Motorsport annuals/yearbooks that are no longer printed

Interesting gift I unwrapped this morning - 'Formula One 1991 Computerised Results And Timing Service' (published in conjunction with the FIA/FOCA and Olivetti/Longines (who did the timing for F1 at the time)).

A large book (a few hundred pages long) containing the complete data set from every race in the 1991 season - every lap time set by every driver in every session at every race meeting that year. According to the Chaters website (where it is now out of stock - to find type 'Computerised Results' in the search engine) F1 Computerised Results And Timing was published from 1987 through to 1993, but it doesn't seem to have been published since.

A wealth of data but why was this book discontinued? Olivetti ended their involvement with F1 after 1993; perhaps thats why the book hasn't been published since. But is that the reason?


Another annual of the past I've come across is 'Grand Prix Formula 1 World Championship' by Nigel Roebuck and John Townsend. An Australian publication of which (according to Chaters) 5 editions were published, from 1985 through to 1989. But it seems that the 1989 annual/review of the 1989 season was the last. Was the competition, from Autocourse and other annuals, too great for this annual to continue?



And there must be plenty of other motorsport annuals/yearbooks that have been published in the past but are no more - why were they discontinued?

The most valuable reference, Australian Motor Racing Yearbook, disappeared after its 25th anniversary edition in 1995 ('twas almost released in 1997). Declining circulation, increasing costs and Chevron Publishing being busy with other things all combined to kill it IIRC. Shame. Their Great Race series continues unabted and edition 23 hit the shelves last week. I recently found out a complete set of Great Race annuals is valued upwards of $6k. I'll be talking to my insurer when work restarts in January about a spearate listing.......

The John Player Motor Sport Yearbook - edited by Barrie Gill - came out 1972-1976 - covering the previous year's activities. EXCELLENT. As a matter of fact, I just got through reading them, again, two nights ago. Too bad they stopped putting them out.

Originally posted by Ralliart
The John Player Motor Sport Yearbook - edited by Barrie Gill - came out 1972-1976 - covering the previous year's activities. EXCELLENT. As a matter of fact, I just got through reading them, again, two nights ago. Too bad they stopped putting them out.

Yeah well, John Player pulled out of F1. The Marlboro Yearbooks were their successors: not as good though.

Originally posted by Vitesse2

Yeah well, John Player pulled out of F1. The Marlboro Yearbooks were their successors: not as good though.

Didn't John Player pull out after '78?

How long did the Marlboro yearbooks last? The only edition I have is 1976-77.

Other dead yearbooks I have that went belly up (as opposed to the publisher dying, like Floyd Clymer) :

Carl Hungness' Indy 500 Yearbook (1973-97, with a belatedly published 1969-72 edition)
Indy Review (1991-01)
The Men and Machines of Indycar Racing (1986?-94) by Autosport Int'l

Ken Breslauer's Daytona 500 Yearbook (1984-85)
Daytona 500 - the Men and Machines of Speedweeks (1989-94) by Autosport Int'l
Carl Hungness' Brickyard 400 Yearbook (1994-95)
Brickyard 400 (1994-96) by UMI Publications

Auto Racing USA (1983-92?)

Originally posted by theunions


Didn't John Player pull out after '78?

Yeah, interesting that. The first four (1972-5) were JPS branded and 1976 was just a generic John Player yearbook. QAP and Barrie Gill switched to Marlboro for 1977.

Originally posted by theunions
How long did the Marlboro yearbooks last? The only edition I have is 1976-77.

I think there were more, but I may be wrong ....

Another one I have, from the late great Paul Oxman Publishing:

Road Racing Annual (1975-77)
Editor: Jim Gilbert
Designer: Paul Pfanner

Pete Lyons and Gordon Kirby are among the associate editors.

Covers F1, F5000, FAtlantic, IMSA Camel GT, GTU & Radial Challenge, int'l racing ("the groups" and F2), Trans-Am, Super Vee, Scirocco/Bilstein Cup, etc.

Anyone know more about this title? My limited understanding is that the 3rd edition I have (1977, covering the '76 season) was the last one.

Before the John Player and Marlboro books there was the Motor Racing year book, which ran from 1964 (or earlier) to 1975 (or later)

Originally posted by David McKinney
Before the John Player and Marlboro books there was the Motor Racing year book, which ran from 1964 (or earlier) to 1975 (or later)

At least until 1978 ... there's one on e-Bay right now!

Originally posted by theunions


Didn't John Player pull out after '78?

How long did the Marlboro yearbooks last? The only edition I have is 1976-77.

Other dead yearbooks I have that went belly up (as opposed to the publisher dying, like Floyd Clymer) :

Carl Hungness' Indy 500 Yearbook (1973-97, with a belatedly published 1969-72 edition)
Indy Review (1991-01)
The Men and Machines of Indycar Racing (1986?-94) by Autosport Int'l

Ken Breslauer's Daytona 500 Yearbook (1984-85)
Daytona 500 - the Men and Machines of Speedweeks (1989-94) by Autosport Int'l
Carl Hungness' Brickyard 400 Yearbook (1994-95)
Brickyard 400 (1994-96) by UMI Publications

Auto Racing USA (1983-92?)

Also I have missed the Indy Review of 2002 (and probably 2003). Any info yet?

Gerrit Stevens

No Indy Review for 2002, Autocourse is doing one for 2003, better than the George filth.

There were Marlboro yearbooks in the early 70s but I think they were more previews than reviews.

Other annuals, much missed:

Louis Stanley's Grand Prix Year - idiosyncratic choice of shots from the BRM head honcho, ran from about 1959 to 1970;

Motor Racing Year by Anthony Pritchard - 4 editions, I think, about 1969-72, very heavy on text with black and white plates, great coverage of sportscar racing as well as F1;

FOCA Yearbooks from the late 80s, there were 2 or 3 of those, bit like Autocourse but slightly cheaper, more or less followed by the FIA Yearbook which was similar;

Formula One by Pete Lyons, followed the 1974 season, no idea if there were more planned, A3 paperback with colour plates and very cheap print paper, good stuff as you'd expect from Lyons;

Race Report by Eddie Guba and some chap called Nye, bilingual English-German, occasionally had very rude pictures in it, about 5 editions, first 4 at least were landscape style, excellent for top 10s for obscurish series like Euro hillclimb championship or Interserie.

And the Murray Walker yearbook, which ran for 10 years from 1986, then turned into a tits and bums spectacular with jokes which are about as funny as a dose of clap. OK, the Daily Star has its place, and I know it has its knockers, but in a Grand Prix yearbook...

There were also odd things which I assume were done as stocking fillers, about 100 pages per go and heavy on photos, which you can pick up from car boot sales for £1 or so or from specialist dealers for £25 or so, like International Motor Racing Year, which ran in the late 60s; short articles written by people like Jack Brabham and Tony Dron about matters from F1 to club racing, how an Anglia handles at Copse with a journo's life at Monaco and which can be surprisingly illuminating.

The people who put out the magazine Automobile Sport did three annuals. The first was 1981-82, then 82-83 and the last covered the years 83-85.

There was also one from Australia called Raceyear that only lasted three editions. They were 1983, '84 & '85.

There were seven editions of another Bathurst annual from the eighties.

Does anybody remember The Motor Reference Yearbook?
A certain schoolboy spent hours going through the 1960 edition again and again. It had full international and British national results, plus winners of all GP's, Le Mans, Targa Florio, TT and Mille Miglia since the beginning of time. It also had performance data from the year's road tests, etc, etc, etc. Enough for a 13 year old's sponge-like mind. I never saw subsequent editions so it may have been a one-off.

Autocar used to publish a GP seaon's summary that was (I think) collected reports. Then Autosport took over and the amount of data went down. This year I haven't seen it.

I see Paragon's F1 yearbook is in the shops again (but santa didn't). At £9.99 it's good value for the amount of data it contains. The translation isn't perfect but it's livable with. It's even better value come about march when it's remaindered!

To be fair to Santa, he did find Doug Nye's Cooper book, David McKinney's Maserati book and Peter Higham's Guide. So you'll know why I don't make many postings for the next few weeks.

Happy New Year everyone!

I have always thought that there was always a "market" for a really comprehensive racing annual. One that was not just the data, but something of the inner working as well. Producing it Good, Fast, and Cheap would be a miracle. It would be, "Pick two, settle for one..."

Originally posted by theunions


How long did the Marlboro yearbooks last? The only edition I have is 1976-77.

I have a QAP/Barrie Gill yearbook for 1977/8, but it's not sponsored by Marlboro. I expect the end of the sponsorship eventually meant the end of the annual...

It's the only annual I've seen with a 'top 20 for the future' pick of drivers from the lower formulae. Interesting reading in retrospect, and quite a good hit rate as well. I haven't seen any of Gill's other annuals, so don't know if this was a regular feature of his.

Jon

The first Marlboro Grand Prix Guide that I am aware of was a preview of the 1972 season/ review of the 1971 season, published by Edition Kreuzer. The next one I have is the third one, Grand Prix Guide 74 -- which covered the 1973 season, but is published by SIL Sports Books and not having overt "Marlboro" sponsorship. Both covered the sports car races was well, plus others bits and pieces. The Marlboro Grand Prix Guide with the white covers by Jacques Deschenaux, began -- I think -- with the 1978 or 1979 edition.

Originally posted by baggish

It's the only annual I've seen with a 'top 20 for the future' pick of drivers from the lower formulae. Interesting reading in retrospect, and quite a good hit rate as well. I haven't seen any of Gill's other annuals, so don't know if this was a regular feature of his.

The '77 Int'l Motor Racing volume doesn't have this but rather a "Driver Directory" of "men who make the racing news outside the Grand Prix world" - some seventy of them, mostly seen as up-and-comers. This includes future talent like Arnoux, Cheever, Giacomelli, Patrese, Pironi, Rahal, Rosberg, Tambay, Sullivan and Villeneuve, along with a few major misses like Flammini who "will race private March in Grands Prix in 1977."

Some good ones mentioned here, and ones that bring back a lot of memories for me...

I received the John Player Motorsport Yearbook for Christmas 1973. I always wondered how many editions were published. I especially enjoyed the coverage of F2, F/Atlantic and F5000. It came from a long gone Southern California book chain, Pickwick Books (more on them later).

Earl brought up The Road Racing Annual. My brother has one of those. Another good one.

ensign14 mentioned Anthony Pritchard's "Motor Racing Year" and Stanley's "Grand Prix Year". Stanley's books were among the first I read on past F1 racing (being they were 10-11 years old at the time I saw them), and Pritchard's review of 1971 I read while attending school in 1972.

I picked up a couple, and my brother a few more, of the Stanley books on clearance tables at various Pickwick stores.

There were even more I couldn't pick up. I won't even go into the time I walked into a Pickwick in El Segundo, California and they had virtually every year of Clymer's Indy 500 Yearbook from the 1960's...stack after stack, all for $3

In addition to various association publications, I'll mention a very obscure one: "Western Racing Annual", published by the newspaper Western Racing News out of Arizona. Great coverage of many ovals in the Western United States. Having not even been aware of it's existence before, I picked up a year old edition at a Sprint Car race, noticing it was Volume 3 or 4. Years pass, WRN announces it's going to cease, so I contact the editor/publisher. He was shocked anyone remembered them and didn't even recall how many they did :


Jim Thurman

If a title is discontinued after only one year, is it still an annual? One of my first car books was a gift on my 14th birthday, Racing Car Year '73 by Jonathan Thompson, published by Bond/Parkhurst. It was a mainly pictorial review of the cars used that season in F1, F2, F5000, Can-Am, USAC, Championship of Makes and Group 2. I still have the book, which is numbered as 'Volume 1,' but to the best of my knowledge there was no Volume 2.

I had a "Marlboro Motor Racing Yearbook" (or similar title) covering the 72 year. It was softback, pretty small in size, but quite thick. Full details on all GPs, plus Sportscars, and a guide to the major teams/manufacturers, eg JPS, Tyrrell, Ferrari, Mclaren, Surtees. As it was softback, it didn't last too long, I binned it many years ago,and now much regret that !

Originally posted by Mallory Dan
I had a "Marlboro Motor Racing Yearbook" (or similar title) covering the 72 year. It was softback, pretty small in size, but quite thick. Full details on all GPs, plus Sportscars, and a guide to the major teams/manufacturers, eg JPS, Tyrrell, Ferrari, Mclaren, Surtees. As it was softback, it didn't last too long, I binned it many years ago,and now much regret that !

Still have mine in reasonable condition,also 73 & 74 editions.
Must also mention 7 Monza yearbooks from the 60s,which I bought as a package with 'Monza 1922-72' from the Chaters stall at Silverstone in the 80s for a tenner!

Originally posted by arcsine
Another annual of the past I've come across is 'Grand Prix Formula 1 World Championship' by Nigel Roebuck and John Townsend. An Australian publication of which (according to Chaters) 5 editions were published, from 1985 through to 1989. But it seems that the 1989 annual/review of the 1989 season was the last. Was the competition, from Autocourse and other annuals, too great for this annual to continue?

That series was indeed a essential source of reference for the mid 80's turbo era - any book that includes work from Messrs Roebuck and Townsend is a must-buy in my humble opinion.

I have 1985 - 1987 in that series, all purchased via EBAY. 1985 was by far the hardest to find.

Originally posted by ensign14
And the Murray Walker yearbook, which ran for 10 years from 1986, then turned into a tits and bums spectacular with jokes which are about as funny as a dose of clap. OK, the Daily Star has its place, and I know it has its knockers, but in a Grand Prix yearbook...

I thought the first publication covered the 1987 season . If there is a 1986 edition, I want it!!

Originally posted by deangelis86


I thought the first publication covered the 1987 season . If there is a 1986 edition, I want it!!

No, you're right, they don't have years on the spines & I guessed.

Another annual series (OK, not F1 I know) that started but ceased...

Donald Davidson's Indy 500 Yearbook ('74 and '75 existing)
He surrendered because Carl Hungness was there as well by that time but cooperated with Hungness in later years.


Indeed, Indy fans who want to keep historical records complete are facing a problem with 2002 since even Tony George Himself had his IMS corp backing out of "Indy Review".
Maybe Autocourse will to a back issue on that year eventually.
Is the ÏndyCourse publeshed already? If so, anybody out here who has it and can compare it with the other publications released since, say '90?


Henri Greuter

Another annual series (OK, not F1 I know) that started but ceased...

Donald Davidson's Indy 500 Yearbook ('74 and '75 existing)
He surrendered because Carl Hungness was there as well by that time but cooperated with Hungness in later years.


Indeed, Indy fans who want to keep historical records complete are facing a problem with 2002 since even Tony George Himself had his IMS corp backing out of "Indy Review".
Maybe Autocourse will to a back issue on that year eventually.
Is the ÏndyCourse publeshed already? If so, anybody out here who has it and can compare it with the other publications released since, say '90?


Henri Greuter

Originally posted by arcsine
Interesting gift I unwrapped this morning - 'Formula One 1991 Computerised Results And Timing Service' (published in conjunction with the FIA/FOCA and Olivetti/Longines (who did the timing for F1 at the time)).

A large book (a few hundred pages long) containing the complete data set from every race in the 1991 season - every lap time set by every driver in every session at every race meeting that year. According to the Chaters website (where it is now out of stock - to find type 'Computerised Results' in the search engine) F1 Computerised Results And Timing was published from 1987 through to 1993, but it doesn't seem to have been published since.

A wealth of data but why was this book discontinued? Olivetti ended their involvement with F1 after 1993; perhaps thats why the book hasn't been published since. But is that the reason?

I think think there are issues published before 1987. Go to http://www.collector...hop/search.html and type information.
The results give several issues from 1982-86. I belive these are the same yearbooks but with a different name.

365 Racing Days was one I used to look forward to - not exactly cerebral, but good photography and a broad spread of disciplines - F1, sports cars, US, rallying plus often some esoteric stuff like the Renault 21 trophy (sponsorship reasons, I guess). Published from 1987 to 1995, I think.

I haven't seen the Domenjoz "Formula One Yearbook" for a while - translated from French, nice photography, flashy layout, used to be a definite French bias in the editorial - usually pick it up for a tenner or less in the UK. I've got a couple of them.

There's also the official Bernie F1 annual, which was a paste-up of all the reports from the official Bernie F1 magazine - incredibly thorough but rather.... dull. Is that still around?

Wasn't there a British racing yearbook at one point in the early 90s?

Originally posted by petefenelon
I haven't seen the Domenjoz "Formula One Yearbook" for a while - translated from French, nice photography, flashy layout, used to be a definite French bias in the editorial - usually pick it up for a tenner or less in the UK. I've got a couple of them.

There's also the official Bernie F1 annual, which was a paste-up of all the reports from the official Bernie F1 magazine - incredibly thorough but rather.... dull. Is that still around?

The Formula One Yearbook is still being published, although I noticed too that the copies for £10 that usually appeared in "The Works" or other similar shops didn't seem to be available at the end of the '06 season. It's available on Amazon though.

The "F1 magazine" version of the Bernie annual didn't survive past the terrible 2003 edition, which concentrated on photos of the drivers and not much else.
Haynes has been publishing the Official F1 Annual for the last three or four years, with the Haymarket journos providing the majority of the content.

Originally posted by petefenelon
Wasn't there a British racing yearbook at one point in the early 90s?

Yes, there was. "British Motorsport Year", published by Hazleton in 1995 (1995-96), 1996 (1996-97) and 1997 (1997-98), but discontinued after that.

There was also quite a good German yearbook at the time, called "Cockpit", covering F1, DTM, German F3 and German Super Touring. Especially the coverage of F3 and STW not found elsewhere in such extension made it worth while. But alas, here also only three years: 1994, 1995, 1996. With the end of ITC, the book disappeared as well. Author was Dieter L. Scharnagl, at the time head of Audi's motorsport communication.

Very good reference books and well sought-after in Germany are also Eddie Guba's "autodrome"-yearbooks, done in the 1970s.

In The Netherlands, we had the "Rally's and Races" annuals, published every year from 1985 till 1994, covering F1, WRC, F3000, touring cars, sportscars, national racing and rallying... I really do miss that one. Authors of the first edition were Huub Dubbelman (now head of communication at DaimlerChrysler Netherlands) and Ric van Kempen, after that Rick van Kempen wrote it with Caju ter Kuile.

In the 1970s, there was an annual called "Autosport" in The Netherlands. I have the years 1975 by Jan Rooderkerk and 1977 and 1978, both by Ron Tuyl. From 1995 till 1998, there was an annual called "Het Nederlands Autosport Jaaroverzicht".

Originally posted by deangelis86


That series was indeed a essential source of reference for the mid 80's turbo era - any book that includes work from Messrs Roebuck and Townsend is a must-buy in my humble opinion.

I have 1985 - 1987 in that series, all purchased via EBAY. 1985 was by far the hardest to find.

I bought the first three of these - the race reports were actually edited versions of Roebuck's reports for Autosport so maybe one factor in their demise would have been when Joe Saward took over doing the practice reports (1989 irrc).

Damn fine photography though - you didn't get much of that in mid-80s Autosports.

After the 1967 season, Sports Car Graphic issued "Competition Year," which covered the grand prix, CSI sports-prototypes, Can-Am, Trans-Am, USRRC, and few other series/events (but not the SCCA Continental Championship!) as well as having a few articles. If there was another issue, I amm unaware of it. Similarly, Car and Driver had racing annuals covering the seasons from 1966 to either 1968 or 1969.

Originally posted by rateus


I bought the first three of these - the race reports were actually edited versions of Roebuck's reports for Autosport so maybe one factor in their demise would have been when Joe Saward took over doing the practice reports (1989 irrc).

Damn fine photography though - you didn't get much of that in mid-80s Autosports.

Those Roebuck/Townsend books were indeed fine publications. I have 1987, 1988 and 1989. I didn't realise that they were published before 1987.

Originally posted by René de Boer


Yes, there was. "British Motorsport Year", published by Hazleton in 1995 (1995-96), 1996 (1996-97) and 1997 (1997-98), but discontinued after that.

There was also a small orange & black one published by Words On Sport. Only had 1 issue, think it was about 1997.

Originally posted by ensign14

Other annuals, much missed:

Motor Racing Year by Anthony Pritchard - 4 editions, I think, about 1969-72, very heavy on text with black and white plates, great coverage of sportscar racing as well as F1;

Just looking round my library and have come across 1973 and 1974 versions of this fine publication.

Geoff

Originally posted by COUGAR508
Those Roebuck/Townsend books were indeed fine publications. I have 1987, 1988 and 1989. I didn't realise that they were published before 1987.

I’ve had the 1988 edition for some years, and it was still available new at the time (mid-90s), but have picked up the others in the last twelve months or so. I didn’t realise at the time when I only had the one, but since lining them up on the shelf the digit on the spine is clear evidence of the earlier editions - they say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.