THERE’S NEVER been a better time to get some reading done – so we thought it time to delve into our own motor racing-themed library and highlight some books worth getting stuck into.

WORDS & IMAGES: Richard Craill

I’ve picked 10 of my favourite books from my own collection to highlight here, but truth be told there’s easily another 20 or 30 I could have included.. so watch out for a follow-up at some point.

Most of these books should be available for purchase on your favourite internet bookshop, so get clicking and get reading!

We’d love to know your favourite racing-themed book – let us know in the comments section of our social channels: @theracetorque on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

RAPID RESPONSE – Dr. Stephen Olvey

PERHAPS most famous as the man who saved the life of Alex Zanardi, Dr. Olvey can lay claim to being one of the father of modern-day Motorsports remarkable safety standards and track record – the American Sid Watkins. Rapid Response tells the story of how the sport evolved from rudimentary working standards to the current high levels of Safety enjoyed by everyone. Some of the stories are pretty harrowing and show just how far the sport has come..

BEAST – Jade Gurss

FEW of the many remarkable feats achieved at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway over more than a century of racing are more special than how Roger Penske, and noted engineering form Ilmor, found a loophole in the rulebook for the 1994 race and – in complete secrecy – developed the now-famous Mercedes-Benz push-rod engine that shocked the sport.

The story of the team heading to a snow-covered Nazerth Speedway and testing an engine with more than 1,000hp under the nose of Mario Andretti’s back yard is only one of several amazing yarns told in this book.

ALEX ZANARDI – MY STORY – Alex Zanardi

MOST who grew up with racing in the 1990s had some form of hero worship for the remarkable Italian – only to see it grow via the remarkable story of how he bounced back from losing both legs in the horrific crash in Germany. His memoir tells the whole story and the only slightly annoying thing is that since it was first published in 2004, the great man has gone on to achieve so much more – including Olympic Gold. Here’s hoping there’s an updated version one day.

THE GRAND PRIX SABOTEURS – Joe Saward

FORMULA 1 journalist Joe Saward’s book not only covers a story few people know – how a host of Grand Prix drivers from the 1920s and 30s turned spies during World War Two in support of the allied war effort – but along the way documents an era of the sport that hasn’t often been covered in great detail. If it wasn’t for the fact that Joe’s extensive research offers so much detail for this to be anything other than true, it could be a great work of fiction. It should be a movie one day: Most definitely worth a read.

SHUNT: The story of James Hunt – Tom Rubython

THERE’S never been a racing driver like James Hunt and there’s unlikely to be one again. Rubython’s enormous 764-page biography details every aspect of Hunt’s life, including the famous 1976 World Championship battle with Nikki Lauda that has obviously been so well documented. Rubython’s books are known for being remarkably detailed: his biography of Ayrton Senna is of a similar standard.

GRAND PRIX RACING – George Monkhouse

THIS may seem like an odd book to include but I love it for the fact that is a history book published within our own history. Printed in 1950 – before the first ever World Championship race – this book charts the history of racing from the very start – 1894 through to 1949 and is quite extraordinary, as are the photos included within.

It’s fascinating to look back at our sport through the words of someone writing it as a completely up-to-date record; even if that record is now 70 years old..

The forward is by The Rt. Hon. Lieutenant Colonel John Theodore Cuthbert Moore-Brabazon, 1st Baron Brabazon of Tara, a British World War 1 hero and later a Conservative MP with a fantastic name and title and worthy of reference alone.

THE UNFAIR ADVANTAGE – Mark Donohue

THE autobiography of the archetypal Penske driver tells stories of an incredible era of motorsport, chronicling both his rise to the top of the sport and that of his friend and team owner Penske, too. The Captain has never been more relevant in motorsport than he is today, so it is perhaps pertinent to look back on where it all began to get some perspective on how far he’s come. It’s a cracking read, this, and you can only imagine what Mark would have gone on to achieve had he not been killed in practice for the Austrian Grand Prix in 1975.

MURRAY WALKER – Unless I’m very much mistaken

IF YOU are reading this website you should know Murray and his remarkable story already – but reading it in his own book is extra special.. you can’t help but hear it in his distinctive voice.

This book is particularly special; when Murray was competing in the 2004 Classic Adelaide Rally, after interviewing him for our community TV show, he was good enough to sign it for me at the lunch stop at a local winery.

Murray was more of a hero to me than any of the drivers on which he commentated, so this is something of a treasured possession!

CAN-AM 50th ANNIVERSARY – George Levy

THIS one may seem from left-field but it’s a remarkable book. Incredible quality, beautiful layout and remarkable imagery to go along with a highly detailed account of the remarkable era that was Can-Am in the ‘States and beyond.

OFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 – Donald Davison & Rick Shaffer

IT’S the most comprehensive record of the longest-running and (in my opinion) best race in the world, so this was always going to get a mention. The stories of behind this race never stop being remarkable and never stop being interesting, and it’s coupled with brilliant imagery from a century of racing. Here’s hoping that one day this is again updated (this one taps out in 2013) to include Will Power’s remarkable win a few years ago.

BONUS:

BATHURST: Going Global

NOT MUCH chance I was going to write a story of my favourite books without including my own! I’ve been working closely with the V8 Sleuth team of late to piece together the 10-year history of the Bathurst 12 Hour as a GT race. We’re going to print very soon (no virus can stop this!) and we’re all very proud of the product which, for the first time, will document every single car to have contested the race since 2011.

If you’ve not yet already done it, you can pre-order it by clicking here!