Runways & Racers

Runways & Racers PDF

Author: Terry O'Neil

Publisher: Veloce Publishing Ltd

Published: 2011-05-19

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 1845842553

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Runways and Racers concentrates on the short transitional period, 1952-1954, for sports car racing in America following the ban on public road racing in many of the States. The ban left the rapidly expanding Sports Car Club of America with a problem: where to hold races. At precisely the same time, Curtis LeMay, head of Strategic Air Command, was having problems obtaining funds from Congress to improve conditions on the many air bases located around the country. The solution was a marriage of convenience, whereby the SCCA was allowed access to active SAC air bases to hold its race programmes. In return, the SAC base would receive the net profits from the event, which would be put into the Airmen's Living Improvement Fund. As a result of some initial financial success for the SAC bases, the scheme was also adopted by non-SAC bases together with regional clubs, with the same agreement in place. Complaints from airmen alerted Congressman Errett Scrivner to potential irregularities, and he ordered an audit to be conducted to ascertain precisely what it was costing the air bases to host the races. His findings led to the cessation of the races, ordered by Congress. The product of a long period of extensive research by the author, this book gives a fascinating insight into this two-year period, complemented by over 150 period pictures, many previously unpublished.

Driven by Desire

Driven by Desire PDF

Author: Alan Wilson

Publisher: Veloce Publishing Ltd

Published: 2011-10-15

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 1845843894

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From a five-year-old girl racing 60mph micro-midgets in South Africa, to a Formula One driver in the British Championship during her first full year of racing in the UK, and on to becoming the first and only woman ever to win a Formula One race, Desire Wilson was a winner bested by very few of her male rivals. But single-seater racing was just the start of Desire's ascent in motorsport. She won two FIA World Championship Sports Car Endurance races in 1980, and went on to compete in well over 120 types of race car at more than 100 race tracks around the world. Always competitive, she earned a reputation for an intense, no-nonsense approach to racing, shrugging off the media glamour to focus on the hard grind of staying competitive in one of the world's toughest sporting arenas. Moving to the male-dominated world of North American racing, Desire became a pioneer for women racing in the harsh world of Indy Cars, facing discrimination, financial problems, and other obstacles ranging from tragedy to farce. Her career is unique in the world of racing, encompassing everything from club racing to Formula One and World Championship sports cars, to the evil monsters of the IndyCar World Series - the world's fastest race cars. Hers is a story of hardships, fun, tragedy, perseverance, injury, and the amazing behind-the-scenes world masked by the public face and glamour of racing. It tells, too, of the consequences of politics and discrimination in the male world of professional auto racing.

Airfields Of 8th

Airfields Of 8th PDF

Author: Roger Freeman

Publisher: After the Battle

Published: 1978-02-28

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 1399076868

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A unique, nostalgic look at the airfields used by the Eighth in the United Kingdom during the Second World War. Conceived in war, the airfields experienced their moments of glory and, when the war ended, were left empty and derelict to die. The few which remain virtually intact have only survived because some private or public concern has formed a practical use for them, although not always as airfields. Some of the more remote airfields still dot the countryside the same as when the last plane left their runways and the last truck departed through the main gate. They are bleak, windswept and moldering but they retain the atmosphere of the fine, high endeavors of the people who inhabited them and the aura of ineffable sadness that hangs over memorials to fighting men. For such they are.

Endurance Racing at Silverstone in the 1970s & 1980s

Endurance Racing at Silverstone in the 1970s & 1980s PDF

Author: Chas Parker

Publisher: Veloce Publishing Ltd

Published: 2010-09-15

Total Pages: 98

ISBN-13: 1845842774

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Charts the progress of sports car races, year-by-year from 1976, through the era of the Group C cars, up to the end of the eighties, with accounts and photographs of each event. This book includes maps of the circuit, showing changes over the years and results from each of the races.

Lost Road Courses

Lost Road Courses PDF

Author: Martin Rudow

Publisher: CarTech Inc

Published: 2016-07-15

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 1613252226

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Road racing has long-storied roots in North America that reach from coast to coast and to Canada. Some of the greatest drivers to ever compete raced wickedly fast machines, staged epic duels on winding strips of asphalt, and created history. This history left an enduring legacy that is revealed and celebrated in Lost Road Courses. Road racer and road racing expert Martin Rudow retraces road racing's glorious past and visits the defunct classic road courses across the United States and Canada. Many road courses were built in the 1950s and 1960s, the golden age of American road racing. These classic road courses built and hosted famous races for Trans-Am, Can-Am, IndyCar, Formula 1, and sports car racing, but did not survive the times. They fell victim to changing times, poor business decisions, urban sprawl, safety standards, and increasing real estate prices. Rudow recounts the breathtaking races and fascinating history of more than 16 tracks from around North America. Riverside International Raceway, Bridgehampton Race Circuit, Ontario Motor Speedway, Continental Divide Raceway, and many others were once major race venues that have since closed. The great race teams, legendary drivers, classic race series that visited the tracks, and cars that turned laps are brought into full focus. The exploits of Chaparral, McLaren, Bud Moore, Lotus, Penske, and other race teams as well as racing greats Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones, Jim Hall, A. J. Foyt, Al Unser, Jim Clark, and Dan Gurney are covered. Rudow also digs beneath the surface to reveal the story behind the story. The visionaries and businessmen who saw potential and risked capital to build these palaces of speed come back to life. He also recognizes the unsung heroes and regional racers who competed, staffed, and took on various roles at these tracks. In the pages of this book, a nostalgic tour of these famous races at these vintage road circuits unfolds. Many period photos illustrate the racing action and the tracks themselves in their former glory, and modern color shows the tracks as they currently stand. If you're a fan of classic sports car, Can-Am, Trans-Am, IndyCar, Formula 1, as well as classic and unique tracks of yesteryear, this book is a must-have.

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