Archive for Author 'Donald Capps', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.

The Formula One Record Book

by Thompson, Rabagliati, Sheldon

Published by the Formula One Register which was established in 1966 to address the issue of incomplete factual information available in English-language sources. Nothing about this was easy, but they’re still at it and in fact branched out to cover a wider range of racing.

Class of ’99: Triumph and Tragedy in the 1999 Indy Car Series

by John Oreovicz

That one year was a bleak one for fans of that series, and October especially so because one man died, a driver, who could have turned the whole thing around. Combining contemporary reporting and new interviews, this book examines multiple storylines.

Ferrari: The Monopostos of 1948–52

by John Starkey

Enzo Ferrari wants to go back racing but the war has scattered the workforce, materials are in short supply, and spare money even more so. But Ferrari became a dominant player, so the right things must have happened. This book shines a light on some of them.

This Is for Everyone: The Unfinished Story of the World Wide Web

by Tim Berners-Lee

Cloud services made headlines just this week, and not in a good way. But can you really explain how it, or anything on “the web” works? The author is known as the inventor of the World Wide Web so who better to tell its origin story!

Auto Racing in the Shadow of the Great War

by Robert Dick

Motorsports evolve constantly; that the era discussed here witnessed “significant” change is kind of inevitable considering that there was not much precedent for anything, be it circuits, roads, cars, regulations, organizations, even goals. And yet, this era is often neglected in the literature. This book fixes that.

The First American Grand Prix: The Savannah Auto Races, 1908–1911

by Tanya A. Bailey

Savannah, Georgia may be a hotbed for many things, but racing?
International participants declared the course America’s greatest and the author is certainly its greatest fan.

Auto Racing Comes of Age

by Robert Dick

It is nothing short of amazing that the transition from rickety horseless carriage you could outrun on foot to fire-snorting record-breaking racecar took so little time. This excellent book examines the European and American history of the origins of motorsports.

Peace Is a Shy Thing: The Life and Art of Tim O’Brien

by Alex Vernon

“Vietnam made me a writer,” says O’Brien. This meticulously researched literary biography explores the life and journey that turned “happening-truth” into “story-truth.” If these terms don’t mean anything to you, all the more reason to read this book.

Origin of the Checker Flag: A Search for Racing’s Holy Grail

by Fred R. Egloff

Ask ten people were the checkered flag used in racing comes from and you’ll get eleven answers. Get the straight dope here.

Racing with Rich Energy: How a Rogue Sponsor Took Formula One for a Ride

by Elizabeth Blackstock & Alanis King

Race teams are always looking for funding because pro racing is ruinously expensive. Sponsorships are an obvious choice. But do or can teams vet sponsors? Smoke and Mirrors: here is a case of a multimillion-dollar deal gone very wrong.

Daredevil at the Wheel: The Climb and Crash of Joan LaCosta

by Tony St. Clair

She really did set the women’s speed record, in 1926—and she really did get arrested for armed robbery, in 1929. This is a wild story, exceedingly well researched and compellingly told.

Main Street to Miracle Mile: American Roadside Architecture

by Chester H. Liebs

As the use of the car expanded so did the infrastructure related to it, from automobile showrooms to the layout of city grids to roadside conveniences. This is one of the classics, a foundational text that has inspired many others.

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