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Book reviews

LEWIS HAMILTON

A DREAM COME TRUE

by bRIAN bELTON

The story of the rise of Lewis Hamilton 

Published by Pennant Books,  hardback, colour photo section 

ISBN: 978-1-906015-07-7

£17.99

    First book published about the world's newest British racing star.  

So the Lewis Hamilton bandwagon has begun before the season is over. This is just the first biography of Lewis Hamilton, this one by Brian Belton, who has written several sports books in the past.  He apparently met the young Lewis back in his karting days when he was a youth worker and has followed him ever since.

With a ‘rash’ of Hamilton books due out this year it would appear that this one was put together in a hurry as it’s riddled with spelling and grammatical mistakes  (Hamiton is apparently a ‘Marshall Artist’, so he paints track marshall portraits then! ) and it only covers Hamilton’s first 9 Grand Prix, coupled with various flashbacks to his karting, Formula Renault , F3 and GP2 days, none of which are particularly rich in facts or detail.

Each chapter follows his debut year in Formula One mixed in with facts and detail from his  progress through the junior categories of the sport.. The narrative flows well in parts but it also jumps about a bit, on occasion to some  bizarre and un-related  areas, which may or may not have anything to do with Lewis.

However the worst parts of the book are the silly alliterations, for example, Hamilton is the Herts Hurricane one minute then the Black Beckham next! The book also tends to jump about from one subject to another for no apparent reason which is irritating. Oh and the if the aforementioned typos are a nuisance the worst thing of all is the patronising style Belton adopts towards his Lewis, basically he can do no wrong,  I was half expecting a recommendation for Sainthood! Lewis may be a nice guy, etc, etc but to get where he has in such a short space of time you can bet he's got ruthless streak, all top stars have one, they have to.

On a motorsport note it does throw up some detail from his early career but not nearly enough and there are bits of the book that hold your attention briefly but again not that many.   I am also slightly cynical about any biography about a sportsman, star , etc whose career is still in it’s infancy and if, as now looks likely, Hamilton does win the title this year, then at least wait for one that covers all of 2007 not just the first 9 races. With Hamilton poised to become World Champion this book I’m afraid is looking more like McLaren’s Manufacturer' s Championship, rather  pointless!

The Grand Prix Saboteurs

The extraordinary untold story of the Grand Prix drivers who became British secret agents in World War II

By Joe Saward

Morienval Press (www.morienval.com).

ISBN: 978-0-9554868-0-7

£12.99 ($24.99)

The Grand Prix Saboteurs is  not really a  motor racing book,  it’s actually closer to a spy thriller or a war history book. It details the activities of two SOE (Special Operations Executive) agents in occupied France during the Second World War who just happened to be GP drivers as well. The first, British born Willy Grover (who raced under the name W WiIliams), was the winner of the first ever Monaco GP in 1929 while the other, Robert Benoist, was one of France’s top racing drivers in the 20s and the man who would have been World Champion in 1927 if such a title had existed at the time.

Author Joe Saward does start of with Motorsport, which given his background as a GP journalist isn't surprising. He  describes the two men and their respective racing careers before the war intervened in 1939. Both men then enlisted for their respective countries forces, returning home after the fall of France in 1940. Grover to the UK and a posting to Fife in Scotland with the Royal Army Service Corps whilst Benoist  returned to his job working for Bugatti in Paris.

Before long Grover, who was brought up in France, is recruited to SOE by its leader Maurice Buckmaster and returns to France to work with the resistance. There he joins up with Benoist and the two set to work, undergoing many close encounters and exploits before their subsequent betrayal and capture by the Germans later in the war.

It is when the book moves into the war years that it really picks up and in fact reads like a Robert Ludlum spy thriller complete with chases, assignations, clandestine ops , everything, gripping stuff indeed!   And although it falls off a bit later on its remains a thoroughly good read (my only other complaint is the number of grammatical and spelling mistakes).

What adds to spice to the whole story is the many revelations unearthed by Saward during his research, research that appears to have been pretty extensive. In fact he does not shirk from bring to light details that cast doubts on some of the more accepted views of SOE’s more famous members who although all were without doubt very brave  some may not have been quite as heroic as the authorities or the film ‘Carve Her Name With Pride’ claimed after the war. His findings also point out some of the failings of SOE’s leader Maurice Buckmaster, some of whose agents were simply not really good enough to work behind enemy lines. One such was extraodinary Francis Sutill, the man dropped into Paris to run the Prosper Network. He  may well have been a great organiser and a very brave man with a myriad of talents but as he apparently spoke French with a strong English accent he doesn't strike me as spy material…. shades of ‘allo ,allo’!.  oh and he wasn’t the worst!

Saward did not I believe not write the book to cause any controversy however he simply states the facts as he found them. Its a very reasonable price.(£12.99) and  Saward apparently had trouble getting this published, si I believe he did it himself so for that reason alone you should buy it . Plus it is a rollocking good read with some remarkable facts unearthed along the way! 

Formula OneYearbook 2006-2007

Published by Chronosports SA

Hardback 221 pages RRP £25.00 Actual Price Various

ISBN 2-84707-110-7

Covers the 2006  Formula One championship, Analyses the teams and drivers with good  graphics of  the cars, Every Grand Prix has a short description, with all the times (including refueling times!), etc plus some paddock gossip and an overview of the race.  Now in its 17th year of publication, the "Formula One Yearbook" is not Autocourse, but it also doesn’t claim to be and it costs considerably less. (in fact its already available for under a tenner if you look around!). The book contains over 500 photographs by some of the top photographers in Formula One as well as plenty of anecdotes,. There is an interview with  World Champion, Fernando Alonso and personal reviews of the season from various journalists.

If you want a good F1 Annual and don’t want to spend a lot of money  then you could  well buy this.

Encyclopedia of F1

by Pierre Menard

Published by Chronosports SA

Hardback 3 vols 928 pages Price £65.00

ISBN 2-84707-123-7

In three volumes covering the history of Formula 1, the books contains loads of photos, numerous drawings and plenty of facts about the sport. Its big and heavy but, for the serious fan, I believe its worth it.

This book is the result of 14 years of work by the author and is made up of three volumes. This third edition covers the history of Formula 1 racing from its inception in 1950 through to Alonso’s second title in October 2006. It contains over 1200 photographs, some by top F1 snapper Bernard Cahier who also writes in the book. The book allows readers to review F1 ‘s evolution and every team that has taken part in the Championship. Its coverage of the drivers is sadly brief and as its suppose to be an Encyclopedia of F1 it should have covered some of the other personalities within the sport like Prof Watkins, Balestre, etc.

Most of the two main volumes then concentrate on all the teams that took part in the World Championship over the years which it does very well.   The third volume is given over to the stats from of all Grand Prix from 1950 to the present day, lap charts, times .  Finally there is also an interview with Nigel Roebuck and another from Cahier.

Generally then its a very good book, on the downside its expensive at £65 but for such a piece of work that’s probably a fair price. If you are a  fan of F1 its a great reference guide to the last 57 years.  Its only real failing, its massive 10lb weigh aside, is, as with any book about the  F1 championship, by March its out of date!
 

Michael Schumacher, birth of genius  

by Luc Domenjoz

Published by Chronosports SA

Hardback 192 pages Price £18.50

ISBN 2-84707-124-5

Michael Schumacher was without doubt one of the all-time great drivers of Formula 1. From his early beginnings in karts through to his retirement last year this book tells his story It concentrates on his exploits in F1  with some facts about his personal life away from the track, such as the financial system he uses to control his wealth.  It starts in his karting days, moves onto his  debut for Jordan in 1991 and  his first title in 1994 for Benetton. It then  follows the trials and tribulations of the early Ferrari years continuing up to the present day. Throughout this time Schumacher has remained the man to beat in F1.

There are of course many factors that contributed to Michael Schumacher’s overwhelming dominance of the sport, and this book attempts to cover them  but from a very pro-Schumacher stance. It is sadly so pro-Schumacher it glosses over his more contentious moments which and that for me is it’s failing.   Luc Domenioz for example, fails to see anything wrong with Schumacher’s tactics in Macau in 1990 in F3, Hakkinen's fault that one. There isn't any criticism about Australia in 1994 or Spain 1997, claiming they were merely ‘racing incidents’  The only time he  admits to the German making a mistake is Monaco 2006! And I'm afraid just because he wore a red wig along with his team after winning the title in 2000 it doesn't make him the joker of the Formula one pack(that place was reserved for one G Berger). And although I'm pretty sure he isn't as arrogant as some people in the media paint him  he does have his faults so lets hear about them.  

The photos are presented on vast black backgrounds, for some strange reason.  They only cover about 50% of each page, which is a shame, as they would have looked much better if they had used the whole page, F1 photography is after all a key ingredient to the sport for most people. 

The quality of the copy I reviewed also left much to be desired with numerous spelling mistakes, some text in French and even different  fonts for some chapters, hopefully this will have been rectified before the books makes it to the High street. Otherwise its okay if you’re a Schumi fan and think he's the greatest thing since sliced bread. If this is the case and you do like the 7 times world champion its worth a look and its reasonably priced at £18.50. If on the other hand you ‘re not enamoured by the German then leave well alone!

The British at Le Mans

by Ian Wagstaff

Price £40.00

ISBN: 1-899870-80-6

 Le Man is virtually a home from home for scores of British drivers and fans who every year head for ‘La Sarthe' to take part or simply watch the world's most famous and gruelling sportscar race. This book is about them and their stories, it  about the biggest  'British race held in France'. for the past 80 plus years

 "The British At Le Mans" is a fabulous book loaded with photos from all ages, with an excess of detailed information and unusual tales. It pays tribute, not only to the drivers but to all those who  shared in their successes and failures over the past 85 years. It takes you behind the scenes and into the stories in depth, not only those that were played out on the circuit but many that happene behind the pit wall .

It breaks the period down into 8 eras starting with the Bentley boys in the twenties, moving on through the lean times of the  30s(1 win!), Into the fifties and of course Ecurie Ecosse and Jag D Types,then on through the 60s and 70s with their proliferation of Porsches challenging the Fords and occasional BRM before the 80s and Group C. After the Jags came the McLaren F1  before the book closes on the Bentley in recent times. it doesn't miss much 

The list of British Drivers who have competed at the track is very long but the following list of personalities is a veritable who’s who of Motor Sport!  

For many British fans  Le Mans 24-Hours is quite simply the highlight of their r motor racing year, particularly when one of the True British greats makes an appearance, witness the TWR Jags or the return of Bentley. After all somewhere between 50 and 100,000 Brits head for La Sarthe each year.

This book is their story and its well worth it.

Mind Driving – Stephen Haley

• Paperback: 208 pages

• Publisher: DIA Publishing (19 Sep 2006)

• Language English

• ISBN: 1873371160

• Price £12.99

A books go this one is fascinating, particularly as driving is the most dangerous thing most of us do. Author Haley explains how we can reduce the risks and helps you  understand the techniques that the experts use, which are not just conventional driving skills. The key, crucially, how they think, has always been the most vital part of safe driving, but until now no one has tried to explain the mental processes involved. This is what "Mind Driving" does!

It shows you the real dangers, how to control them, how to make the correct decisions and importantly how to enjoy driving and do it safely. Driving is, the book states, done with your "Mind", the mechanics of driving are another skill that while important are not the only skill required to stay out of trouble.

As Haley states,the commonly held belief is that learning to drive is all about passing the test, and as a result it’s all hands, feet, rules and regulations, not about the other factors that stop people having ‘accidents’(few are actually accidents in the true sense of the word). “When they have a crash we blame other people involved and not the system. Yet the current system implies that driving skill is just about car control and fast reactions. Tell a 17-year-old that and he’s over the moon.” Stephen Haley book is primarily about learning a second set of skills, ones that use “eyes and brain rather than hands and feet”.

One of the main themes of the book is Risk Assessment and Observation. It’s this that makes its approach so fundamentally different from other driver training manuals. It tells so many ‘obvious’ things and how to deal with them you wonder why you never thought of them before, for example: there are 3 types of  surprises, all equally deadly’, not just the ones that appear and catch you out but the ones you create for others and yourself!

Everyone who drives should read this book. If you’re involved in driver training or road safety you should read this book.  Buy this book for your family and friends and yourself, you will all benefit. No matter how good a driver you think you are this book will make you better. Not only is it very important io is also fascinating. Excellent!

100 years of Grand Prix – Celebrating a century of Grand Prix racing 1906-2006

By Trevor Legate

Published by Touchstone Books – ISBN 0-9551020-1-4

No doubt this will be just one of many books this year celebrating the 100 years of GP racing , some will provide a comprehensive history of the sport whilst others, like this one, will simply provide an overview.

Trevor Legate’s book provides a brief commentary of the major eras of GP racing throughout the period, from its early days before WW1 through the 20s and 30s with the rise of the Alfas, Bugattis, etc., on past WWII and into the 50s and 60s with the arrival of Ferrari ,Vanwall, Lotus, etc, before finishing up in the modern era we all know today.

It has plenty of excellent photographs, over 150  pictures in fact from Classic Fiats to a P34s and a MP4/14 including some gems from the 70s like Scheckter in the Wolf WR1. The later periods are of course amply provided for, although on a personal note I would have like to have seen more coloured pictures from the 60s and 70s since one of Formula One’s prime attractions, alongside speed and noise, is colour.  Never-the-less the photographs are good, all with detailed captions. One I particularly liked was of a Mercedes at the 1914 French GP where you can almost sense the ill-will of the assembled crowd as they glare at the German car.

The overall size of the book, only 175 pages, does limit the amount of information available with some periods like the early 70s barely getting a page.  All in all then this should be a perfectly good little celebration of Grand Prix Motor racing, that is until you start to dig into the book. Its then that you become aware of its shortcomings....

 Moss’s victory in 1955 at ‘Silverstone’ over Fangio for instance. I was under the impression this race took place at Aintree. Other areas are also open to question. Senna was apparently favourite to cleanup in 1987 with not only active suspension but traction control, a semi automatic gearbox and anti-lock brakes on his Lotus 99T. One wonders why Prost, Piquet and Mansell even bothered to turn up! As for the previous year poor old Piquet doesn’t even get a mention!  In the book’s defence it  does its best with the odd little nugget of information. For example Renault's withdrawl from Grand Prix Racing back in 1909 was their last appearance until 1977 with the RS1.

All in all not for the real enthusiast then, more for the casual observer which is a shame for at first glance I quite liked it. However if that’s the case then it has a place I suppose, just,  but it’s a shame that its not accurate.

So there you have it, a coffee-table book,. you  pick it up, flick through a few pages or browse over it at your leisure then put it down and forget it. Except there is a price to pay, £30.00 and its simply too expensive.

The book does live up to its title however, it and does exactly what it says on the ‘tin’ or rather the cover, Celebrates 100 Years of Grand Prix….at a price!

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