The Last Road Race
#1
Posted 01 October 2004 - 12:28
Just wondering if anyone else has read the book or has any stories relating to the race that may add to my newly acquired understanding of this classic event.
Ben
#3
Posted 01 October 2004 - 14:09
In short, a must-be inhabitant of any complete bookshelf.
#4
Posted 01 October 2004 - 14:59
I am just past the Brooks chapter:
I like it!
#5
Posted 01 October 2004 - 16:31
#6
Posted 01 October 2004 - 18:26
Unfortunately the incident happened on the fastest part of the fastest straight, and either Stirling Moss or Tony Brooks - can't remember which - had to exercise the brakes violently and take hectic avoiding action
I think it's true because I heard it first hand, but it's impossible to be certain after this-evening's glass of cheap red...
#7
Posted 01 October 2004 - 18:42
He really got an intuitive grasp on events, and he is absolutely a wonderful story teller.
#8
Posted 10 October 2004 - 11:55
Bira: I agree with your comments on Williams. As I mentioned in the original post I read the Guardian and it is Williams' skill as a sports writer full-stop not just motorsport that makes him so good. He isn't seduced by the PR guff and has a talent for cutting through it. Even if you don't like lf his Ryder Cup reports were a fascinating look at the political and social implications of Europe playing America and what it is to play as a team.
Ben
#9
Posted 10 October 2004 - 15:26
''At the Nurburgring,Brooks repeated his victory of the previous year,ahead of Gurney and Hill who completed asweep ofthe first three places,a tribute to the car's ruggedness over the long and difficult track''''Brooks forfeited his chance of the championship in the last round at Watkins Glen'' re. 1959 season!Originally posted by Ben
What are the several howling errors in the Enzo Ferrari book? I'm about to start that and would be interested to keep an eye out for them.
Ben
#10
Posted 10 October 2004 - 15:44
#11
Posted 11 October 2004 - 11:19
He was also a damn good rock critic - and the first presenter of the wonderful Old Grey Whistle Test (late night exposure to that show as a kid permanently scarred my musical taste - I remember seeing Beefheart on it at some point in the mid-70s and he's been blowing my mind ever since!). Williams' taste in (and passion for) music is just as good as his love of racing!;)
#12
Posted 11 October 2004 - 11:27
#13
Posted 12 October 2004 - 19:28
Originally posted by Danny Skehan
Yep! He is a very, very good writer - his book, The Death of Ayrton Senna (unfortunate title) is an excellent read.
I disagree, excellent title, says what it means unlike the sort of cod psychology one often gets in say a Christopher Hilton title.
Ben
#14
Posted 13 October 2004 - 14:02
#15
Posted 13 October 2004 - 19:31
Oh yes, and his columns and articles make the Guardian by far the standout paper in the UK for sports coverage - his articles on everything from the Ryder Cup to the European Football Championships sparked my interest in sports events I wouldn't normally care for in the slightest. I think he's written biographies of Miles Davis and Phil Spector too....
#16
Posted 14 October 2004 - 11:07
Absolutely.Originally posted by Haddock
Oh yes, and his columns and articles make the Guardian by far the standout paper in the UK for sports coverage - his articles on everything from the Ryder Cup to the European Football Championships sparked my interest in sports events I wouldn't normally care for in the slightest.
#17
Posted 14 October 2004 - 19:48
Originally posted by Haddock
I think he's written biographies of Miles Davis and Phil Spector too....
Yes, he did write an excellent book about Miles Davis.
He was entertaining on Channel 4's "Petrolheads" years ago too.
Wonder if we'll ever see another evening's viewing like that on terrestial television? Dream on ...
John
#18
Posted 25 October 2004 - 00:30
I found myself enjoying it quite a bit as I read it. This is the sort of book which doesn't seem to get written any more, the type of book which hooked a great many of us during the 1950s and 1960s into the world of motor racing. Glad I finally took the time to read it.
#19
Posted 25 October 2004 - 13:51
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#20
Posted 25 October 2004 - 23:31
'Touch Wood' remains one of the best period reads of all time in my opinion, even if it was the motor racing equivalent of Niven's 'The Moons a Balloon' and 'Bring on the Empty Horses'.
#21
Posted 28 July 2007 - 10:43
There are paperback 192 pages and hardback 256 pages editions. Do they have different content?
#22
Posted 29 July 2007 - 12:00
I just have intention to buy the book and want to be sure that cheaper edition has the same content. I wonder what could be in extra 64 pages.
#23
Posted 29 July 2007 - 14:54
Originally posted by Kvadrat
Does anyone know?
I just have intention to buy the book and want to be sure that cheaper edition has the same content. I wonder what could be in extra 64 pages.
Don't know for certain, but hardbacks are often longer just because they use a larger font. I'd be very surprised if the text was different.
#24
Posted 29 July 2007 - 15:26
#25
Posted 29 July 2007 - 19:23
#26
Posted 29 July 2007 - 20:12
Vladimir, Buy it! You won't regret it.
The paperback is fine. It has the complete text and photos. As the photos are on sixteen pages of plates (not included in the 152) rather than in the text they are still of good quality so you lose nothing.
#27
Posted 30 July 2007 - 23:49
Formula 1 cars on public roads like that - amazing. The straights are very, very long, but some of the bits out in the villages are interesting - with faded black and white paint around some of the walls and kerbs.
I like the way he constructs the book - quite novel - if you'll excuse the literary pun.
Rob
#28
Posted 31 July 2007 - 05:12
Here's seller's answer:
The Paperback edition is a newer edition and does not include the testaments from four drivers who competed.
The hardback (below) edition does, hence the additional pages.
I'm going to buy larger book.
#29
Posted 02 August 2007 - 15:31
Originally posted by Paul Parker
In response to Ian Stewart's query about the old lady crossing the road, I think this was an incident described in Duncan Hamilton's book 'Touch Wood' during a sports car race in 1953. Without reference to the book I cannot confirm the location but I seem to recall that during a dice with someone (possibly Hawthorn) that they came upon an elderly woman crossing the road and went either side of her (Hamilton in a Jaguar C type, Hawthorn in a Ferrari). I also seem to recall that during this race someone was stoking a bonfire beside the track, causing a smokescreen. Perhaps it was Hyeres in the South of France but somebody will know the answer.
'Touch Wood' remains one of the best period reads of all time in my opinion, even if it was the motor racing equivalent of Niven's 'The Moons a Balloon' and 'Bring on the Empty Horses'.
The incident is indeed in Touch Wood, and was indeed at Pescara - but in 1953, not the Pescara GP that Moss won in the Vanwall and that is described in The Last Road Race. The bonfire incident also occurred in the '53 race - and as if all that were not enough, Hamilton also hit a cow towing a policeman that had wandered onto the circuit. The collision damaged a cross member on the chassis that eventually sheared during Peter Whitehead's stint (it was his C-type) forcing the car's retirement.
Both Touch Wood and The Last Road Race are excellent reads and I wholly endorse all the recommendations that have been made about them