AFTER Richard Craill swooped in first, claiming many of the better books in part one of this series, I feel the literary gauntlet has been thrown down.

WORDS: Mark Walker

I too have many leather-bound books, and my apartment smells of rich mahogany, so I feel my selections below will stack up in any book club.

As always, hit us up on the socials @theracetorque, we would love to hear what you are reading during this time of being locked down!

The Rise and Fall of Peter Brock – by Bill Tuckey

ESSENTIALLY John Harvey’s biography, which also tipped the bucket on Peter Brock, this is an absolute banger from the turbulent mid-1980s.

Sure, the lawyers would have had vast chapters redacted, but even this sanitised version is an incredible insight into a tumbling empire.

The only problem is, many copies were allegedly taken off the market and burnt by sympathisers of the book’s topic. Buy yourself one if ever you can.

Greg Moore A Legacy of Spirit – by Dan Proudfoot & Gordon Kirby

AS far as I’m concerned, Greg Moore was THE man.

Ridiculously talented, driving the coolest cars in the golden era of the sport, Moore was set to jet to Team Penske and win many, many titles.

This book tells his stories, largely through pictures and artifacts of his tragically short career, with heart warming insight from those closest to him.

Indianapolis 500 Chronicle – by Rick Popely

RICHARD backed himself with his Indy 500 history book. Whatever mate.

This bad boy has a picture of every single car that faced the starter between 1911 and 1998, plus full race reports, pics from each month of May, results, the works.

This book is the Indy Bible, and a bargain bin find that will forever keep giving.

Fast Tracks – By Terry Walker

THE history of Australian motorsport is remarkable.

This classic retells the story of 93 car racing circuits up to the construction of the 1996 Albert Park track, with maps, the locations, and how to find the remnants of long-lost tracks today.

An important contribution to the sport as many of the older facilities fade from memory banks.

Crashed and Byrned – by Tommy Byrne with Mark Hughes

THIS is a brilliantly told story of a driver who never made it.

If you need a tease, check out the Dinner with Racers episode on Tommy.

Wild stuff…

2018 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 Annual – by William Dale

I LOVED the Bill Tuckey Bathurst Annuals; they were my favourite thing every year growing up.

Frankly, a Tuckey-styled book wouldn’t work these days: the sport has moved on from the battler privateer days that made the story telling in those original books so good.

That said, this 2018 version by Will Dale, Aaron Noonan and V8 Sleuth team is an absolute cracker, doing the modern day event justice with a deep dive into the story from each car in the race, as well as the history of each chassis, and more.

Also, I’m massively biased, because a stack of the photos came from my camera – check it out in the V8 Sleuth bookshop, and while you are there, put in a pre-order for Bathurst: Going Global, the history of the Bathurst 12 Hour from 2011 to 2020.

Australian Competition Yearbook 1971

FROM the Australian Competition Yearbook came the Australian Motor Racing Yearbook.

Shown is the 1971 version, but these make the list as a body of work, with the series through to 1995 an incredible reference for a period of the sport that isn’t necessarily detailed on the internet.

Le Mans ’55 – by Christopher Hilton

LE MANS in 1955 was a low point for motorsport, one which it is still recovering 65 years later in places like Switzerland.

Christopher Hilton tells a fantastic story – many of his books could make this list – with this retelling of a tragic event covered in remarkable detail.

A worthy read, if for nothing more than to serve as a warning to never take safety for granted.

1982 – by Christopher Hilton

OOOPS, here is Christopher Hilton, again.

The 1982 Formula One season was utterly wild – from tragedy, to incredible rivalries, to uber politics, it is a season that easy fills a solid hardback.

After I finished reading this book, I went back and read some of the contemporary reviews written at the time, which tended to skirt around many of the controversies that stand out to a modern audience.

Jack Brabham’s Motor Racing Book

THERE are a few oldies in the collection that could get a mention, but this one by Jack Brabham from 1960 is a brilliant insight into the one-time World Champ, at that time.

Alongside some brilliant old photos, this is the cracking inside tale from the sport over in Europe.