19 replies to this topic

[Eddie Knipe]

 

I have just arrived back from a visit to Cape Town and I purchased this excellent book at Exclusive Books in Constantia. Written by Greg Mills, it chronicles the history of motor racing in South Africa - 346 pages of the most interesting book that I have read relating to SA motor racing personalities - drivers, mechanics, sponsors, administrators, tracks now no longer in existence and loads more ... I have learnt so much more about a personal favourite driver of mine from the 60's and 70's, the irrepressible John Love.

 

Racing personalities who have raved about this book, to name but a few are, Emanuele Piro, Chris Amon, Derek Daly, John Watson, Derek Bell, Mike Pilbeam, David Piper, Robin Herd and Brian Redman.

 

Forewords by Howden Ganley, Arie Luyendyk and Sir Frank Williams.

 

Australians and Southern Africans share much in common, not least a can-do attitude and a love of sport. Greg Mills' terrific read highlights these traits and much more Sir Jack Brabham

 

A rich and enviable tapestry of drivers, circuits, engineers, promoters and designers; a book to match Bernie Ecclestone

 

It's all here, from F1 to Karting World Champions. It reminds us how competitive South Africans have always been Terry Fullerton

 

 

‘Greg … [has] delivered an extraordinary book … It will stand out as both a marker and reference for future generations interested in the sport, one from which lessons of hardship, courage, derring-do, sportsman (and woman) ship, ingenuity and excellence should be drawn.’ Howden Ganley, March, BRM, and Maki F1 driver

 

‘A volume that will be part of my motorsport book collection.’ Arie Luyendyk, winner of the Indy 500 (1990 and 1997)

 

‘This book perfectly captures the spirit and the characters of the time.’ Sir Frank Williams CBE, Team Principal: Williams F1

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Agriculture-Furniture-Marmalade-Southern-Motorsport/dp/1770103236#reader_B00BEFOGKA

 

http://panmacmillan.bookslive.co.za/blog/2013/03/01/greg-mills-author-of-agriculture-furniture-marmalade-expresses-his-passion-for-motor-racing/

 

The origin of this unusual title - Jody Scheckter, to date South Africa's only Formula One World Champion, received the following advice from Jackie Pretorius on his departure for fame and fortune in England in 1971, "Jackie pulled me to one side and told me to learn some big words to impress the Europeans. He said he would give me three then and there - Agriculture, Furniture and Marmalade - preferably to be used in conjunction with one another."

 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan South Africa ISBN: 9781770103238 Publication date: December 2012

[Allen Brown]

That looks very interesting so I have just ordered a copy.

 

Due to Amazon's attitude to paying their taxes, I try very hard not to buy anything from them.  Not that it has it in stock anyway.

 

I found a copy at http://www.kalahari....2/46801991.aspx who ship to the UK and the whole thing worked out to only £17.  

 

It's also at http://www.loot.co.z.../ysjd-2397-g1a0 and http://bookshelf.co....0103238/sid/10/

[Supersox]

As there is no tax on books in the UK Allen I think your attitude is a little holier than thou. But hey......

[Allan Lupton]

As there is no tax on books in the UK Allen I think your attitude is a little holier than thou. But hey......

I presume from your US-type "name" you are not a UK resident so don't know about such matters as Corporation Tax.

Various organisations have been a bit inventive when it comes to the annual accounts for their UK arms, so some of us prefer not to encourage them.

[Supersox]

I think it says somewhere render unto Caesar that which is Caesars'. I don't see much evidence of Caesar working out how to get his share at present.

I am  a UK resident and tax payer - in fact a pensioner- I pay and my companies pay what the government of the day tells me to, if there are areas where I can completely legally avoid paying them that is up to them to rectify.

But this ain't going to turn into a rant or a crusade from me.

The good Mr Brown and I will always agree -very politely -to differ on politics.

[raceannouncer2003]

Interesting.  I saw the title for this thread and almost bypassed it.  As mentioned in the "New format format" thread, in the past, when you placed the cursor over the thread title, you could get some idea what it was about.  Not now.

 

Vince H

 

Edit - It was explained to me about how to do this.  Thanks.

Edited by raceannouncer2003, 01 September 2013 - 05:26.

[Barry Boor]

Does Tony Maggs feature very much in this book?

[RVM]

Does Tony Maggs feature very much in this book?

 

Yes, Tony Maggs is given his due in the book.

 

Here is a review from Speedreaders on the book: http://speedreaders....torsport-heroes

[Eddie Knipe]

They don’t make racing drivers like they used to, judging by this excerpt from Greg Mills’s new book, Agriculture, Furniture & Marmalade:

The exploits of Jackie Pretorius are legendary, such as when he crashed his Lola T70 sports car shared with his mentor Doug Serrurier at Pietermaritzburg’s Roy Hesketh circuit.

“Seatbelts had become compulsory, which the duo had pop-riveted to the chassis as a token to the authorities.

“When I turned left [the Lola] turned right; and when I went right, it turned left,’ Pretorius says.

“I remembered that we had only pop-riveted the seatbelts on, so I braced my arm against the dashboard. When I hit the bank my arm went straight though and I could not get it out. Doug was not impressed when I got back to the pits and told me to keep going.”

Prolific writer of motorsport history and folklore, Mills writes about a colourful crop of Southern Africans who made it as drivers, engineers, mechanics and promoters in international motorsport, from Woolf Barnato’s three victories in the Le Mans 24-Hour in the 1920s to the era of Sarel van der Merwe.
Further to the reviews already posted:-

The talent emerging from our part of the world – drivers and designers – was prodigious: Rory Byrne, Gordon Murray, Jody and Ian Scheckter, Wayne Taylor, Desire Wilson and John Love, to name a few.

Mills relates the stories of these and other home-bred racing personalities who plied their trade in a derring-do era when deaths in motorsport were commonplace.

And the origin of the book’s unusual title? You’ll have to read it to find out.

Illustrated with photographs of racing machines and the often shaggy-haired, huge-collared people who drove them, Agriculture, Furniture & Marmalade is available for R220 online from kalahari.com, exclusives.co.za, loot.co.za, takealot.com and motorbooks.co.za, or at Love Books in Jo’burg, Exclusives, and Motorbooks.

Credit: http://www.iol.co.za...31#.Uh-PVsu9KSM (Denis Droppa)

[Barry Boor]

I don't want to appear like the proverbial dog with a bone but apart from Jody Scheckter's World Championship, (John Love's somewhat lucky second place at Kyalami in 1967 aside), Tony Maggs is the second most successful Grand Prix driver to come out of South Africa, isn't he?.  I think that sometimes he never quite gets the credit he deserves.

[Eddie Knipe]

As a youngster, I think it was the Gunston colours that appealed to me more than actual driver. After all, it was a young Welshman who had captured my imagination on the track. My first car, a Ford Escort 1600 Sport had the same colours as John Love's cigarette company colours - whatever possessed me!? Agree Barry - Tony Maggs would have to rank up there as a South African icon. As you suggest, second to Jody Scheckter.

[ry6]

Barry, I think Pedro Rodriguez was the 'lucky' one in the 1967 South African Grand Prix!

Remember John Love ran short on fuel when in the lead.

Love's effort, for an 'aging' privateer, in an unsponsored, unsupported, obsolete car that he and his little team had developed from a 'Mclaren-Cooper' was incredible.

If you take into account he lived in Rhodesia, thousands of miles from the British factories where parts were to be obtained from, and had to make up certain parts himself and drive/help prepare .... well....

He qualified 5th on the grid and except for the 'new' Repco engined Brabhams of Brabham and Hulme he was not far off the pace of the others.

He would have had to also nurse his car as he probably only had one engine, and that he had used for a few seasons.

BTW Ken Tyrell rated Love and Maggs equally.

Rob

[ry6]

PS:

Greg has also produced a book on Tony Maggs "Africa's forgotten GP Driver"

He did it a bout 2 years ago

A very nice book. Lovely photos and some great anecdotes.

BTW - Greg derives no financial gain from his books and donates the proceeds to various charities - among them one that helps racing people (drivers, mechanics, organisers, marshalls etc) that have fallen on hard times.

[Barry Boor]

Do you know where I might get the Tony Maggs book, Rob.

[Eddie Knipe]

http://www.iol.co.za...ntPageLayout.ot

[ry6]

Hello Barry

I am travelling in darkest Africa.

Might not get internet and such modern luxuries.

Try Ecurie Zoo ask for Graham Vos I think email is -

 

Voszoo@global.co.za

 

Robert

[Barry Boor]

Thanks, Robert. Michael has given me the same info and I have e-mailed Anne.

[Barry Boor]

No joy with my attempt to get the Tony Maggs book.  They need a credit card and I DON'T GOT ONE!

[RTH]

I presume from your US-type "name" you are not a UK resident so don't know about such matters as Corporation Tax.
Various organisations have been a bit inventive when it comes to the annual accounts for their UK arms, so some of us prefer not to encourage them.

 

The situation is now so out of control with only today vodafone saying they will arange tax in another country.
I suspect time is now up on corporation tax and the UK will switch to another form of UK company taxation very soon as tens of billion are being lost to the citizen.

Edited by RTH, 03 September 2013 - 09:43.

[Felix]

Barry, I think Pedro Rodriguez was the 'lucky' one in the 1967 South African Grand Prix!

Remember John Love ran short on fuel when in the lead.

Love's effort, for an 'aging' privateer, in an unsponsored, unsupported, obsolete car that he and his little team had developed from a 'Mclaren-Cooper' was incredible.

If you take into account he lived in Rhodesia, thousands of miles from the British factories where parts were to be obtained from, and had to make up certain parts himself and drive/help prepare .... well....

He qualified 5th on the grid and except for the 'new' Repco engined Brabhams of Brabham and Hulme he was not far off the pace of the others.

He would have had to also nurse his car as he probably only had one engine, and that he had used for a few seasons.

BTW Ken Tyrell rated Love and Maggs equally.

Rob

 

 

Barry, I think Pedro Rodriguez was the 'lucky' one in the 1967 South African Grand Prix!

Remember John Love ran short on fuel when in the lead.

Love's effort, for an 'aging' privateer, in an unsponsored, unsupported, obsolete car that he and his little team had developed from a 'Mclaren-Cooper' was incredible.

If you take into account he lived in Rhodesia, thousands of miles from the British factories where parts were to be obtained from, and had to make up certain parts himself and drive/help prepare .... well....

He qualified 5th on the grid and except for the 'new' Repco engined Brabhams of Brabham and Hulme he was not far off the pace of the others.

He would have had to also nurse his car as he probably only had one engine, and that he had used for a few seasons.

BTW Ken Tyrell rated Love and Maggs equally.

Rob

This appeared here

 

http://atlasf1.autos...16/rencken.html

 

as a sidebar to a feature on tobacco sponsorship (Love was the first to sport cigarette logos in a grand prix) which appeared a few weeks after his death in 2005. Shortly before his death he confirmed all details with the author

 

 

 

Sidebar: The Second shall be First

Strangely, John Love – the man who was first to introduce tobacco sponsorship in Formula One - is better remembered for coming second.

In 1967, aware that his 2.7 four-banger Climax would guzzle more fuel during 80 laps of the 4,080 kilometre Kyalami circuit than his privateer Cooper T79's tiny tanks had capacity, he had lashed up a spare tank above his knees. A secondary pump was fitted to move petrol to the main tank, with the capacity providing, he calculated, sufficient fuel to get him to the end of the opener of the season without a stop.

Alas, it was not be: in practice he had shared with his car's constructor John Cooper his plans, and the Surrey team owner realised that it was doubtful whether his own brace of Maserati V12-engined T81s could run the distance, particularly on the undulating, partly sinuous track situated 2000 metres above the Indian Ocean.

With the race scheduled for January 2nd - a Thursday - through it being a public holiday, and with no television schedules to honour in a country which still banned the goggle box, practice for South Africa's return to the Championship calendar (and maiden race at the Kyalami circuit) was scheduled for Wednesday. Cooper had no spare pumps in his boxes, and with spares outlets closed for the holiday, he asked to borrow same from the man he had previously run in Formula Junior via Ken Tyrrell.

Love rummaged about, found an SU 'ticker', chucked it at Cooper, and thought no more of it. Until three laps from the end of the race: leading the Grand Prix closest to his heart and home in a privately entered, virtually obsolete car, one which had seen service in the Tasman Series before having its 2.5 litre four cylinder ex-fire pump Climax engine bored to the max to provide as close to the three-litre limit as possible, a hick, splutter, cough suggested switch-over time. Done, the spluttering worsened.

The pump was dead, and a disbelieving Love swerved agonisingly as he dredged the remains and headed for the pits and the splash 'n dash. Utterly frustrated, almost in tears, he watched helplessly as Pedro Rodriguez swept past from second, his Maser engine fuelled via a pump from Love's tool box...

Love returned to the track, but there was no stopping the Mexican, who took his maiden Grand Prix victory. Love, though, claimed second, ahead of John Surtees' Honda, whilst fourth went to Denny Hulme - driving, ironically, the Brabham BT20-Repco with which Love and Gunston tobacco were to make Grand Prix history the following year.

Little did Love know then that the second shall be first...