Beyond the Limit


Sid Watkins - 2001
    This book also looks at some of the extraordinary Grands Prix the sport has seen, including Schumacher's epic crash at Silverstone in 1999.

Tune to Win


Carroll Smith - 1978
    An exceptional book written by a true professional.

Flat Out Flat Broke: Formula 1 the Hard Way!


Perry McCarthy - 2002
    This is his autobiography. Foreword by Damon Hill. "Perry McCarthy does for Formula One what Bill Bryson did for travel writing. But beneath the black humor and wisecracks - funny enough to make you laugh out loud in public - lies an inspiring and at times poignant tale of the rarest kind of racer: one who never gave up and was, literally, prepared to die trying" David Tremayne, The Independent on Sunday.

Gilles Villeneuve: The Life of the Legendary Racing Driver


Gerald Donaldson - 1989
    Gilles Villeneuve became a legend in his own time, a driver whose skill and daring personified the ideals of Grand Prix racing, the pinnacle of motor sport.With his flamboyantly aggressive, press-on-regardless style in his scarlet Ferrari, he captured the imagination of a vast international audience as no other driver has in recent times.

An Independent Man: The Autobiography


Eddie Jordan - 2007
    But he funded his first move into motor sport by selling smoked salmon well past its sell-by date to rugby fans leaving Lansdowne Road; when stopped for speeding by a policeman, he ended up selling him his car. Jordan set up his own team, and moved into Formula One at the end of the 1980s. It wasn't long before the team began to pick up podium finishes, and in 1998 won its first race - a remarkable achievement on a comparatively small budget. The following year was even better, but sadly this was to be the peak, as the search for more finance and legal battles with sponsors hit hard. Eventually, in January 2005 he sold the team.AN INDEPENDENT MAN goes behind the scenes to reveal the true personalities of the drivers Jordan worked with, and his battles with Bernie Ecclestone. It shows how, when so much money is involved, nothing is ever simple. His has been a life lived to the full, and his account is packed full of superb stories, colourful adventures and revealing tales.

It Is What It Is: The Autobiography


David Coulthard - 2007
    He got his breakthrough into Formula One in the tragic circumstances of Ayrton Senna's death in 1994, and quickly established himself as one of the best drivers on the circuit. From 1996-2004, he drove for McLaren, one of the leading teams throughout the entire period, before moving to Red Bull for 2005-07. Taking the reader from his early days when he first became hooked on racing karts at the age of 11, through to the high-speed world of Formula One he now inhabits, Coulthard has written one of the most honest and powerful sports autobiographies of recent years. In the book, he talks about his ups and downs at McLaren, the reputation he gained for his playboy lifestyle and how hard this has made it for him to settle down. Throughout it all he seeks to answer the questions about himself that anyone might ask, and so to reveal what it is that really drives him on. His struggle to understand himself makes for a remarkable memoir.

How Not to Be a Professional Racing Driver


Jason Plato - 2019
    But he's also a rule breaker who has had more than his fair share of near-death experiences, drunken escapades and more. And yet he's still racing. There is nothing sensible, predictable or considered about Jason, but this is how he became a racing legend.

Beast: The Top Secret Ilmor-Penske Race Car That Shocked the World at the 1994 Indy 500


Jade Gurss - 2014
    The massive effort to design and build it in a seemingly impossible timeframe is still hailed as one of the most herculean efforts and well-kept secrets in the history of the Indy 500. In the new book, Beast, bestselling author Jade Gurss chronicles the subterfuge and debunks the myths about this legendary engine that persist twenty years on. Gurss interviewed key players involved in the race to undercover the story of how this engine powered the Penske PC23 chassis to one of the most talked-about Indy 500 races in history. The British race-engine experts at Ilmor Engineering offer detail about the design and manufacture of the engine. Roger Penske’s team reveals how the engine and car were tested and developed, and how Mercedes came to be involved in the project. The story unfolds as Roger Penske and Mario Illien and Paul Morgan of Ilmor play every card they possess to create an incredible race engine--even rare World War II fighter planes and supersonic jets roar into the heart of this high-tech tale. Drivers Al Unser Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi, and Paul Tracy provide details on the tense weeks leading up race day. The book reaches a suspenseful climax at 240 miles per hour at the Indy 500 noone can forget. Wrapped up in the drama and intrigue are real business and motivational lessons which made Roger Penske one of the most successful businessmen in the world and that helped Ilmor and its cofounders, Mario Illien and the late Paul Morgan, design and manufacture Indy car and Formula 1 championship–winning engines. Beast is not only a must-read for sports and race fans, but a compelling narrative for those who enjoy genuine lessons in business and technology or thrilling mysteries based on actual events.

Speed Secrets: Professional Race Driving Techniques


Ross Bentley - 1998
    Includes discussion of practice techniques, chassis set-up, and working with your pit chief.

The Last Open Road


Burt S. Levy - 1994
    Levy's colorful cast of characters interact with the real-life people and events of the time, and it's all seen through the eyes and mind of a good-hearted/learning-to-be street smart New Jersey gas-station mechanic named Buddy Palumbo, whom several reviewers have likened to Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye. A self-published book that made it big (now in its eleventh printing!), rave reviews everywhere, a true cult classic, and has been used in high school and college-level English Lit classes.

Winning Is Not Enough


Jackie Stewart - 2007
    On retiring from the circuit, he went on to build an equally impressive international business career.In the 1960s and into the 70s, with his black cap, sideburns and aviator shades Jackie Stewart was an unmistakable icon in a glorious era of style, glamour and speed. On the track, his story is one of drama, excitement, tragedy, controversy, celebrity, danger and massive success.Beyond the sport his life is a compelling tale of battling against the odds and achieving world-wide recognition as an outstanding sportsman, a role model and a highly accomplished and respected businessman.Includes a specially produced DVD featuring rare and previously unseen footage of Sir Jackie's racing career, personal photographs and conversations with Sir Jackie discussing key moments in his life, plus interviews with business leaders, friends and family.

Alex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory: A Memoir of Racing Success, Adversity, and Courage


Alex Zanardi - 2003
    The racing world held its breath again 19 months later while witnessing his incredible return to racing. In Alex Zanardi - My Sweetest Victory Zanardi takes us from his childhood in Italy through his hard-fought racing success to the moving story of perseverance and love that motivated his recovery. Along the way, Zanardi presents the triumphs and setbacks in his racing career, culminating in back-to-back CART championships for 1997 and 1998. In riveting detail, Zanardi relates his terrible accident, the long path to recovery and his return to Lausitzring to complete the 13 laps he didn't finish in 2001. Alex Zanardi - My Sweetest Victory is an inspiring book about how personal strength and passion can triumph over even the most challenging circumstances -- an autobiography whose significance extends far beyond the world of motorsports.

Crashed And Byrned: The Greatest Racing Driver You Never Saw


Tommy Byrne - 2008
    Peppered with dark humour, this book tells Tommy's story from fending for himself as the runt of a big Catholic litter in the 1960s to driving for a deluded billionaire madman and then gun-toting Mexicans in the 1990s.

The Unfair Advantage


Mark Donohue - 1975
    This new edition contains over 60 additional photographs and comments from people who worked and raced with Donohue during the 1960s and early 1970s.

The Chariot Makers: Assembling the Perfect Formula 1 Car


Steve Matchett - 2004
    During a fogbound evening in an airport lounge, Matchett and some fellow enthusiasts began a discussion of racecar design, a conversation which evolved into a detailed examination of the teams and technologies behind the world's most complex sport. Their thoughts are captured here, from choosing the best chassis and most advanced suspension to building the strongest gearbox, providing an unmatched insider view of the international F1 scene."'I really could see the scenes he describes evolving in my mind, as if I was there-the mark of true genius in the author!"--F1 Sport International