My summer reads

[Grub]

Over the summer, I stocked up on a couple of good biographies and received a couple as prezzies. The differences between them were interesting, I have thoroughly enjoyed the process and so I thought I’d share. These won’t appeal to everyone since they take place in a certain time-scale to which I was able to relate. Since I started riding and racing in the 70’s, most of these tales are familiar. The books were …

“Hurricane Tim” the story of Sir Tim Wallis by Neville Peat
“To Finish First” the story of Phil Kerr of Brabham and McLaren F1 team development by Phil Kerr.
“Michael Schumacher – the whole story” by Christopher Hilton
“John Britten” by Tim Hanna (who wrote “Legend of speed: The Burt Munro Story”)

[Grub]

This is the story of the guy who is now famous as the creator of Warbirds over Wanaka and the Alpine Fighter Collection in Wanaka. Tim Wallis was however famous long before most of us ever heard of him. He was the pioneer of the deer shooting from helicopters, live capture and deer farming. A tireless guy whose activities include setting up farms in Russia, building deer processing plants on ships he owned in Doubtful Sound, landing helicopters on the boats, restoring ancient aircraft in Russia and of course the whole warbirds story. He was firstly just a deer stalker albeit a Christs College educated one.

This is a great tale of the great Kiwi way of getting on and doing world-class stuff in that typical colonial way that we (used to?) have. The book is well written, there’s heaps of historical detail with references that readers familiar with the time will relate to. It was engaging all the way through and is in some ways a very good social commentary about us as a people – even though few of us will ever achieve what Sir Tim has. Highly Recommended.

[Grub]

Phil Kerr is somebody that perhaps only those involved or interested in motorsport may have heard of yet Phil has until recently been a key player in Formula One from the late 60’s. Kerr was Bruce McLaren’s best mate in Remuera and went to Britain a year after Bruce won the Driver to Europe Scholarship. Once there, while Bruce was racing for Coopers and others, he became the main man when Jack Brabham set up his own team and ran his own cars. A year later Denny Hulme arrived in the UK. When McLaren set up his F1 team, Kerr became the team’s managing director for 17 years. At some point most of the great drivers drove for the teams that Kerr was running, amongst them Mike (the bike) Hailwood who eventually came to NZ and set up house next door to Phil.

This whole book is a first hand account of the exploits of Brabham, McLaren (the longest running team in all of formula one), Hulme, Howden Ganley & Graeme McCrae (Kiwis), Hailwood and lots lots more.

Well written is an easy-going and informative style, this book is a conversation and a personal report on the inside running of one of the biggest and most valuable sporting event in the world. The personal accounts, tales and insights make compelling reading to anyone who has the slightest interest in behind the scenes of formula one and the drivers and their personalities. This is one of the best and most informative books I have ever read on Formula One – and there’s been a few. Highly recommended.

[Grub]

Between 1994 and 2006, grand prix racing lived through the Michael Schumacher era. He dominated F1 as no other driver has done and perhaps never will. He holds the records for the most of everything. The trouble is, nobody knows a damn thing about the guy! One journalist whose covered F1 for nearly 40 years was moved to comment that in his observation, every F1 driver ever gets out of the car sweating like a pig with his hair plastered down and looking like death from the exertion. Michael Schumacher, in his opinion, has never sweated. He is the fittest driver of all time and perhaps that is part of his legacy.

I bought the book because “the complete story” was going to give me a look behind the plastic façade of Schumacher. It was going to give me the insight into his mindset and his personal qualities, hopes, vulnerabilities and response to success. It reports some of his early life in karts right through to his retirement. As the fly-cover said “The story of this private, precise, seven-times World Champion is told using original material, a host of extensive interviews with the people who were there and what Schumacher himself said”

Well that’s all bollocks! The extensive interviews with the people who were there is true enough – but none of them “knew” Schumacher either! So closed and private is the guy that there are no personal insights into him. The book is largely a record of races and results. The bit about “what Schumacher himself said” is true …. It’s what he said to the media. It’s just quotes from the master of PR and corporate speak. Perhaps for that insight alone it’s an interesting read. Buy it? Only if you must, I think you’ll be disappointed. Better to find a muggins like me who spent the $70 – and borrow it off them.

[Grub]

Wow, quite a story and quite a revealing one. There are twists and turns in this story that will surprise you – and this is real life. The image of the kiwi battler in the shed at night is quite different in reality and very enlightening. John Britten’s story has some similarities with Tim Wallis’s, in fact a lot of similarities. Both educated at exclusive Canterbury private schools, both from well heeled families, both people who functioned at a high metabolic rate, both functioned at full capacity for 22hr days, both inspired and drove people around them to achieve the unachievable. Britten comes from a wealthy property development family, very well connected in Canterbury society. His achievements, like Tim Wallis’s, precede that for which he is famous. Following the death of his father, he took over the company and was responsible for “Cathedral Junction” in Christchurch, otherwise know for some time as “Little Bosnia”. He died before his vision could be completed, suffice to say that it was like his bikes and his house, a very spectacular and interesting concept.

For a lot of KBers, this is a compelling read. It is hugely technical in parts where the trials and tribulations of the Britten bikes engineering problems and frustrations are analysed. Some of the technical stuff is fascinating but none of it is overwhelming and the technical stiff doesn’t get in the way of the story-line or the flow of the book. I’d love to give you some personal feelings about the Britten story and some of the things that it revealed but that would be a spoiler and my opinion only.

This is quality stuff from Tim Hanna. He wrote this before the Burt Munro story but it has the same fine qualities of a very very good biographer’s craft. The book is 500 pages but it’s not a drag, it just keeps you engrossed all the way though. Recommended for KBers? Hell yes!

[Trudes]

Just to hijack your book review thread Grub.... my hubby gave me Eric Clapton's autobiography for Xmas, read it in a slow week at work and thoroughly enjoyed it, would recommend it to anyone who has any interest in this very interesting man.

[Nasty]

Just to hijack your book review thread Grub.... my hubby gave me Eric Clapton's autobiography for Xmas, read it in a slow week at work and thoroughly enjoyed it, would recommend it to anyone who has any interest in this very interesting man.

That is not a hijack .. that is your summer read!!

[Trudes]

Well one weeks worth anyway. It was nice to read a couple of books that I didn't have to read (boring text books).

[skelstar]

Well one weeks worth anyway. It was nice to read a couple of books that I didn't have to read (boring text books).

Trudi, please don't post about your own books in this thread. Its only going to confuse people and they're going to get lost or something... perhaps you should start your own thread? Hmm?

[Grub]

Trudi, please don't post about your own books in this thread. Its only going to confuse people and they're going to get lost or something... perhaps you should start your own thread? Hmm?

Naughty naughty

[Big Dave]

Grub - we had an editorial meeting at kiwi rider this afternoon.

We are now offering a fee for contributions published in the magazine.

You should email the Ed your reviews.

editor@kiwirider.co.nz

[Trudes]

Trudi, please don't post about your own books in this thread. Its only going to confuse people and they're going to get lost or something... perhaps you should start your own thread? Hmm?

LOL, I will save up some bling for you smarty, (still pml btw), so what is it, beer, a ride on Pamela?

[Squiggles]

Grub - we had an editorial meeting at kiwi rider this afternoon.

We are now offering a fee for contributions published in the magazine.

You should email the Ed your reviews.

editor@kiwirider.co.nz

*gives the mrs a poke towards sending in some of her stuff*

[boostin]

Wow, quite a story and quite a revealing one. There are twists and turns in this story that will surprise you – and this is real life. The image of the kiwi battler in the shed at night is quite different in reality and very enlightening. John Britten’s story has some similarities with Tim Wallis’s, in fact a lot of similarities. Both educated at exclusive Canterbury private schools, both from well heeled families, both people who functioned at a high metabolic rate, both functioned at full capacity for 22hr days, both inspired and drove people around them to achieve the unachievable. Britten comes from a wealthy property development family, very well connected in Canterbury society. His achievements, like Tim Wallis’s, precede that for which he is famous. Following the death of his father, he took over the company and was responsible for “Cathedral Junction” in Christchurch, otherwise know for some time as “Little Bosnia”. He died before his vision could be completed, suffice to say that it was like his bikes and his house, a very spectacular and interesting concept.

For a lot of KBers, this is a compelling read. It is hugely technical in parts where the trials and tribulations of the Britten bikes engineering problems and frustrations are analysed. Some of the technical stuff is fascinating but none of it is overwhelming and the technical stiff doesn’t get in the way of the story-line or the flow of the book. I’d love to give you some personal feelings about the Britten story and some of the things that it revealed but that would be a spoiler and my opinion only.

This is quality stuff from Tim Hanna. He wrote this before the Burt Munro story but it has the same fine qualities of a very very good biographer’s craft. The book is 500 pages but it’s not a drag, it just keeps you engrossed all the way though. Recommended for KBers? Hell yes!

I have recently finished reading this book.

The book I read before this one was the Burt Munro one by Tim Hanna and wow what a contrast they were.

When I started reading I had the image of John Britten being a modern day Munro, however this was not the case at all! He came across as an excellent designer, but not the battler that Munro was. Britten seemed to push money and get other people to sort out problems. While the Britten bike was amazing, it really surprised me how good it could have been if they didn't have to deal with the front end, or problems always arising in the ECU.

An excellent read and a great eye opener to my idea of John Britten being a one man battler (with some enthusiastic friends) in his shed taking on the whole world.

[Grub]

An excellent read and a great eye opener to my idea of John Britten being a one man battler (with some enthusiastic friends) in his shed taking on the whole world.

Spoiler .... lol