Racing Reviews

One of the better later books of the series, "The Black Stallion's Sulky Colt" continues the story of the harness champion and second son of the Black, Bonfire. Alec must help Bonfire's owner and driver, Tom Messenger and Jimmy Creech, after the horse starts spooking at horses on his right side after a bad accident. The ending is perdictable but the trip between is refreshing and interesting as Farley peppers his writing with information about harness racing. Worth the time and money.

I found this book yesturday at a used book store. I finnished it today and i'm going to tell you that I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! Alec and Bonfire did their best and there was always alot of action. Some arguments between Jimmy, Henry, and Alec. and some work out and racing accedents that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

In this book, Bonfire suffers an accident that gives him a fear of horses coming up on his right side. Tom breaks a bone and can't race, so Alec and Henry have to help Bonfire get into racing before the Hambeltonian, one of the biggest races in Bonfire's career! I like this book not only because of Bonfire, but also because Alec trains him for once. I really like the books when Alec meets up with one of the other main boys (Tom or Steve). It also shows a definate problem and solution, as well as obstacles to overcome along the way.

This is a good book. Its just that it's geared toward the person that has thousands of dollars in tools and equipment,a mega shop, and twenty years of experiance. For the average streetrodder who is working out of a 24X24 shop,it will be about two foot over there head. It's a good referance book, but shows very little for the budjet builder. Shows Chevy & Ford V8 installs, any other engine, your out of luck.

Book is logical and provides pro/con review for different engineering/issues. Knowledge is power - this book is well written. Glad I'm not in competiion with Boyd.

I found this book to be a very good practical guide to building a frame from scratch. The pictures were well thought out with good timing. The text supplimented the photos to give a good feel for frame building do and dont's. When I had a question I sent it to their web page and got a phone call with the answer a day later. These folks know thier stuff and they love it!

A very well rounded book that covers the fundamentals, as well as specific hints on the various boats out there (Prindle, Nacra, Hobie, etc.). While it is not designed to be a "cheat sheet" on going fast, there are a few things I re-read - namely off-wind tactics. Due to the inherent differences between Cats and monos, there are a few things I needed to un-learn to get faster. I'm no Worrell 1000 winner, but this book has moved me from the "How do they get so far ahead?" to "nipping at their heels". And it has certainly helped fill the trophy case..

The section on spinnakers is a little weak, but still will get you going downwind fast.

All in all, this book will teach the intermediate sailor (or advanced sailor with little cat experience) enough to stay within sight of the pack leaders. The rest you'll have to learn from those guys. Tuning your rig/tactics/crew is what wins races, and these are so varied that it's actually better that the book doesn't cover this - so not as to confuse sailors too much.

SPECIAL NOTE: Due to the publishing date, this book is sadly lax in it's instruction on several newer boats - namely the I-20, F-18 class, Hobie Tiger/Fox. Several new ideas have emerged that seem to work, but you'll have to learn that on your own out on the course! ;-)

Rick White is the master of communicating how to sail a catamaran. This book mirrors his seminars and videos. I think the video series might even be an even better starting point for most catamaran sailors because much of book is about how-to activities that should be visualized and practiced.

I find myself reviewing this book before I hit the water. After I return from the day's sailing I refer to it again to try and understand how I can improve on what I done that day. Rick White and Mary Wells have the ability to clearly explain the basics of boat handing and racing tactics in readable and direct language. The book is not afraid of stating an opinion where there are several points of views. It also discusses these views. I recommend this book to anyone at any level of catmaran sailing.

A good read for anyone who followed cycling in the late 80s and 90s. This makes the struggle of stage racing a very human experience - what an incredible talent Indurain was!

Essential information for Indurain enthusiasts giving insights into the early Tour victories of the great champion. Also provides interesting glimpses into the personality of one of the more enigmatic figures in cycling history. Noteworthy too for its sidebar coverage of Grag LeMond, whose career was begining it's decline when Indurain's Tour dominance began.

This book captured the quiet, contemplative nature of Miguel Indurain, the 90's most dominant Tour de France rider, very well. Also it played out the backroom drama of "Le Tour". For any cycle racing fan, a must read.

Excellent photos combines with an easy to read text. This book provides a good background and is a must for any Can Am or Jim Hall fan. If you can only have one Chaparral book Falconer/Nye version is preferred

Being a child of the sixties and growing up as a fan of sports car racing during that era, this book truly brings the personal side of Jim Hall and his Chaparrals to the fore-front. Jim Freidman does an exceptional job in his writing as well as candid photography of the racing team during that glorious period. With quotes from Hap Sharp, Phil Hill, Roger Penske, as well as scores of other great drivers, the reader becomes a part of racing history we will never see again.
Thank you Jim Hall for sharing your memories!

I have been a fan for years. It is always wonderful to have this book out on my coffe table when I have my auto enthusiast friends over for something or other.. It is always a hit..

I bought this book at Amazon.com because I just had to have it. I'm no Ducatisti, but I can appreciate Ducati racing history and I'll check out a Duc when I find one to look over the carbon fiber, expensive gold bits, and the chicken strips on the tires. And the famous Ducs are all here in this book for me to eye whenever I want. You get the usual development and racing history of each model in this book, but best of all, you get great pictures of vicious old Italian racers in black leathers and big 2-page layouts of the famous racers like Mike "The Bike" Hailwood's 900, Lucky's 750 F1, Doug Polen's 888 Superbike, and Foggy's 916. These pictures let you really get in there to inspect honest rock chips, race scrapes and battle scars. I took one star away from my rating because the text reads like a corny, congratulatory sales brochure, but it is the "Official Racing History" from the constructor so what do you expect? This book is pure motorcycle porn. If you love sportbikes or motorcycles in general, you need this book. It's worth every penny. Enjoy the ducs, but Ride Red.

This book is detailed and high quality. Excellent for a coffee table piece. It is an inch thick, lot of content. Great value for the price.

Even if you own every other Ducati book ever written, this is THE book to own! In association with the Ducati factory, this book shows their bikes in the factory museum. Well written with new information and exceptional photographs unlike any other Ducati book I own. Features the factory race bikes with some excellent info and photos of the standard bikes. Text is in English and was printed in Italy. EVERY motorcycle enthusiast should own this book. The best book bargain out there when purchased on Amazon. I was so impressed I bought two of them!

"Women in Racing" is a collection of stories from many different facets of women in the sport. And frankly, you'll be suprised at what some of them have to say.

None of the chapters are too long and the book is just as good read skipping randomly from chapter to chapter as it would reading it cover to cover. Reading it is easy, no fighting to stick with a laboring plot line through 350 pages like some books.

A very good read with interesting characters. The best part is, like Seabiscuit, the women in this book are real. That is better than fiction.

This book was suprisingly good. It was inspiring to read about these horse lovers who made careers out of their passion. I particularly liked the story of Charlsie Cantey, the horse racing commentator. I had never really liked her before when I saw her on television, but since learning more about her I have much more respect for her. Her story was one of the best in the book.
The book itself is hardback, with one or two photos for each anecdote. There are a few stylistic choices made by the editors--for example spelled-out, hyphenated numbers--that I found distracting, but only grammar enthusiasts will care about them. Recommended reading for all horse lovers.

Here's a real treasure for girls and women who grew up loving horses and those who didn't--and for boys and men who want to know more about what goes on behind the scenes and on the turf in horseracing. These interviews with 18 women in all facets of horseracing are inspiring, informative, and just plain fun. There are trainers, breeders, and jockeys, of course, and backstretch workers, grooms, veterinarians, racing publicists, journalists, and photographers, as well as paddock judges, chart callers, mutuel clerks, and the most exotic of all-a horse tattooer! For ages 12 to adult, this is a special look into a world most of us know little about but are intrigued by the excitement and pagentry we catch glimpses of from time to time.

This was my first Adveture Racing book. I really enjoyed it. I learned some very useful information. My hi-lighter was used quite a bit. The pictures are spectacular! They will be hanging on my bedroom wall soon.

Adventure Racing, the Ultimate Guide offers practical advice for adventure athletes. Most questions we had before our first race, and that we've heard asked since then in our adventure racing club are answered here.

How do I eat? What do I pack? What kind of shoes? How do I train? What is a race like?

The questions are answered with their voice of experience but without alot of extra frou-frou 'all about me' inspirational stuff that makes some books by athletes hard to read.

For perspective, Liz and Barry include some gear lists from several large races and the training regimens of top adventure racers.

Don't expect this to be the only book you'll ever need to read to be an adventure racer - but it points you in the right direction so that you can figure out how to focus your education. In other words - it doesn't teach you everything you need to know about navigation, but if gives you some great tips, training advice, and points out things to pay attention to during your education.

I definitely recommend this for new and 'wannabe' adventure racers - not just someone bound for the Eco Challenge but also those with their sites on a 1 or 2 day race. If you were inspired from the couch watching exciting footage of the big races - this is a great start for your adventure.

I found this book to be more practical and answer oriented than Derek Paterson's 'Adventure Racing, Guide to Survival,' although it was good too, but in a story-telling sort of way.

PS: With my friends I started an adventure racing club for us mere mortals who want to be adventure racers. I've completed some shorter races and organized a couple - so, while I'm not an expert, I'm definitely part of the novice target market for this book. Wish they'd written it last year. ;)

This book has been an invaluable guide and should be considered mandatory reading for both racers and crew.

I've competed in one 24 hour adventure race, crewed for another and am preparing for my 2nd 24 hour race which is a couple of weeks away. The practical advice and suggestions that Barry and Liz present are excellent and have prepared me for what to expect in nearly every facet of my races. I particularly like their section about team dynamics and the importance of racing with people you like.

Adventure racing is not a sport to be taken lightly given the length and duration of races as well as the multiple disciplines involved. Research and education are crucial and this book is an excellent start for all of us budding adventure racers.

Liked it, thought it was good... but her dad DIED for pitie's sake. That's more like real life but after reading the other four books where her dad and she are fighting and fighting, the end of this book left me somewhat defeated. THe story was good. I like the characters, LOVE the horse. Still, winning the Triple Crown and losing your dad on the same day would be very tough. You wouldn't be able to celebrate without feeling kind of guilty. It made me want to cry.

I loved the whole book if you have read the other books in this series you will be devastated as Trish's lif turns upside down. A must read!!!!

This book was great! I loved tackling all of the problems along with the characters. Spitfire and Trish kept it together through thick and thin. These books show how everything is possible through God. As she constantly reminds herself, "I can do all things through the lord, who strenghens me." The ending made me cry along with Trish. I could feel the pain that she felt and the glory at the same time. This book truly shines in the winners circle.

This book seems to be a little outdated. I've read a number of racing instructional books in the past couple of years, and this book doesn't go into near enough detail. However, Mr. Johnson does go into some areas that others do not, like how expensive racing is!

It was quick reading but I only recommend it to someone who is "contemplating" entering racing - not for the present racer.

I was refered to this book by an ex.IMSA GTU racer as a starting point. After studying the basics for months I was able to qualify an arrive and drive two seconds off the pole and had never drivin at speed before and at SEARS POINT !!While this is not indicative of most,I believe the FUNDEMENTALS of this book are necessary!For six years I have competed in many classes and endurance races.It all comes back to the same basics.Next book that is really great is "Thinking To Win " which hits the mark on competition thought,prep,feeling and application. If your just starting or just interested in roadracing this is the 1st book that gives you what you really want to know.

Johnson's method for analyzing a race course is unique and excellent! Several years ago I was a crew chief on a race car. I used his method to analyze some changes that had been made at one of our tracks. While everyone else was struggling to figure out the right line, we set a lap record, qualified on the pole and led the race from start to finish. That chapter alone is worth the (miniscule) price of the book. His advice on driving techniques is just as relevant. Every racer owes it to himself to read this book, and every fan will gain a much better understanding of what really goes on out there.