It takes guts, skill and an unshakeable belief in yourself to nudge up to the line in a 5000 horsepower beast that will propel you over a quarter mile in less that 5 seconds at 300 mph.
Welcome to the world of top fuel drag racing and the most successful woman in the sport, Rachelle Splatt, The Queen of Speed.
Rachelle Splatt’s passion for speed has taken her to success at the highest level of her sport. A consummate professional at her chosen sport and career, she has won the ANDRA crowning glory, the Nationals. When given the chance to compete in the United States she raced on the NHRA circuit and became the first women in the world to exceed 300 mph in 1994.
The high-octane, Seabiscuit-meets-Scarface story of how Randy Lanier became a 1980s international sports star, soaring through the ranks of car racing while holding a dark secret: he was also one of the biggest pot smugglers in American history
As a kid, Randy Lanier dreamed of achieving four-wheel glory at the Indianapolis 500, but knew he’d never be able to afford the most expensive sport on earth. That all changed when he bought a speedboat and began smuggling pot from the Bahamas. Fueled by what would become a historically massive smuggling operation, he started racing cars and became an overnight sensation. For Randy and his teammates, money was no object, and bigger hauls meant faster cars. At every event they attended, they were behind the wheel of the best machinery, flaunting their secret in front of huge crowds and live television cameras. But no matter how fast they drove, they couldn’t outrun the law. As Randy came ever closer to reaching his dream of high-speed glory, one of the biggest drug scandals ever to hit the professional sports world was about to unfold.
Set in the 1980s Florida of Miami Vice, this is the unbelievable, unforgettable, unparalleled story of an ordinary guy whose attempts to become famous doing the thing he wanted most—become a world class race car driver—devolved into a you-can’t-make-this-up tale of one of the biggest crime rings and drug scandals of the 1980s. Now, with the help of New York Times bestselling author A.J. Baime, Randy tells the whole truth for the first time ever, a gripping narrative unlike any other, a sports story for the ages, and shocking a true crime epic.
CHASING 5OO
Learn What it takes to plan,build and campaign a land speed record cart capable of achieving 500 mph
Veteran landspeed racer John Baechtel has released a new full color, photo rich history and technical account on the original record setting Speed Demon and the more formidable Speed Demon II which has already set new records at Bonneville
It includes full coverage of the Speed Demon’s extraordinary history and performance record, the unfortunate crash and subsequent construction of the all new Speed Demon II. The new car build is covered in exacting photographic detail so readers can see and understand every component of this amazing landspeed racing car.
George Poteet’s awesome Speed Demon has captured the attention of the world wide racing community with it’s clockwork ability to tear off repeated 400 mph blasts at the Bonneville Salt Flats. When an unfortunate incident caused the car to crash in 2014, an opportunity to build an even better and faster Speed Demon presented itself. See the complete history of the Speed Demon and the detailed buildup of the new car all in full color here.
Take a full color deep dive into the inner workings of the Speed Demon.
George Poteet’s Speed Demon defies nearly all traditional norms for land speed record breaking. It’s logged 55 runs over 400 mph and has captured nine Hot Rod Magazine Top Speed trophies.
It only has one engine, but it’s currently a turbocharged big block Chevy beast. Learn its secrets and why it began as a small block engine. It’s rear-wheel drive in an all-wheel-drive environment. It’s driven by a self-made, nerves-of-steel southern gentleman who places all his faith in crew chief Steve Watt, his engine builder, Kenny Duttweiler, and the extraordinarily talented build crew at Maxwell Industries — the Men in Black.
After a walk-away crash in 2014, an all-new leaner, meaner Speed Demon was constructed at Maxwell. Records continued to fall, culminating in a new 470 mph record and a staggering 481 mph exit speed in 2020. This is story of perhaps the most successful land speed car ever and why it’s so damned fast.
This beautifully designed and illustrated essential guide to the Tour de France from Motorbooks’ Speed Read series will make you an instant expert on its history, its winners and rivalries, the tactics necessary to win it, and the technology of its bicycles.
Le Tour has sometimes been called “chess on wheels” because of the complicated strategies used by the race’s 22 teams and 176 riders. This book—written by award-winning cycling journalist John Wilcockson, who has covered the Tour 45 times—will help you understand those tactics, along with informing you about the race’s century-plus history, its famed winners and rivalries, and the technology that has gone into creating the modern racing bicycle and determining how today’s athletes train.
Among the questions answered are:
- Who owns the Tour?
- How are the course’s 21 stages selected?
- What are the most famous mountain climbs?
- How is the overall winner determined?
- What is a peloton, a soigneur, or an echelon?
- How big are the prizes?
- What are time bonuses?
- Who was the first American to compete in the Tour, and who was the first one to win it?
- How fast do the racers go down mountain descents?
- What speeds can the riders reach in sprint finishes?
- Why are the teams known by the names of their sponsors and not their countries?
- What do the riders eat, and where do they sleep every night?
- What are all those motorcycles doing among the cyclists?
- How do the organizers deal with doping scandals?
- And is it true that, one year, the top four finishers were all disqualified?
You will find the answers to all these questions, and many more, in this informative, beautifully illustrated, fun-to-read book: Speed Read Tour de France.
Nowhere else have so many land speed records been set as at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. Each year, devoted gearheads and adrenaline junkies from around the world gather to add their names to the hall of fame with their hot rods, roadsters, motorcycles, and belly tankers.
German photographer Alexandra Lier visited the famous Speed Week at Bonneville for the first time in 1999 and has returned annually ever since. In this book she documents the fanatically passionate culture of speed record chasers, the drivers, and their beautiful vehicles, set in the amazing landscape of the Utah salt flats.
Formula One 2023, the world’s bestselling Grand Prix handbook, is the essential resource for the season ahead.
Formula 1 fans will be kept fully up to speed with detailed examinations of all the teams racing in 2023 (from Ferrari and Red Bull to Mercedes and Aston Martin), every driver in the competition (including Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton), and all the tracks featured on the packed Grand Prix calendar, including the new Miami street circuit. It also reviews the 2022 season with race-by-race reports and statistics; highlights changes to the rules and regulations for 2023, and discusses major talking points in F1. As well as the drivers’ and constructors’ world championship tables from 2022, there is a fill-in guide for 2023, so each book can become a personalised record of the Formula One season.
Complementing Bruce Jones’s insightful text are dozens of colour photographs, detailed circuit maps and a statistics section containing the major records from more than 70 years of the world’s most thrilling and glamorous motor sport.
Host Lloyd Bridges takes you on a tour of motorsports in the 60’s. Cobra test at Riverside with Ken Miles, Shelby driver of the era. See the 007 Bond Aston Martin and Sean Connery, slot car racing, bubbletops, Craig Breedlove at salt flats, classic drag racing, and big daddy Ed Roth. This is a 40 min. transport back in time. You will be light-headed watching this show. It is the complete uncut version broadcast Thursday, Sept 8, 1967, on CBS. This is a digital re-master directly from film. It looks great! Bonus
Feature: Motor Mouth Pilot
Live the time machine from 1967 to 2002. See how when things change they really stay the same! Take a ride with hosts Barbi Orr and Jane Norris as they run their motor mouth at events like Willow Springs, You will see many cars from the 60’s still racing today: Cobras, GT350, Vettes, and many others. Also celebrity interviews – see how today’s high-tech BLING BLING WHEELS are designed by Keith Kaucher (today’s top wheel designer). Go to a hidden speed shop in Culver City, Calif., where top master mechanic Steve Beck stores the rarest cars you’ll ever see!
Celebrating fifty seasons of the most spectacular motorsport, the World Rally Championship marries state-of-the-art technology with endurance and speed in a battle against both the clock and the elements of nature. Rallying is the mother of all motorsport. Mastering a car on gravel, snow and asphalt, in extreme heat, ice, rain, fog and darkness is the supreme discipline on four wheels. The World Rally Championship, which has been held since 1973, has entered its 50th season. Time to look back at these automotive and human legends from Alpine to Integrale, from Colin McRae to Sébastien Loeb, from the wild Group B cars to the technically fascinating Rally1 racers with hybrid drive. It’s all here in this book.
With hundreds of photos from the McKlein archive, of which many are unique to this book, it encapsulates the highs and lows of a half a century’s fight for the WRC crown: the technical development, the dramas, the heroic sagas and the curiosities. It’s an encyclopaedia of an era of enthusiastic drifting, through to the battle for tenths of a second with the fastest cars of all time travelling on a mixture of gravel roads. A book of stories and pictures about the most spectacular motorsport in the world.
On December 22, 1964, at a small, closely guarded airstrip in the desert town of Palmdale, California, Lockheed test pilot Bob Gilliland stepped into a strange-looking aircraft and roared into aviation history.
Developed at the super-secret Skunk Works, the SR-71 Blackbird was a technological marvel. In fact, more than a half century later, the Mach 3–plus titanium wonder, designed by Clarence L. “Kelly” Johnson, remains the world’s fastest jet.
It took a test pilot with the right combination of intelligence, skill, and nerve to make the first flight of the SR-71, and the thirty-eight-year-old Gilliland had spent much of his life pushing the edge.
In Speed one of America’s greatest test pilots collaborates with acclaimed journalist Keith Dunnavant to tell his remarkable story: How he was pushed to excel by his demanding father. How a lucky envelope at the U.S. Naval Academy altered the trajectory of his life. How he talked his way into U.S. Air Force fighters at the dawn of the jet age, despite being told he was too tall. How he made the conscious decision to trade the security of the business world for the dangerous life of an experimental test pilot, including time at the clandestine base Area 51, working on the Central Intelligence Agency’s Oxcart program.
The narrative focuses most intently on Gilliland’s years as the chief test pilot of the SR-71, as he played a leading role in the development of the entire fleet of spy planes while surviving several emergencies that very nearly ended in disaster.
Waging the Cold War at 85,000 feet, the SR-71 became an unrivaled intelligence-gathering asset for the U.S. Air Force, invulnerable to enemy defenses for a quarter century.
Gilliland’s work with the SR-71 defined him, especially after the Cold War, when many of the secrets began to be revealed and the plane emerged from the shadows—not just as a tangible museum artifact but as an icon that burrowed deep into the national consciousness.
Like the Blackbird itself, Speed is a story animated by the power of ambition and risk-taking during the heady days of the American Century.
‘A special treat…The pictures and stories combine to provide a rich texture to telling the difficult story of why we chase speed like an addiction.’ Valerie Thompson, the world’s fastest female motorcycle racer
Ever since we built machines that could transport us, there has been a desire to find ways to make them go faster. For some, going faster isn’t enough – they want to be the fastest. This book celebrates those who have built the machines and driven them at ever greater speeds. This is The History of Speed.
Bestselling automotive writer Martin Roach tells the extraordinary story of those who have come to be obsessed by speed. From Camille Jenatzy, ‘the Red Devil’, who became the first man to drive at over 100kmh in 1899, through the golden age of Malcolm Campbell and his Bluebird, and on to the modern era of jet- and rocket-propelled cars, we have gone faster and faster. But this book is not just about these record-breakers, Roach also looks at the technology, the engines and the inventors who helped progress in speed at all levels, from Formula One to the supercars from the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes that are eagerly snapped up by collectors, rarely to be seen on the road.
Accompanied by some of the most stunning images of the cars and those who made and drove them, Roach tells a wonderful story of innovation and invention. He talks to some of the great drivers to find out what inspires them to risk their lives, and finds out from engineers how they developed their ideas. Along the way, we hear some remarkable tales and anecdotes, but also find out how the pursuit of speed can also have its costs, with many tragic heroes and heroines falling along the way.
If you’ve ever thrilled to the roar of a sports car engine, or loved the feel of the g-force as you accelerate away, or even looked on in wonder at a powerful engine, The History of Speed is a book that you will not want to miss out on.
Announced in 1912, the Schneider Trophy was a series of glamorous air contests, popularly known as races, that captivated both sides of the Atlantic. While there were many other aviation competitions, the Schneider proved to be, after a rocky start, by far the most memorable attracting a hugely popular and glamorous following whether Trophy races were held in Monaco, the Venice Lido, the Solent or Chesapeake Bay.
The Schneider Trophy was a focus not just of remarkable aircraft, derring-do pilots and swooning public attention, but also of fierce rivalries between the competitors: Britain, France, Italy and the United States. It gripped the imaginations of pioneering manufacturers and two of the world’s finest aircraft designers - Reginald Mitchell and Mario Castoldi – who worked feverishly hard to outdo one another. Perhaps inevitably, the dynamism of rival engineering and politics led to the most potent military fighters of World War Two with Reginald Mitchell’s record-breaking Supermarine seaplanes morphing, one way or another, into the Spitfire.
Wings Over Water not only tells the story of the Schneider Trophy afresh but also examines the backdrop and legacy of these legendary air races, which became a driver and celebration of speed and engineering prowess for both sea and ground-based aircraft. It is an exhilarating tale of raw adventure, public excitement, engineering genius and the fortunes of flying boats and seaplanes.
- Why is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2.5 miles around instead of five miles?
- Who was an Indy race winner before Ray Harroun?
- What driver had to take a streetcar home to inform his parents he had just won the Indy 500?
- How was the starting lineup determined in the years before the cars were qualified?
- Have there always been 33 starters?
Whether the distant past or modern times serves as a lure for “The Greatest Race in the World,” there are literally hundreds of fascinating, true Indy 500 tales, facts and figures.
One of the race’s most-respected journalists, Rick Shaffer, has gathered 500 of the most interesting anecdotes to come out of the intersection of 16th Street and Georgetown Road.
500 on (the Indy) 500 chronicles the famous from Chevrolet to Andretti, the obscure from William Borque (item #10, the track’s first driver fatality) to Simon Pagenaud (#496), winner 105 years after the last Frenchman to do so.
The ultimate race chronology, this book is for the curious, the scholar, the passing fan or the diehard. The depth of research is sure to entertain and illuminate aspects of the Indy 500 new to even many Indy devotees.
Hard cover, 200 color and B&W images, 280 pages.
America’s Hundred Thousand covers in detail the eleven U.S. fighter aircraft types produced just before and during World War II – with a combined production total of just over 100,000 aircraft. Covered are the Army Lockheed P-38 Lightning, P-39 Airacobra, Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk/Kittyhawk/Warhawk, P-47 Thunderbolt, North American P-51 Mustang, Northrop P-61 Black Widow, and the Navy F2A – Buffalo, F4F – Wildcat, F4U – Corsair, and F6F – Hellcat fighters. The text is supplemented by more than 650 photographs, and 200 tables and graphs. Fighter production figures are also included. After an introduction of each type, a heavily illustrated overview of earlier inter-war production from 1920-on, along with a discussion and illustration of wartime experimental types, is provided. A lengthy section considering several technical factors affecting fighter performance follows. These include engine models, supercharger types, propellers, aerodynamic thrust, lift and drag, aircraft weight, balance, stability and control, and armament. America’s Hundred Thousand also provides details of each U.S. World War II production fighter in terms of models and changes, numbers produced, and major engine and aircraft performance aspects – in tabular and graphical form – details of weights, discussion of handling qualities and general comments, along with detailed descriptions containing many illustrations of aircraft structures and systems showing the technology of that time. In addition a comprehensive week-to-week and month-to-month chronology of development and wartime combat operational life for each fighter is provided, including many photos. This study concludes with comparisons of the eleven types in terms of program milestones, aircraft drag, power available at various altitudes, speed, climb, rolling and turning, acceleration, and diving performance, as well as general evaluations by World War II pilots.
Barney Oldfield riveted his eyes into one of the 3.2 million bricks that paved America’s First Super Speedway. He sought to blot out the din of a packed grandstand and the dangerous gusts that could sweep his car into the unforgiving concrete wall. A record run could restore his reputation as America’s Speed King or cost him his life. A record run could deliver the telling blow in the raging culture war for the soul of American auto racing. Oldfield has the fastest car in the world, and now he must prove himself as America’s champion and ensure the success of his friend Carl Fisher’s titanic battle to raise the modern Indianapolis Motor Speedway up from a fallow cornfield. It’s May 1910 and you have a front-row seat.
The Legend of the First Super Speedway thrusts you into the early 20th century with vivid interpretations of auto racing and what it would be like to walk among the people and grasp their world view. You will meet the rugged characters of the era as they get “corned” on whiskey, chew “chaw,” and bounce violently as they scorch the bricks of America’s first speedway. You will ride with them on trains, bound across the craggy terrain of road races, and step over dead horses rotting in the street. The world convulsed with technological change, and the winners mastered it.
Everything unfolds through the eyes of protagonists Barney Oldfield and Carl Fisher as they grapple with a cultural battle for the soul of American auto racing. Most importantly, early auto racing’s good, bad, and ugly are put before you in an unvarnished fashion. Why? Because it really happened. No storyteller needs to dramatize a single detail because the amazing events actually took place and the awe-inspiring people behind them walked the Earth just as you do now.
Extraordinary engineering; extraordinary places: Discovering Engineering that Changed the World takes you on a fascinating journey to visit marvelous engineering and technological achievements around the world.
- From deep underground in an Arizona missile silo, to being in the pilot’s seat of one of the biggest hovercraft that has ever flown.
- See the world’s fastest helicopter, aircraft and steam train.
- Deep inside the mighty Hoover Dam – one of the most incredible structures ever built – to walking the ground where the Wright Brothers first flew.
- From marveling at the jet road cars built by Rover and Chrysler, to seeing Land Speed Record cars like Bluebird and Thrust SSC.
- Fascinating sights – the suspension bridge that carried all the materials for the first atomic bomb.
- The world’s first turbo production car engine.
- The luxury lounge of the Hindenburg airship.
- The first streamlined, stainless-steel diesel train.
Passionate and insightful, this is an incredible adventure through the best things the world has to offer for anyone who likes speed, technology and excitement. The result of Julian Edgar’s own journey around the world, seeking out the most exciting engineering and technological sights he could find, you may well want to use this book to plan your own trip.
Ton Up! A Century of Café Racer Speed and Style focuses on the story of the ton-up boys and their café racers. But it’s much more than just that. Illustrated with historic and modern photos and featuring a text by one of the world’s motorcycle historians, it’s really the story of motorcycle speed and style evolved from the early 1900s right through today.
Cafe racers are most associated with the young, rebellious rock-and-rollers of 1960s Britain. These riders created the quintessential café racers—fast motorcycles customized to resemble the racing bikes of the period. They were called “café racers” because their riders raced on public roads, from one café to the next. The goal was to do “the ton” (exceed 100 miles per hour) on these runs, which led to their designation as “ton-up boys.”
Today, ton-up culture is more popular than ever and recognized worldwide with a following of young and long-time riders alike.With Ton Up!, enjoy a scenic ride through the history of this vibrant scene.
Extreme Cars is packed with the world’s ultimate road cars, from the Ariel Atom 500 to the W Motors Fenyr. Fast and furious facts for each entry include highest speeds, engine capacity, power to weight ratios, dimensions and fuel consumption. Illustrated throughout with awe-inspiring photographs of these amazing, extreme autos.
Trace the evolution of the supercar through the technology that drives it.
In The Science of Supercars, the authors describe the history of supercars, unraveling the mysteries and mechanics of the cars that changed the automotive world forever. In-depth interviews with the top names in the supercar and racing industries reveal their opinions on today’s supercars and their visions for the future.
David Coulthard, runner-up in the 2001 Formula One World Drivers’ Championship, provides the introduction. The authors follow with comprehensive chapters of inside information and exciting photographs that will be a catalog for supercar shoppers and a dream diary for others. The images show the interiors and exteriors of supercars and illustrated insets explain the technology.
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1. The Thirst for Power – The internal combustion engine and the early days of speed
2. Style Versus Substance – Next steps, and the birth of aerodynamics
3. Emerging Technologies – The mechanics of war drive the birth of the supercar
4. Configuration – The Miura, the E-Type and the dawn of the modern age
5. The Science of Theater – Fashion and styling take center stage
6. The Turbo Years – The Porsche Turbo and the rebirth of supercar science
7. All-Wheel drive – Power or technology: how designers keep the cars on the road
8. Composites – The McLaren F1 and its technological legacy
9. Emerging Aero – Understanding the complex art of aerodynamics
10. Going to the Opera – The remarkable science behind the era-defining Bugatti Veyron
11. The Holy Trinity – Hybrid tech ushers in a new kind of supercar
12. The Future – The technology on the verge of reshaping the landscape.The Science of Supercars includes interviews with three of the top figures in the supercar world: Adrian Newey, legendary British Formula One engineer; Dr. Wolfgang Schrieber, Chief Engineer of the Bugatti Veyron; and Gordon Murray, designer of the McLaren F1 supercar, as well as contributions from iconic supercar manufacturers that include Lamborghini, Porsche, Bugatti, Pagani and McLaren.
SOLD OUT
During his lifetime, Brazilian Formula 1 racing champion Ayrton Senna was widely recognized as a leader in his sport, a pioneer in driving technique, a hard racer, and a compassionate man. Above all, he believed that impoverished children should be able to realize their potential. Since his fatal crash during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Senna’s remarkable career and humanitarian outlook have continued to inspire the world. The Ayrton Senna Institute, a fulfillment of his dreams, has helped educate more than 7.8 million Brazilian children since 1994, and its impact only continues to grow.
Now, the Senna family has opened its archives, sharing photographs of private moments at home and at the racetrack. Additionally, an assortment of treasured ephemera from Senna’s life is included in 13 beautiful envelopes. Readers can pull out and examine realistic replicas of his baptism certificate, handwritten letters and race agendas, a keepsake formal photo, autographed team stickers, and more than 20 other special items.
The book’s striking imagery forms a focal point around which bold design and compelling narrative intertwine. In exclusive new interviews, Senna’s family and teammates share personal anecdotes and favorite memories. Fully illustrated and uniquely interactive, Ayrton Senna: Memories and Mementoes from a Life Lived at Full Speed will be a cherished addition to any fan’s collection.
The Definitive History of GOLDENROD – America’s Iconic Land Speed Record Holder
Discover the REAL Story of this Land Speed Legend and Its Restoration..
A full color 300-page collector’s quality hardcover book celebrating the restoration and world record setting achievements of an authentic American legend.
Record Breaking Secrets Revealed
Unseen Original Plans & Blueprints
Full Color Teardown & Rebuild Photos
Full Aerodynamic Development Details
Inside the Chrysler Race Hemi Engines
Official FIA Record Documentation
Veteran Author and 200 MPH Club Member John Baechtel has written a full color, photo-rich book on the restoration and detailed history of the car.
It includes full coverage of the restoration effort, rare family photos, original plans and blueprints, Walter Korff’s complete aerodynamic development report, a special section on the modified Chrysler Race Hemi engines, the air scoop controversy, plus a detailed timeline of the record attempt.
No effort has been spared to produce this hardbound collector’s quality account of the Goldenrod and the Summers Brothers’ stunning land speed record achievement.
