within hours of receiving it. It tells the amazing story of early Grand Prix racing. After reading it, it really had me wondering why anybody would have been a driver back then. Too many drivers died while racing, and this book has these stories in photographs. In the book, Daley's articles on Alfonso de Portago and Wolfgang von Trips are excellent.

I really enjoy this book and would recommend it to anybody who is a fan of the old Grand Prix era.

An Often Cruel Sport It Was
I picked up an original copy of Daley's book, The Cruel Sport, many years ago. The 1st edition was a milestone in motorsports writing, for it without reservation addressed racing's rather dirty little secret- drivers were needlessly dying at the wheel of fragile cars at incredibly unsafe tracks that in turn were run by owners / organizations that were too oftencriminally negligent when it came to basic safety precautions. Scores of drivers, both then and now in well-earned retirement (if lucky enough to have survived), talked about how dangerous the sport was, but there was no concensus among drivers as to how to proceed. Circuit owners more often than not did not want to discuss their role in improving track safety. Long after the printing of Daley's original book, drivers were still paying the ultimate price for someone else's shortsightedness- Jochen Rindt, Roger Williamson, Tom Pryce, Jim Clark, Bruce McLaren, etc. Those drivers that did champion for change (Stewart, Rindt, Bonnier, G. Hill, etc) were often ridiculed for their efforts. The current crop of safer drivers and fans (remember LeMans '55!!) have these pioneers, and Daley, as the author of The Cruel Sport, to thank for their willingness to expose what was going on.Far from a reprint, the new edition is sufficiently revamped and updated to make it an entirely new read. Daley's photos still hold up well against the best of the big-time professionals of his era.If you love F-1 from the 1960s, this is an essential book for your library; in no way will you be disappointed.As the author of many titles unrelated to motorsports, you'll also be impressed with Daley's enormous talent for painting a picture with words- if only more motorsports writers were half as talented.To think these 3 1/2 decades later, there is still no similar work in motorsports literature.

Amazing Book
This is an incredible book for any F1 fan.It is straightforward in its delivery and still conveys the emotions of the author and drivers.The pictures are great and will transport you through time just as the writing does.Amazing!

An Excellent Gift for Any Formula One Fan
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this golden age of Formula One racing. It would also make an excellent gift for the F1 enthusiast. The photos are spectacular and Daley's writing is evocative; reading the book really brings you back to the late-50s/early-60s of Formula One. I wasn't even alive at the time, yet reading the book made me feel as if I was reliving these years. ... Read more

Book Description
This photohistory examines McLarens legendary endurance and Can-Am racers beginning with the formation of Bruce McLaren Racing Limited in 1963, continuing through his tragic death in 1970, and finishing with the completion of the Can-Am series in 1974. A special epilogue brings the story full circle with coverage of the million-dollar 1998 McLaren F1 supercar in both road and race trim. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Nice one
Very interesting, since the Bruce's begining to the great finish with the F1GTR.

McLaren Sports Racing Cars
McLaren is known today for the Formula One championships they have won inthe 1980's and 1990's with drivers like Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, and MikaHakkinnen.But many people don't know who founder Bruce McLaren was orthat the team was selling sportscars and winning sportscarchampionshipsin the 1960s and 1970s.McLaren Sports Racing Cars by Dave Friedman is awonderful photo history of the early Team McLaren.

Starting with a briefsection on Bruce McLaren's early racing career, it moves through theformation of Team McLaren, their Can-Am championships, Bruce's death in atesting accident, and the team finally quitting sportscar racing toconcentrate on F1.There is also a chapter on McLaren's foray into racingat Le Mans in the '90s -- coming back to its heritage.

The book does notgo too deep into facts on the old Can-Am outside of Team McLaren, but as inhis other books, Dave Friedman's photos (both B&W and color) arewonderful.Fabulous action shots, close-ups of the engines and chassis,and candid photos of Bruce and the other drivers of McLaren cars, such asChris Amon, Dennis Hulme, Dan Gurney, and Peter Revson.Included are notonly the race team's cars, but also those of the Can-Am privateers, whobought and raced McLaren customer cars.A beautiful photo history of anage in racing when bigger was better and engineers were only beginning tocome to grips with aerodynamics.A must for every fan of Bruce McLaren,Team McLaren, the old Can-Am series, or vintage sports racers in general. ... Read more

Book Description
The International Motor Racing Guide is the most ambitious motor racing reference book ever written. With unrivalled breadth and exhaustive detail, it covers all major championships and races throughout the world, beginning with the first automobile competition held over a century ago. When the first edition of The International Motor Racing Guide was published in 1995, it quickly established itself as an indispensable reference for journalists and motorsports enthusiasts alike. Now in this revised and updated second edition, author Peter Higham offers over 40 percent new and enhanced content. Among the expanded sections are Formula 1 (including all non-championship races), NASCAR Winston Cup, CART, Indy Racing League, and all major series past and present. The history of these major championships is presented in extraordinary depth: races, results, drivers, teams, cars, circuits, rules, and records. Additional features of this outstanding reference include:* Detailed coverage of national championships and events in more than thirty countries, with full race histories and circuit details * An A-Z directory of over 2,000 drivers, past and present, with full biographical details and records of all major championship and race wins * Coverage of past series such as the Can-Am Challenge and Tasman Cup Published in association with RACER magazine and illustrated with over 270 photographs and 227 circuit maps, this updated International Motor Racing Guide is now established as the "bible" that motor racing fans have been waited for. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Troubleahead
The trouble with this kind of data book is that it's already dated one minute before it's published. This book covers up until 2002 and, as you know, were already at 2007...

Also, in the Internet age all thsi data can easily be obtained in a lot of web sites. Of course, this kind of book has the advantage of displaying the data in a friendly manner and within only one tome.

Well, anyway, make up your own mind...

Absolutely priceless
It seems that Mr. Higham has spent years searching through dusty basements and smelly photo archives to assemble all of this information.If you're interesed in finding out who won what when, this is the book for you.A bit mind-numbing really, as there is so much information gathered here that it is overwhelming.

For the serious anorak, there is nothing like this volume!

Highly recommended. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The expert was pleased
This was a Christmas gift for a true racing mechanic, the head of the engine department for the last of the old timers, Ed Pink. He loved it.

Motor racing fans will find it a top-notch survey leaving little out
The price tag may seem weighty but actually represents a bargain for an outstanding book packed with nearly three hundred vintage images taken from the last century of auto racing in Motor Racing: The Golden Age. Here you'll find some of the most stunning photos of the last century of racing: many have never been seen before, and accompany original and insightful history. Motor racing fans will find it a top-notch survey leaving little out.
... Read more

Book Description
Share in the trials and tribulations of turning a bare frame and wrecked Miata into a racetrack demon, and learn how to build a sports car of your own along the way. This book provides specific answers to common questions and covers the entire building process, including the post-build fine-tuning of the car that is necessary to extract the car's full performance (and fun) potential. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

OK book documents one mans project
Maybe I was expecting too much. The book documents one mans kit type project from frame to finish. I was looking for more technical information. The book was too superficial and did not go into the kind of detail I wanted. (The science of suspension geometry, frame design, etc.) I am interested in building a locost from the ground up. - No frame kit. For those looking to build a locost with a frame kit this is an enjoyable read.

Miata Locost
This book is an excellent place to start if you are considering building a locost. It is sort of a broad overview, as this guy bought a kit, but then methodically turned it into a supercar. The execution of the build is top notch, and I certainly learned a lot from the down-to-earth, yet genuinely entertaining writing style. If you think you may be ready to build a sports car of any variety, I would consider this book a necessity.

Only good if you have a Miata as donor for your S 7
This is a web site information about how someone built a Super 7 from pieces either bought from some dealer or taken from a Miata donor car. If you have any other model of donor car you will benefit little from reading this book, it falls far behind from Ron Champion's book, here you will be invited more to assemble the car than to buid it, really it describes just how to use parts from different sources plus the Miata.

Easy to read, inspirational and not terribly detailed.
This isn't REALLY a step by step how to book. It's more of a philisophical how to book, it's a cronological saga of the author's adventure building a Locost (Lotus Seven Style) race car. This book is best for getting you excited, convincing you that you can do it too and giving you a better understanding of the process. He does not cover forming parts, installing, design or anything like that, it's just about the process, and for what it is, it's a lot of fun and pretty informative too.

ok
Nothing in building from scratch.But author goes through the trials in building a car from a ready made kit.So it's for good reference ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Not my favorite racing title
I bought this book after reading a review.It is decent, but not my favorite title, some very notable cars are oddly missing from this book.Given what I know now, I probably would not buy it again, but that said, I will not sell it either. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Product Description
Contemporary sport bikes accelerate faster, brake harder, and cut through corners deeper than ever before. These technologically advanced motorcycles are exhilarating to ride, but to really get the most out of a motorcycle’s performance capabilities a rider must develop his or her own personal performance. Riders need to take their skills to the next level.Now, in this book written specifically for sport riders, well-known journalist, racer, and riding school instructor Nick Ienatsch provides the tools and techniques to help riders analyze and develop that personal performance.If you’re an experienced rider, Nick will help you hone and perfect your skills, operate controls with even greater finesse, and apply race-proven techniques on the track—as well as on the street. If you’re a beginning rider, Nick will show you how to develop proper skills and safety habits that will add to your motorcycling enjoyment and build your confidence. Whatever your current riding ability, Nick will teach you to safely find the absolute limit of bike and rider. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (39)

Excellent reading for riders of all levels
Highly recommended reading for beginners through experiened riders.It is evident that the author has a genuine love for the sport and strong desire to improve the safety of those whom share his love.The book is well written, easy to understand with lots of great technical diagrams and photos.

great
This is a great book.The high quality of the presentation, including paper, binding, photos and organization make for an excellent coffee table browser.However, the real value is in the succinctly written nuggets of sport riding wisdom.If you're fairly new to motorcycles as I was when I picked this up, then I strongly recommend it.Start with a quick cover to cover read to get the general idea.Then go back and re-read each section very carefully, with a couple of rides in between to practice and understand everything explained.I feel that I improved significantly and that others in a similar situation will too.

sport riding techniques
A must for riders of all levels. As a rider for years I firmly believe it is always good for skills to practice and repractice you need to make sure your recations are right on in case of what ifs both on road and on the track. Every rider should read this book especially new riders info is faboulous and so are the photos!!

BEST Motorcycle Skills and Safety Book Available!
If you are going to buy only ONE book to help you with your understanding of motorcycle riding technique as well as safety, this is THE book! Even if you think you're above needing any book, because you're such a great natural rider, unless you are already riding through the corners at speed on track days without falling down, you should read this book, it will improve your skills and make you safer, as well as faster on the twisties! I also haveProficient Motorcycling, and this book is definitely superior in its explanations of how the bike responds to rider input, and what exactly that input should be, and the ways for you to refine it to be a smooth and confident and safer rider. It explains finding your turn apex and how to ride through it in a clearer manner, and I think is more easily understood. It also covers the mental side of safety which is awareness of one's surroundings, and how to recognize and prepare ahead of time for potentially dangerous situations. Proficient Motorcycling does this as well, and I would recommend that as your second book. But Sport Riding Techniques will teach you how to ride with more FINESSE.

excellent book
If you have already read Hough's Proficient Motorcycling and are still hungry to learn more, Sport Riding Techniques is a great book. MUCH better than the Twist of the Wrist series, which is quite taxing and not very rewarding. However, neither this book nor any other can teach you how to drag a knee, slide your rear tire, etc. But it will show you why doing those things on the street is a bad idea. Highly recommened ... Read more

Book Description
When Bristol’s racetrack opened in 1961, tickets were often given away to fill the 18,000 seats. Over the years, Bristol Motor Speedway has grown to 160,000 seats and legendary status among race fans. There is a fascination

with the unforgettable moments that take place at the track, including rivalries that are hard to miss when you can watch all the action around the half-mile track no matter where you are seated. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great book for all racing fans
This book tells the history of Bristol Motor Speedway and was very interesting.There are lots of great pictures from crashes and of the speedway being built and the changes that have occured since it was first started.Every race fan will appreciate this book and want it for their collection of race memorabilia.

A sports writer view of this book
Being a local sports columnist, I have had the chance to cover events at BMS in the past. This book does showcase the awesome power of the sport of NASCAR through vivid pictures, but also brings to life the history of the track, and more importantly, the history and lives of those who have sacrificed to make this sport one of the biggest and most popular of any sport in the country. As a NASCAR fan, you owe it to yourself to own a copy of this book, but anyone interested in how BMS has helped change the cultural aspect of a community will enjoy it. There is more to racing than the death-defying crashes, and in these pages the reader feels the speed, the cars, and the people that have helped make it all happen in Bristol.

a must-have for race fans
Living in eastern Tennessee near the Bristol Motor Speedway you can't help but be interested in racing and racing culture. Ok, I admit it, I've been to a race and it is loud, fast, and exciting. By collecting images and vignettes of races at the BMS from its earliest days, Haskins and McGee have done a service to all race fans. While I'm not as interested in the history of the track, I love the pictures of the crashes in chapter 3. Cool. Catch up on the history of racing and regional flavor of the Speedway with this helpful pictorial guide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Motor Sports Info
This book gives you a great overview of Motor Sports Photography.Before I read this book I already had an understanding of Motor Sports Photography, but this book helped me add techniques to my shooting.The one thing I would have liked to see more in this book is the business side of Motor Sport Photography.However, it is still worth a read. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

A Begining Racers Bible -
This book details the ins and outs of becomming a weekend racer. An excelent reference & read. If you are interested in racing, and planning on starting, or interested in seeing what it takes to get into motorsports this is for you. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description
Dale Earnhardt, Sr. first broke onto the racing scene in 1979, when he was named Rookie of the Year. In the more than 20 years that followed, his daring driving style earned him several top honors, including his proudest moment, a victory at Daytona. On February 18th, 2001, Earnhardt had been racing in the Daytona 500, when in the final lap, he had a fatal crash. While other drivers have come and gone, the face of Dale Earnhardt, Sr., with his handlebar moustache and wide grin, will always be the face of NACAR. Get to know a legend. ... Read more