Racing Reviews

This book was good and fun to do but it seemed that the questions they asked were more of from like 10 years ago. It's seems that if you were an older fan and been watching the sport really long you would be able to do it easy. I'm a Huge fan but I've only been a fan for about6 or 7 years and they had alot of questions about Richard Petty and others like Cale and the allisons...But it's a good book!

C OO

All the books in this series are wonderful to read. It is a very clean language book, one where the naughtiest word is "Shoot". This one brings a sad, bittersweet smile to the face of most fans of stock car racing. I would recommend this book with only one small reservation, there are a number of small inside jokes, that only a true fan of NASCAR racing is going to understand. But overall it is an enjoyable read for any racing fan.

I just finished book 8 and have read every book in this series. My first recommendation is that, with the exception of the 1st book, none of these novels should be read by itself. Bite the bullet and buy all 8 books from AMAZON.COM, if you are a NASCAR fan you won't regret it.
The first 4 books in this series deal with NASCAR's formative years when a former moonshine runner attempts to trade one fast-paced high-risk career for another. All four are excellent reads, although at times the attempts to place this fictional race team into established racing history are forced. Most NASCAR fans are familiar with the events and results surrounding the first Daytona and Talledega races, for example. For the most part, though, the authors do an admirable job of placing the Lee Racing team smack in the middle of these formative years without straying too far from the historical facts.
Upon starting Book 5, I was a little disappointed to discover that the authors had fast forwarded nearly 40 years to present day racing. However, by the midway point of that book, I became as interested in the lives of Rob Wilder and his contemporaries as I had been in Jodell, Bubba, and the rest of the Lee Racing clan. The older men, however, remain extremely active in the sport as car owners and senior mechanics.
In summary, all 8 of the books are well written and very easy to read. My only complaint is I WANT MORE!!! There are many story lines that can be followed up on and I can only hope that the authors continue to crank out more volumes!!!

This concise book is divided into two parts: 1) a copy of the published ISAF rules--a must for all would-be racers 2) interpretations of said rules by Elvstrom himself.

If you don't already know it, Elvstrom is a legendary sailor (winner of four Olympic gold medals and numerous other sailing prizes). His expertise shines through as he explains the rules of racing. There aren't any long drawn out stories in this book. No anecdotes of any kind; just simple explanations of situations that you encounter on the race course. He clearly points out who is right and who is wrong in each situation and thus you gain an understanding of what is and isn't proper while racing. This is an excellent book for the beginning racer who wants to gain a firm understanding of the rules in a short period of time. If you are looking for something more extensive and lively I recommend the Dave Perry's explanation of the rules!

The best book of rules, made the hard way to understodd the racing rules very easy

hello, i like this book its intersting

This is the definitive reference for performance (and even non-performance) wheels and tires and everything relating such as wheel alignment. This is truly the nerd's book of wheels and tires, as every question I've ever had about wheels or tires is answered in this book. A must-read for any novice or even pro street enthusiast or racer. I consider this the bible of those things that are round and allow a vehicle to roll. Long time coming. Glad it's available. This Mavrigian guy really put a lot of time into this book, and it shows. Great info for anyone, short of a professional tire engineer.

You will no longer fall under the "idiot" category once you read this book. It is for those who do not know much about betting on horses or horse racing. It is handy, simple, and informative, as well as fun to read.

I always wondered if these idiot books are really intended for idiots or for someone else. Now I know that, if the series can be judged from this one small part, the title is meant ironically and facetiously. But an even better title would be Information Junkie's Introduction to Horseracing, which, incidentally, describes this little tome exactly. Packed with facts and authoritative guidance to betting on the nags, this work summarizes in a compressed modern pellet that large gaseous cloud of legend and fokelore that surrounds the sport of kings. So if you don't know the difference between a thoroughbred and a quarter horse, if you can't tell exactly how an exacta differs from a quinella, if you think eight furlongs is longer than a mile, then this is the book for you. Betting systems are adequately described and the novice should come away with an idea or two on how to work their own box or wheel, or progress the bets, or even go dutch. The only section I had trouble with was about reading the racing form. Whole books could be done on that subject, but even the small amount presented here was unclear and occasionally misleading. Some benign editor who didn't know much probably corrected some of the author's post positions to past positions especially when we are told past position is important and usually coming out close to the rail is an advantage. Also not quite up to the high quality of the rest of the book is the section on drugs. The author might profit by reading about the pharmacology of Lasix. And cocaine is not found in horse urine. If it is found in a post race urine, it simply means that the groom or the stableboy assigned to get the sample became impatient and peed in the cup himself. Such samples usually also have lots of nicotine and caffeine and always have a sky high chloride content that identifies with silver nitrate testing that the urine in question is of human and not horse origin. In the world of horses the big worry about what's stuffed up the nose is not cocaine: It's a sponge to block the favorite's breathing.

For anyone aiming to compete in multisport events and other high intensity sports this book is all you need. Goal setting, training programmes and training regimes are explained and discussed in easy to follow steps. It got me through the Coast to Coast, the worlds toughest multisport event. What can I say, other than, go out and read it!

As a novice triathlete, I used this book to guide my training for the New Zealand IronMan.
I finished, so I guess it worked...
Most importantly, the book is comprehensive, readable, and as well as telling you how to design your training programme, comes with example training programmes for literally dozens of endurance sport events - triathlons, ironman, multisport events, marathons, cycle racing....
An excellent, excellent resource for the beginner and the expert.

i thought this was an exellent book, and they expressed theyre opinions in just the right times, they didnt really talk much about the spinnaker, but other than that its great

Although the book was written in '80s, that is why it only cover spinnaker technique and old racing rules. However, it is not felt out of date.

It covers all of the topics of dinghy race. The language is simple and all important points are well addressed and clearly explained. The chapters of Tactics and Stratey are particulary wounderful.

It is an essential reading material for dinghy racers.

This book was great-it really captured the spirit of the ride! It was very interesting to read about the evolution of the "Grand-daddy" of all bike rides. RAGBRAI is many things to many people and this book touches on quite a few. If you have ridden in the ride, you will enjoy this book-it even makes you hungry for a POOOORK-CHOOOOP! You'll want a copy of this.

When we first found out that RAGBRAI #27 was going to come to Tripoli, IA on the morning of July 29, 1999 for breakfast, I was tapped to develop the web pages for the Tripoli RAGBRAI Committee. This is not terribly surprising because I'm really the only one here who does this stuff. Anyhow, RAGBRAI has long been sort of a not-quite-so-cottage-anymore industry in this state. Personally, I've never really ridden it from end to end. I've managed to get away and ride it for a day or two ever now and then over the years and that, unfortunately, has been about it. I recall when it first started back in 1973. I think we all thought it was pretty amazing that anybody would want to ride from one end to the state to the other on a bycicle. In those days, I think a lot of people viewed it with just a bit of suspicion. I suppose there a few who still view it with a bit of suspicion. In the years since, I've moved away, moved back, moved away, and moved back to Iowa. Some places where I've been, the only things they know about Iowa have to do with the Presidential Primaries and RAGBRAI. And, no, we don't grow potatos here...that's Idaho your're thinking of. Buckeye State?...that's Ohio. RAGBRAI has cured a lot of people of the notion that Iowa is flat, by the by. There have been times, over the years, when I think I found RAGBRAI to be irritating as well as interesting. When you have to get somewhere in a car, and RAGBRAI is between you and your destination...you might want to reconsider your travel plans. But, mostly, we just love RAGBRAI, in this state. John Karras (formally of the Des Moines Register and along with Donald Kaul one of the RAGBRAI "key instigators") has written a pretty good book, here. If you've never heard of RAGBRAI, or witnessed the spectacle of 7 or 8,000 people moving down the road enmass on byicycles you might not think this to be a remarkable thing. But, after reading this book you will probably feel like you want to get acquainted. No doubt, you, too, will probably show up here, one of these summers huffing and puffing along with everybody else down Iowa's sylvan highways and byways (hopefully with the wind to your back) from west to east where you will triumphantly dip your bike tires in the Mississippi River. If you want to experience a "Moment Of Triumph" in your life...this is probably a good one to aim for. I felt pretty triumphant doing that, one time, and I didn't even go the whole trip. If you've ridden RAGBRAI, this book should bring back some good memories. RAGBRAI has become kind of like an old friend who comes around just once a year. But it's an old friend with unusual grace. It comes by, it visits for a while, and then it leaves. When it's gone you tend to think, "Well...that was okay."

Dave Litfin, one of the country's most respected handicappers, has finally written a book that should appeal to the hardcore horseplayer or the casual racing fan. This book is interesting because it's not just about dry handicapping facts. Litfin writes about personal stories and experiences that makes racing one of the greatest games ever invented. I thought one of the most interesting parts of the book was his chapter on a horse's current form. After reading that chapter have an easier time figuring out when a horse is about to peak in his cycle or when he is about to degress. I feel more confident when I place a wager now. After reading this book I was ready to go to the track and test my newly acquired knowledge.

Branching out from the specifics of the New York circuit, Real-Life Handicapping is the fascinating chronicle of a year in the life of a successful horseplayer. From autumn at Belmont Park, through winter at Aqueduct, to summer at fabled Saratoga, Dave Litfin not only gives handicappers a seasonal edge when playing these tracks, but emphasizes those universal, profit-producing techniques that get results at racetracks from coast to coast. In addition, Litfin's is a delight to read.

"There's plenty here that would benefit any horseplayer, from beginner to advanced." Barry Meadows

This is a great little book. It provides the perfect balance of technical information without getting wordy, and a great selection of photographs. If you want a story go elsewhere. It includes the very rarely covered Super Corsair with some super pic's.

It may not be physically a big book but pound for pound its a champ.

Only negative: More More More!

Note: Other recommended reading;

Wet Wings and Drop Tanks by Birch Matthews, Schiffer Aviation

Supershow by Dennis Baldry, Osprey

As with all aircraft photobooks by Michael O'Leary the quality of the photographs range from good to breathtakingly good, but this time there is accompanying text as well, very informative, and an index to find you race favorite. Whatever you might think of what is being done to those last surviving WW2 warbirds at Reno, fact is that some of the most spectacular paint-shemes are flown there, the cover of this book only giving a glimpse of the beauty of what is inside. For the ones of us who like to see just how the world-record holders level flight for piston engines looked like there can be no better book in my opinion, and this book shows them all: Mustangs, Bearcats, Corsairs, Thunderbolts, a Lightning, Furies, a Warhawk, an Airacobra, Kingcobras, Spitfires and even a Yak-3.