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Can-Am! The words are still magic to a generation of road racing fans to whom the Canadian-American Challenge Cup series represents the pinnacle of the sport they love. And who is to argue? Taking over from the USRRC (United States Road Racing Championship), as the feature sports car circuit in North America, from 1966 through 1974 the world’s best drivers and the world’s best racing teams put together cars that followed the rule of the Can-Am series: no rules! Anything went, as long as it had two seats and enclosed wheels. These “rules” set the stage for years of ground-and-pulse-pounding cars powered by bigger and bigger engines and daredevil drivers competing in front of motorsport’s biggest crowds. Years later the names still carry weight: drivers like Dennis Hulme, Bruce McLaren, Dan Gurney, Jackie Stewart, Mark Donohue, George Follmer. And what cars: McLaren, Lola, Porsche, Ferrari, and Shadow. But who was behind those awesome machines and drivers? Who could keep them going when the torque shook loose engine bolts? Who could spend an entire low-paid off season in small, cold and drafty race shops looking for an extra edge in performance and reliability? Who could toil in uncomplaining anonymity behind the scenes while the cars and their drivers basked in the considerable glory that went with Can-Am racing? The men portrayed in One Last Turn.
One Last Turn presents the first look at the men (and in those days they were all men, young men) who made it all work. The mechanics who towed the mighty cars on pick-up trucks and worked on them between races and between heats in the blazing sun and pouring rain on muddy grassy fields, who drove 90 miles per hour on the era’s two lane roads, towing a 2000 pound race car to make the next race’s starting grid.
Illustrated with many never before seen photos of the cars and people who made Can-Am great, this is the book that fans of the series have been waiting for.
The men who kept the machines on the track during the Can-Am years
Hilarious and poignant never-before told stories behind the scenes during the Can-Am years.
- Hard cover with dust jacket
1994 was a watershed year for F1 in so many ways, the fatal accidents of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna shook the sport to its core. What followed was mayhem. For the first time all the arguments are painstakingly examined in one book. Fresh insights, exclusive interviews, and a plethora of evidence is brought together in a story that is guaranteed to amaze and shock.
This book is a thorough examination of a turbulent season, including…
′ Rushed car changes
′ Teams unhappy with how the crisis was managed
′ A power struggle for control of the sport
′ Vague rules being exploited
′ Accusations of politically motivated penalties
′ An alleged cover-up after a horrific pit-lane fire
′ A controversial conclusion
It also saw Michael Schumacher and Benetton first emerge as championship contenders, upsetting the establishment. Many believed their sudden rise was down to cheating, whilst others felt they were scapegoated because of politics. For the first time all the arguments are painstakingly examined in one book. Fresh insights, exclusive interviews, and a plethora of evidence is brought together to give the clearest analysis yet into the above events. The book contains over 250 photos which help bring this story to life, many of which are rare and from those involved.
There are exclusive contributions from former F1 driver Mark Blundell, Benetton insiders: Willem Toet, Frank Dernie, Simon Morley (the “junior employee” blamed for the Hockenheim fire). Williams’ insiders Paul West and Richard Wise. You will be astonished at what is unearthed. 1994 was tragic, chaotic, political, technical and involved some very colorful characters at the heart of the action. It’s a story that will amaze.
′ Did Senna hear illegal traction control on Schumacher’s Benetton at Aida?
′ Concealed launch control was later found on Schumacher’s Benetton. Why?
′ Was the Hockenheim fire caused by Benetton removing their fuel filter?
′ Despite pleading guilty, why did Benetton receive no serious punishments after the fire?
′ Schumacher was banned / disqualified from a quarter of 1994 races due to various infringements. Politics or cheating?
′ Did a return to simpler cars contribute to the accidents?
The book seeks to answer these and many more questions.
**Updated Edition**
Intermeccanica – The Story of the Prancing Bull is the definitive biography of Frank Reisner and his incredible sports car company, Intermeccanica – responsible for some of the most beautiful sports cars ever built. Frank Reisner, a Hungarian-born, Canadian-educated chemical engineer, turned a youthful passion for cars into one of the most famous small production sports car building companies in the world. From modest beginnings based in the automotive mecca of Turin, Italy, throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s, Intermeccanica conceived, designed and produced a dozen different models that shook the motoring world and went on to find homes in museums and collections from Europe to the United States to Japan. Most notable of these models are the Apollo, the Italia and the Indra.
From there, it was on to California, where Reisner revolutionised the Porsche replicar market with his groundbreaking fiberglass Speedster design, followed by the Roadster RS, which the company continues to produce at its Vancouver, BC, Canada headquarters. Along the way, Reisner and Intermeccanica dealt with, and in one case sued, the largest automotive manufacturers in the world, all the while maintaining an independent streak and maverick spirit that would come to define the man and his company.
The Speed Merchants tells the story of Michael Keyser’s racing and film experience, across the U.S. and Europe, from 1969 through 1972. He relives what it was like to watch the great Ferrari 512s and Porsche 917s that dominated the world manufacturer’s series in 1970; to follow Mark Donohue and Roger Penske as they shook up the Trans-Am through Canada and the United States; to see McLaren’s hold on the Can-Am finally ended. The Speed Merchants details the successes and failures of such drivers as Vic Elford, Brian Redman, Jo Siffert, Pedro Rodriguez and Jackie Stewart; and racing at such tracks as Daytona, Sebring, Indianapolis, the Targa Florio, the Nurburgring, Monaco and Le Mans. When first published in 1973, The Speed Merchants was hailed among other books on racing as ”the standard by which other works should be judged.” Now, the author has totally revised the book, more than doubling the number of photographs and adding a personal dimension that could only be brought by someone in his unique position as driver, photographer, and filmmaker.
With brilliant full color photography and evocative prose, The Speed Merchants brings to vivid life the sights and sounds of a lost era.
This extraordinary collection of noteworthy films from the Ford archives offers a unique insight into a golden era of motorsport on both sides of the Atlantic.
Lotus in the Sixties charts the groundbreaking relationship between bespoke British racing- and sportscar manufacturer Lotus and the giant Ford Motor Company. The design genius of Colin Chapman allied to the technological know-how of Ford shook up the racing world and changed the face of motorsport forever.
Included on this release, ‘American Revolution’ tells of the arrival of the iconic Ford-powered, rear-engined Lotus which Jim Clark used to take victory at the Indy 500 in 1965, beating the likes of Bobby Unser and Parnelli Jones.
‘First Time Out’ records the birth of a legend; the first race of the Lotus 49 and its revolutionary Ford DFV engine. Spectacular archive footage, shot at the famous Zandvoort Circuit in 1967, shows Jim Clark once more dominating the opposition as he and teammate Graham Hill give the car and engine a perfect debut.
Two years later and the 49, with its Ford powerplant, is still the combination to beat as Graham Hill put his years of experience to use to win his fifth Monaco Grand Prix. The footage here shows off his skill, bravery and determination combined with the power and handling of the Ford/Lotus combination to good effect.
