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| Value for Money | 10/10 |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 9/10 |
By locust
on 17th Dec 2004
| Value for money | 10/10 |
|---|---|
| Overall value | 9/10 |
 locust's recommendation | |
Fittingly, one of the great all-round racing biographies. Superb photos and great value too.
Look elsewhere if you want detailed reports of every race.
Gordon Kirby, Mario Andretti: A Driving Passion - A thorough, memorably-illustrated celebration of one of motor racing's most enduring, charismatic champions.
I wanted to know more about Mario Andretti's achievements beyond Formula 1. Kirby's book revealed much more than this, in style.
It's arranged chronologically, so while there is sometimes just a passing reference to one race after another, this brings out the variety of cars and characters, and the skill, travel and hard work required to be competitive in up to four racing series at once.
The charismatic, perceptive insights from Mario himself are complemented by enlightening quotes from journalists, engineers and fellow drivers. There's a good balance between praise and criticism (the latter usually from bosses who wouldn't take advice from a mere driver!).
The story of Andretti growing up in Italy and Penssylvania, and finding his way in sprint races, is thoroughly and captivatingly told. Kirby's exploration of the 'American Dream' theme is impressive as it never resorts to superlatives or sentimentality.
It's just as satisfying as a 'coffee-table' picture book. Race cars of all shapes and sizes (again highlighting Andretti's versatility) are beautifully photographed, and the detailed crowd scenes and reproductions of whole pages from Andretti's scrap book add to the atmosphere.
As a bonus I learned a great deal about setting up cars for speedways! With the help of Mario's expertise, Kirby explains technical details concisely and more clearly than many other racing books can be bothered to.
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