Racing from a racing driver's view (Working the Wheel - Martin Brundle)

Member Name: markos9

Product:	Working the Wheel - Martin Brundle
Date:	13/04/09 (160 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great read; interesting insight into Brundle himself.

Disadvantages: May be too technical for some.

Martin Brundle has been a commentator for both the BBC and ITV's Formula 1 coverage since 1997. Before that, he was a successful racing driver for 12 years, driving for some of the best teams in the world.

Many people will be familiar with Bundle's Formula 1 commentary; the combination of the driver's experience of the cars and tracks, technical knowledge, and calm considered opinion has made him a real asset to the sport.

Brundle was approached to write a book about his experiences, both in and out of the car, by Maurice Hamilton, a journalist and fellow F1 commentator, and agreed immediately. Brundle relished the chance of recording his many experiences and encounters over the previous 20 years.

The result then, is this book. It's a no-holds barred account of the greatest circuits in Formula 1, written in the same style as Brundle's commentary; a no nonsense, knowledgeable delivery.

Each chapter of the book focuses on a different circuit. Each circuit is reviewed by Brundle documenting a unique blend of personal experiences and technical information, that is immensely readable and quite gripping.

Understandably, it's the account of accidents, inevitable in Formula 1 that makes the most interesting read, but one account, in the very first chapter, takes some beating. At the first race on the new Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, in 1996, Brundle was to have a massive accident.

Brundle recalls how he ran into the back of David Coulthard's McLaren whilst doing 170mph. He recounts how everything appeared to slow down. As his car was launched high into the air, he remembers thinking "Don't let me land upside down in the gravel area", knowing that the car would dig in, his head would take the impact, and he'd die.

As it was, his car was to barrel roll several times before landing upside down. Racing drivers are made of sterner stuff than most men. When he'd struggled out of the car, realised that he hadn't a mark on him; he barely blinked when he looked at his car which was now in two pieces. Instead he hitched a lift back to the pit lane and got into the spare car! Absolutely incredible.

The Italian circuit of Imola will forever be remembered for the fateful day in 1994 when the great Ayrton Senna was killed. As a fellow racing driver, Senna's death was to affect Brundle, to the extent he questioned whether to continue in the sport. He recounts that, during that race (which was not stopped after Senna's crash), he and the other drivers knew little of what had happened. The news of the fatality was not confirmed until hours after the race had finished and Brundle's account of the mood and activities in the paddock make for sobering reading. The accident was to affect him for a long time even to when he was writing this book.

"Writing these lines more than a decade later, it makes me feel sick to think that we then raced past a pool of his blood for fifty three laps".

The book contains a lot of technical information, but this is necessary to put the driver's experience into context. For a seasoned Formula 1 fan, this will add to his or her knowledge of the rigours of racing. For a newcomer it might be a little too much.

I'm a big fan of Martin Brundle; I think that his commentary is one of the highlights of Formula 1. I hoped that this book would give me more information about Brundle himself, as well as Formula 1. I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed. This book is a great read and will enhance the reader's knowledge of the circuits, drivers, and other personalities of the Formula 1 'circus'. Highly recommended.

This book is available from Amazon for £5.59.

Summary: You'll learn a lot about Formula 1.