Racing Reviews

As I said in the title, the pictures alone are worth the price of the book. Keyser describes the world of motor racing in such terms that anyone without knowledge of racing could experience the thrills associated with the sport. His book would make a great film documentary. As one who has raced cars in club racing, I thoroughly enjoyed his book. I think he adequately captured all aspects of driving. My only complaint is that almost all of the pictures seem to have been captured at only a few venues: Watkins Glen, Zandvoort, Monza and LeMans.

This was an excellent work that captured very accurately not merely a dry collection of facts about the mechanicals of race cars of the 1969-72 era, or the various accouterments of auto racing, but it captures the gestalt, the feeling, the spirit of auto racing. I recommend it highly for not only the text, but for the photographs as well. The Speed Merchants seems to pack as much about the actual sport and the competitors as possible into this volume, and it seems to me that to remove even one sentence from the book would be to detract from the whole, so concise and yet well-done it is. If you can get a copy, please do so. If you are interested in what makes a race car driver tick (or tick over) this is the book to read.

A personal journal of motor racing in the late 60's and early 70's - Michael Keyser writes from the perspective of car owner, driver, and photographer. The contrast of that era with today's racing environment couldn't be more drastic: where today's races are computerized and clinical, the sport back then had a very personal touch ... and was dangerously cavalier. The book is let down only by the average photography.

Porsche 917, Ferrari 512, Ferrari 312P, Matra 670, Porsche 908, Alfa Romeo 33, Lola T280, and their gentlemen drivers; It was just a superb era for Motor Racing. Finaly I see a book that covers it all.

Mr. Larsen carefully details Bill Koch's diligently applied Total Quality Management philosophy, which always places attitude and teamwork first; it's an expert treatise on personnel management. Koch's no-nonsense approach to the pursuit of excellence in scientific research (boat design and building) is also very illuminating. Koch won the America's Cup because he earned it; money alone cannot buy victory in such a contest. A great book.

Set against the backdrop of the America's Cup, Bill Koch demonstrates his plan for success and beats Dennis Conner, the most famous sailor in the world, in his own backyard. Koch's approach to the America's Cup can be applied to yacht racing, business and life. As a testimony to the validity of his approach, while Koch spent eighteen winning the America's Cup his business recorded very respectable profits in his absence by following his plan for success. Anyone who wants to excell as an employee, employer or entrepreneur can benefit from this well written chronicle of achievement. A revealing look at a master of his environment. This book should be required reading for anyone who wants to achieve their goals

I won this training diary as a preme at a local bike race. It is organized into 52 one week sections. There is room for you to enter Hours slept, weight, diet, resting and standing pulse rates, route, daily mileage, time on bike, and other misc. notes. At the back there is a check list of all the things you should bring to your races. I found this very usefull because many times I forget to bring items to a race. I guess if you use it regulary, it will help you organize and improve your training because you can see what you did right and wrong.

This log allows for the training cyclist to advance their fitness through tracking the progress that they are making. This is a must for the serious racer who can't keep going with a day to day training schedule.

This book gives the reader a valuable insight into the world of aircooled VW motorsport from the early days of VW Beetle development to the modern day Kafer and Beetle Cup racing. Most of the photos are black and white with a center section in colour. There is one factory drawing of a front 'stoneguard' and many uninformed readers will be surprised to learn of the successes of VW Beetles and derivitives in rallies and other motorsport competitions. A very good book to have if you're a VW Beetle fan!

If you are a VW enthusiast--as I am, and you are looking for a historical view of VW racing (Factory and Privateer) then this is the book for you. I have searched extensively, and this book is the best--virtually the only book--I have found so far. I believe it is out of print, so get it while you can!!!

When I meet someone who has shown a strong interest in sailing in the International Dragon class and is looking for some way to impove their understanding of all aspects of what makes one of these boats go quickly this is the one that I recommend. It is covers tactics, rules, boat and crew preparation, sail and rig setup. The one aspect that is not included is team and match racing. A great book for the advanced to intermediate competior.

This is a great book and I recommend it to everybody that isinterested in racing sailboats. Dave Perry has competed at the highest levels of the sport, and this collection of anecdotes underscores his experiences. Compared to Stuart Walker's muddled and confusing writing, Dave Perry's examples and experiences are valuable and clear, and I am also encouraged by the fact that all of the situations are in one design sailboats...

This book directly addresses things the rider may have experienced but not been able to single out of the riding experience. It's a great little guide for getting into your own head on a frightening corner, and once you've got a handle on the sources of your own behavior it's much easier to correct.

Very easy to read, clear and written to stress or repeat the main points - exactly what you need to get the ideas into your head to counteract implusvie actions and responses.

Does seem a little one note, as I haven't had track time yet. I could summarize the book in one line: always roll on the throttle, don't let yourself chicken out. ;) This doesn't mean go crazy full-throttle everywhere and everyway, but the main safety point, changing your acceleration affects so many points of control on your bike - best to stay with smooth on no matter what your panic tells you to do.

Cornering diagrams and track advice is very interesting, all simply explained and convincing. Would like to put some of the upper level stuff to practice, though the safety and mental examinations of rider behavior are valuable for all levels of street riders. A keeper.

Keith has a lot to say, no doubt about it. He is surgically smooth with the words - just the necessary - except for the "definitions" at the end of each chapter, which are a waste of paper.
A lot of my techique progress it's due to this book. Great reading.

I don't know about everyone else, but when I read a book I learn from it. There is a lot to learn in this book. I am glad a I read it a few times already because I think what learned from it saved my skin the other day when I hit a large hole in a country road going about sixty or seventy in pretty good lean on a right hander. I think my forks bottomed out because they made this ugly noise and the bike started bucking like a horse ( I don't have steering damper ). I did what the book suggested in this instance: I didn't get scared ( until later ), I relaxed, I got out of the saddle, balanced on the pegs, and gassed it. Result: bike stayed up and I didn't eat it. Keith will tell you to trust your bike and let it do its thing, he says riders and their fears are the reason bikes go down and all you have to do is learn to be a good rider and let the bike do what it is designed to do. Excellent advice. This book might save your butt. BUY IT AND READ IT OVER AND OVER.

It has been about two years since Tami Hoag's last book, so I have been patiently waiting. Finally, the time has come, I read the book in one day. Different from her books before Dust to Dust, less emphasis on romance, and more on redemption and coming to terms with past mistakes. Elena Estes is so heart breaking to the point of making me depressed, but I digress, she comes into her own near the end of the book when she realizes that there is nothing as precious as life, and she has found her soul again as she gets into a mystery with major consequences. At the end of the book we are left with hope for Elena as she has found love and a new lease on life. Let's hope it is not two years until the next Tami Hoag.

Tami Hoag is probably (alongside Ruth Rendell) my very favourite female author. I love her plots, i love the way she sometimes mixes romance and suspense, i love her range (she's written everything from straight-romance to serial killer novels) i love her punchy writing style (she can come up with some really glittering sentences) and, most of all, i love the way she draws her characters as realistic, fully realised people.

This novel tells the story of a simple kidnapping, which evolves into something altogether more sinister and complex. The heroine is one Elena Estes, an ex-cop who, once upon a time, made a bad decision that cost a colleauge his life. She has retreated to the world she knew before, the world of horse rearing which she so loves. But then, one day, a young girl comes to ask her for help, and Estes finds herself unable to refuse, drawn into a web of intrigue and crime which depresses her, but that she feels must be fought against.

Estes is a brilliant character...(this is Hoag's first novel in the first person, and it works very well, by the way. Some authorsd find the transition ahrd...Hoag has found the way with ease.) She is likeable, quirky, and extremely entertaining throught the adventure. She more than makes up for the intense unlikeableness of many of the other characters.

Another wonderful (and moving) aspect of this book is the delightful youngster Molly Seabright, sister of the missing girl. She is a wonderful, wonderful presence and brightens the book in every single scene in which she appears. She is brilliantly and emotioanlly. Her innocence contrasts frighteningly with the darkness and crulety of many of the other characters and events. (In fact, some may find that there are a few too many unpleasant characters in this novel, and would prefer some more nice, likeable ones. At times it would have been great to have a few more nice people to read about, instead of the selfish and insular indivudals which populate this novel). However, these nasty characters all help to create a sense of fear and tension which fairly ratchets up, and towards the end blossoms with a sense of inevitable awfulness about to occur.

I will admit that no, this is not Tami Hoag's best book (i myself will always think that that is "Cry Wolf", a masterpiece of a story) it's not even second or third, but it still gets five stars, which can only demonstrate the sublime quality of her books. The plot is complex and interesting, it is easy to understand, despite its complexity, there are some hreat characters and some nice twists to the story (particularly the one at the end...) which help keep it fresh and interesting. Her writing style is quirky and brilliant, eminently readable and entertaining. This novel is original (giving insights into the world of horse-rearing) and always manages to sustain interest by the fact that Hoag explores many plot-paths, (as she always does to marvellous effect and enjoyability, helping to build a multi-layered and full novel) down the lives of characters, who, by the end of the story, you will either love or loathe.

Former undercover officer Elena Bates, recovering from an arrest that went all wrong, leaving her partner dead and herself seriously wounded, is hiding away, working as a groom in the elite horse industry. But while trying to get over her problems, she meets a twelve-year-old girl who is searching for her missing sister. Now Elena has to decide whether to continue her withdrawal or give in to her cop instinct to chase after evidence that will plunge her headlong into scandal, embezzlement, kidnapping and murder.

This is another one of those Tami Hoag suspense stories that you simple can't put down.

Reviewed by Vesta Irene

Reading "The Godforsaken Sea" is an experience in frustration. The events recounted, the Vendee Globe race of 1996, has all the requisite features to make an exciting page-turner. Instead, thanks to Derek Lundy's strange choices in narrative, we know the ending from the time we finish the first chapter! The rest of the book is an exercise in filling in the blanks interspersed with philosophical quotes cribbed from more metaphysical authors.

Equally frustrating is the complete absence of photos. Altho the book has 2 maps & a diagram of a typical Vendee Globe 60' sailboat, there are no photos at all (except 2 on the back cover)! Considering the amount of media coverage generated by this event in France, this lack is strange, to say the least. Photos are absolutely necessary in cases such as when Lundy describes his subjective reaction to viewing the latest design in racing 60' boats from the Groupe Finot workshop as compared to more traditional designs in the race. Why isn't the reader allowed to view the boats in question? He describes the way various sailors in the race appear to him; why can't we see them too? Considering the large number of sailors involved, photos of the most prominent would be a great help to the reader!

Despite these caveats, "The Godforsaken Sea" still manages to enthrall as we experience capsizes beyond the reach of land-rescue efforts, incredible heroism in the face of seemingly impossible odds, self-surgery, physical deprivations & hardships...If only a little suspense had been added to the mix, Derek Lundy would have had a best-seller!

The topic of covering the Globe Vendee race, the knockdowns, triumphs,rescues and death at sea is a formidable one and Derek Lundy to a degree succeeds in presenting the reader with a respectable portrayal of solo sail racing around the world's most dangerous ocean waters in the southern Antarctic seas. The book, however, moves from fantastic suspenseful portrayal of danger and rescue to the more mundane trivialities of "who's out in the lead...who's bringing up the rear...who's moving ahead" as if the reader had no idea of the outcome of the 1996-1997 Vendee-Globe race. (Maybe there are a great many readers who do not have any knowledge of the outcome of the event...but it's certainly not necessary to present this book in an anticipatory 'present tense' as if there was to be a surprise outcome). But do not despair as there is much to enjoy and learn in this book. One competitor takes up self-surgery to cut out infected parts of his arm and another competitor lashes himself to his inverted boat to await rescue in the cold Antarctic seas. The author's strongest presentation is when he delves into the minds of these solo around the world sailors. Why do they do this? And the very best story of all might have been missed by the author as the first woman to successfully complete the Globe-Vendee (Chabaud)slowly and steadily succeeds at the end of the pack. Her story needed to be told...at best she is followed by the author as he is obliged to keep the reader informed about all the boats in the race. I say read the book..but borrow it as it isn't a keeper in my library.

I read many, many books on sailing. Don't bother to read many others. Only Derek Lundy's book and Moitissier's own book 'The Long Way' are truly above the rest. This book got me also got interested in other aspects of the outdoors and mans place in nature.

Most people believe that short stories are not the best stories in the world, but rather the long novels are. But this book has virtually disproved that saying. I am a 12 year old reader, and I love long novels about mysteries and romances. I am not one for stories with themes or morals. But this is one book that has totally changed that for me. My third grade teacher read Stone Fox to me, and at the end, my whole class was crying. It is so moving and wonderfully written, words can not express the love I have for this book. Little Willy was forced to make mature and wise choices, and he made these choices on behalf of his very sick Grandfather. Then one day he found a poster for a dog sled race, and the winner got $500! Little Willy was sure that Grandfather's disability to pay the taxes was the cause of his sickness, so money would be the remedy! But he is up against 10 to 1 odds, because of the almighty indian, Stone Fox. What happens will make you happy and extremely sad, so be prepared for one of the saddest, yet one of the best books around.

...The best book I ever read in school is called The Stone Fox. It's about a boy name Wiley. He's about 12 years old. He has a grandpa name Grandpa. He's really fun and happy all the time. Until one day Wiley went to check on him , and he was lying in bed looking at the ceiling. Wiley got the doctor, and she said there was nothing she could do. She said he was just sad. He was sad because he needed $300 to pay off the farm. Wiley was walking down the street, and he saw a sign that said "A Sled Race", the winner gets $300 in cash. Wiley decided he could train. When he was running back home , he ran into a tall Indian name Stone Fox. He always won the sled race. When Wiley got back home, he started to practice. One night he was walking around when he heard barking, so he went in a pretty good size barn, and saw sled dogs. He started to pet them. Then he heard someone coming. He turned around, and saw Stone Fox who slapped him across his face. Wiley ran home. The next day was the sled race. Wiley and his dog searchlight rode off to the race. Wiley got ready "POW"! The gun shot. I'm not going to tell the rest, so you will have to read to find out.

Stone fox is about a boy named little Willy. Little Willy lives with his grandpa on a potato farm in Wyoming. When his grandpa suddenly becomes sick, its up to Little Willy to win the race against time and Stone Fox. This story is kind of sad, but I can't tell you why. If you want to find out, you'll have to read the book and find out for yourself.