Very good first racing book!
342424
This book really gives you all the basics of racing, great! From course configurations, starts, windward marks etc.., to some basic and not so basic tactics. I'm glad I added to my library and would recommend to the novice racer.
2459693
Just finished reading this book!
I have been waiting for a new Tri book.
This one is superior! I found the author's  personal racing and coaching experience very insightful.  EHI's look tough.

I am already using the stategies to have an awesome race season.
799050
Enjoyed it! I did not know anything about car racing and this was fascinating! I have enjoyed all of Simon Woods books! Many of his books are based on his own experiences and that makes them all the more interesting! Good books and all different. Definitely worth reading!
2538520
Very nice counting book. My son liked it. I am glad the girl one the race!  Wish it had a little more of a story, although I know it was a counting book. That's just what we like.
768107
I really enjoyed this book.  It was insightful and interesting.  I've read several other books that are supposed to be "stories about NASCAR" and have been disappointed in what they presented, but not in this one.

I felt that Mr. Dutton wrote fairly about the people involved and that he wasn't biased in his opinions.  Since I follow NASCAR regularly, the stories made me recall the 2002 season and added to my enjoyment of these recollections.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes NASCAR.
3935406
Gosh, this is great book. The race courses are just an excuse for some great car pictures and some funny and interesting vignettes. Great combination of images and text, well layed-out and just a lot of fun.
2024721
Very good history of Formula 1; well illustrated.
2918845
I think I must have bought almost every book there is on racing instruction over the years, and this book definitely ranks in the top three.  It is incredibly complete and easy to understand.  It also was good to read before the Skip Barber courses in order to get an advantage over the other drivers, and I still refer to it on a regular basis in Formula Renault, F2000, etc.  A MUST buy for anyone serious about competition!
Peter Olson
1505705
I am a follower of Autocourse Annuals since the early 80's and have not seen any books coming close to its quality (Pictures, content & layout) over the years.  Many attempts were made in recent years to "dethrone" Autocourse's status in F1 annual publication and success stories are rare.
In 2002, another such attempt was made by this "2001 Formula One Annual" with Nigel Mansell as Editior-in-Chief.  To be honest, I was again tempted to compare it to "Autocourse 2001-02" page by page.  To  my surprise, I found this book quite interesting to read even if I have a copy of Autocourse by its side.  I do not intend to judge which one is better but this book gave me a refreshing look at the 2001 F1 season.
This book is divided into 5 sections:-
(1) Introduction
(2) 2001 Drivers
(3) 2001 Team Reviews
(4) 2001 Race Reviews
(5) 2001 Technical Reviews
The presentation is quite refreshing whereas the "technical reviews" is something extra comparing to Autocourse.  This book really shows some potentials and I hope the next one is even better.
1554316
Rating:
5 of 5 stars (Outstanding)

Review:
Auto racing in all forms has had many fierce rivalries between drivers over the years, and one of the most bitter rivalries came in the late 1980s and early 1990s between Aryton Senna of Brazil and Alain Prost of France in Formula 1 racing.  This rivalry is documented in a book by Malcolm Foley in which he captures the rivalry through research and personal stories and recollections by many of the personnel involved with the two drivers as well at Prost himself, the surviving driver of the two rivals as Senna was killed while on the course in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

The writing in this book is very good as the reader will learn much about the workings within the various driving teams in Formula 1. The casual fan may know that a driver is part of the McLaren or Lotus team, for example, but the negotiations, contracts, and interaction between the parties is illustrated in the segments about the two drivers either changing teams or stating that they wish to do so. There are also other great passages about what took place during races between the two rivals, what teammates remembered about the drivers and even some personal moments shared.

Some other reviewers of this book have been vocal in their opinions that this book was heavily biased toward Prost, mainly because the author was allegedly grateful to just be able to speak with the French driver. This review is not going to state any opinions on this matter as being a casual fan of the sport at best, I do not have the extensive knowledge of the history of the sport or the two drivers, so this review is simply one of the book itself.  Because I was enjoying these stories and did know of the fierce rivalry, I wanted to simply read the book for pleasure and see if I could learn anything new about the drivers  without looking to see how balanced the stories would be.

The closest I would come to making any statement toward this would be that I believe the book would have been better if any of Sennas surviving family members would have been willing to share their stories. Most of the stories that were shared to the author were not complimentary to Senna. Getting more stories that portrayed Senna in a positive light might have helped avoid some of this criticism, but the book overall is still one that I enjoyed reading and would recommend for anyone who wants to learn a little more about the sport or the drivers.  Personally, I felt it was an outstanding book

Did I skim?
No.

Pace of the book:
Excellent.  The story of both drivers moves along well, doesnt drag when personal stories or recollections are written, and the reader will feel he or she is living the rivalry.

Do I recommend?
Yes, especially for new or casual F1 fans.  I say this because while the book does give good insight into both drivers and the history of the sport at that time, long-time or hard-core fans of the sport may feel the book is tilted too much to show sympathy for Prost.  While part of this would simply be because Senna is no longer with us in order to share his recollections, reviews and editorials at various book sites and blogs do have some negative reviews stating the authors bias toward Prost.
653987
Really good resource...not for the first time builder though.  A lot of "graduate level" stuff and a lot of info that really only pertains to racing.  That being said, a discerning reader will still be able to pick out pertinent info to help them with their build.  Glad I bought it
1671533
This racing package contains 4 racing cars, 4 controllers, and a healthy supply of track, sufficient for a variety of possible track designs. The individual track pieces snap together; this is not necessarily easy, however. My 12 year old was unable to snap together the curves, and I found them difficult at best though eventually we did get all the track together. I don't think we'll be changing our track design soon. Note that the tracks included do not include a crossover point. No figure 8's are possible.

Each controller and car has a small phillips head screw that needs to be loosened so that two AAA batteries (not included) can be installed. So overall for the set you need 16 batteries. Each car has an on-off switch and each controller has a Day/Night/Off switch. The night setting turns on the headlights. Everything worked correctly, with the cars responding appropriately and quickly to controller input. Even in a sunny environment, we had no difficulties with the IR reception. The cars have a little bit of lag on purpose so that a brief break in IR reception does not lead to immediate changes in car speed. The lane changing ability also worked perfectly so it is easy and quick to learn how to block opponents or avoid a collision. High speed on the turns leads to some of the cars spinning off the track, so control is important but again isn't too time-consuming to learn. The track width accommodates three cars and the entire assembly is a little tight for all four cars to be running at once. We liked it best with just two opponents rather than three or four.

The controllers are the new gun-type variety rather than the older Playstation-appearing type. Each race car has a chip installed that can be replaced with alternative firmware, but I was unable to find other chips available online. Similarly, the tires can be replaced with alternatives, but here again no other tire varieties appear to be available yet.

Overall the set works very well once set up, and the lane-changing feature in particular works precisely as designed. I'd like to see the tracks fit together more easily in future iterations.
4796865
I do a lot of one-design racing.  For people new to racing, I give them this book.  Its sequential, "what happens next", format is useful for people a little bewildered by the action on the water. It's not overly technical.

It covers some tricks as well, such as riding wake and working down in the puffs etc.  It also has a little piece in the beginning explaining the difference types of racing (Handicap vs One-Design) and a general overview of the different kinds of boats you might consider when getting into racing.  Again, good for people without a broad knowledge of the racing scene.

One note: it covers a triangle (Olympic Course) which we don't do a lot of in my fleet.  Regardless, lessons are still relevant.

Whatever you buy, nothing beats time on the water.
4503061
After hearing afew interviews on the authors website I decided to get the book, over all rating is superb for this book but the thing I want to comment most on is Dale, Jr.'s Pepsi/Firecracker 400 win. It didn't mention much about how that race was FIXED other than Michael Waltrip and Elliot Sadler saying they "WEREN'T going to pass him!", but the passing 5 cars alone part made me watch it online again. Dale certainly didn't have a completely unrestricted NASCAR engine since he didn't go 230 mph alone. But he definitely had an unrestricted 'crate motor' that made no more hp than the CUP engines make while restricted, that's the only way you can sling shot by people at WUSStona and WUSSadega since the WUSSplate creates zero throttle response.
413007
An easy to read overview of all the basics. Perfect for someone getting started in club racing and a great book to bring new crew up to speed.
3944589
Steve Klein authored a good one.  He is a believer in early speed and now I am, too!  His work, The Power of Early Speed, is one you should have in your library.  It is appropriate for both the casual weekend player and for the more ambitious handicapper who plays one or more tracks each day.

The book starts with the history behind his idea to write a book-- Steve had early success with early speed while growing up in California. The history moves to the present: Steve works for the Daily Racing Form and covers Kentucky racing.  He pondered whether early speed was something that was universal.  He decided to use the vast DRF database and used 1,671,627 horses to find out.  I'll ruin the ending of the story for you -- it does!

He includes charts that show the profitability of early speed at the different odds levels and at different track conditions. Same with the different distances carded by each track. He includes additional data of track specific trainer and jockeys success vs. early speed.  These charts alone could be used favorably by the casual player.  Finding and recorded early speed track biases and how to handicap early speed via Klein speed points  rounds out the volume.

The lone complaint  I have is that the font size should be larger.  It was difficult for me to read the charts and past performances.  I ended up using a  magnifying glass.  I recommend that when the second printing takes place that the past performances and charts be enlarged.

I've been playing and reading handicapping books for close to 50 years.  Steve's book is one I strongly recommend.  It has helped my game; it will help yours.
2839762
My boys, 2 and 4, just love this book, the illustrations are so vibrant and well done.  From the language to the accuracy in the drawings you really get the feeling that the author has experience in motocross racing.  There are very few books on motocross racing for little kids.  I'd definitely recommend this book for any child with a sense of adventure.  I love the positive messages throughout the book-- try hard, sometimes you fall but never give up, and that it's okay to lose as long as you are having fun.  As a mom of a daughter I appreciate that the illustrator showed a girl racing along with the boys.  Also the racing tips at the end are a great touch.  We'll be looking for more books from your line-- PS, if you ever want to name a character "Kai" or "Stevie" that would be perfect!
M1M-CO-8135438