Brian Redman: Daring Drivers, Deadly Tracks

Brilliant book. Very well written. It really has pace, and I just didn't want to put it down. Brian Redman’s career included racing most types of cars, and in this wonderful autobiography he looks at all of them. In the Afterword, Sam Posey mentions that some people refer to Brian as “the underrated”, and then he goes on to list just some of his many achievements, saying: “Underrated? Obviously ‘they’ never had to race him”. For me, the main area of interest was the GT40, and Brian covers his time with JWAE, (and before that with Peter Sutcliffe and Nick Cussons) very well, with pictures, anecdotes and observations that give a good insight in to what racing was like in the 1960s. Since most readers will probably like other sports racers as well as GT40s, the chances are that they'll also enjoy reading about his experiences with Porsche 917s, Ferrari 512Ss and 312Ps, Group C cars and so on. The book is set out in an unusual way, with chapters devoted to specific circuits mixed in with others giving a chronological autobiography; this tends to break up the timeline, but actually it works very well indeed, and I found the whole thing quite riveting, and a marvellous read. The full UK price is £50, and in my view it’s worth every penny for such a large, well-illustrated, well- written 300-page hardback. In the Foreword, Mario Andretti has this to say: “Brian writes like he drove, right to the point and always with passion. He has managed to cap a pretty terrific racing career with a pretty terrific racing memoir. Buckle up, readers, you’re in for a great ride.”

I have never written an Amazon review before but this book has inspired me to break my lethargy.I read a lot of Motor Racing books but until very recently, few of them have challenged my preconceptions that Motor Racing folk, whilst full of amusing and fascinating stories concerning the sport and its personalities, are usually pretty insulated from the real world - as the common man or woman experiences it! However, Damon Hill's book filled me with admiration for an F1 champion with feet firmly on the ground, with sincerely-held values, honesty and very ordinary insecurities. Ross Brawn and Adam Parr amazed me with their intelligence, their willingness to analyse failure as well as success and their intellectual rigour. Brian Redman's however raises the standard even higher, combining almost all the attributes of these other books with a disarming turn of phrase, clear and relevant photography, a complete lack of ego, willing self-deprecation and an often under-stated wit. What a lovely man.A word also for Mr Mullen. I didnt spot a single typo, jargon, or use of poor or even colloquial english (unlike this review!)My only complaints are the weight of the book (time for a softback edition?), its expense and the fact that its title sounds far more sensationalist and lurid than the thoughtful and well-balanced prose inside.A gem.

I personally loved this book. It is loaded with great photos throughout, as Brian drove the legendary Gulf Ford GT40's and Porsche 917's - these are included here in glorious fashion multiple times, as are all of the great cars he got to race. Those are just for starters, his first hand accounts of true danger are explained in such great detail and really give you sense of what it must have felt like to do his job in such a treacherous period. The laughable photo of a Spa 'fire marshall' smoking whilst holding a fire extinguisher really say so much about where the sport once sat with safety. Do not be fooled however about the title and the danger side, there is equally plenty of text provided about his driving experiences, the great tracks of the time, his life as a racing driver, Brian's family and many amusing anecdotes. I enjoyed this book enormously!

A cracking read and full of good photos. I first saw him race in F2 in 1968 and there was no doubt that he belonged on the big stage. He was lucky to survive in an era when life behind the wheel was dangerous as the title of this book spells out, but he did and here are the warts and all stories of those times.For those of us who remember him this is essential reading, but those who follow modern racing should enjoy it too. Brian was a good driver; he took on Mario Andretti in equal machinery and beat him. This book shows that he is a good story teller too.

Long awaited ( why ? ) tome on the career of Brian Redman with some wonderfully evocative photographs and interesting text. As the title suggests this book concentrates on a ten year period from 1965-1975 but there is material relating to his earlier days and indeed his post 1975 years - I would have liked to have seen a little more on his more recent activity on the historic side of motorsport but that may have made an even bigger publication a little unwieldy. A touch expensive at the issue price which is in keeping wth other recent books ( Howden Ganley) but much better deals are to be found. A dustjacket would have been a nice touch but nontheless highly recommended and long overdue.

May be if you only buy only one book per year then this should be it. The photos alone make the book great but the written format is also rather well done. The front cover says it all, what we now miss thanks to the safety crowd, I agree 100% with Redman the loss of life was terrible (I was at Brands Hatch when Siffert died) but a happy medium has not been found except perhaps at Goodwood, but to watch events from a great distance behind wire fencing is not the answer.

A champion book in every respect: Wonderful perspective bolstered by telling detail and charm, wonderfully written, and perfectly illustrated with lots of pictures. Those days of racing were brutal and Brian conveys why and how in a factual, story-rich way. A driver went out not knowing whether his car would break and kill him. But he raced anyway, because that's what he did... and in Brian's case because he did it very well and couldn't figure out anything else he could do that would support his family. He did it despite the death of close friends and competitors and despite three horrible crashes that left him scarred and required months of hospitalization and rehab. Racing isn't what it used to be and thank goodness for that.

otimo

superb

Fantastic book !

Great photos, with touching, human stories of his time behind the wheel, detailing the loss of so many friends and colleagues in the fires so common in motor racing accidents of the times. Lots of self-deprecating stories that show us a humble man.