Christopher Hilton (1)

While a fading memory, this book brings back to life the worst day in the history of motorsports, where some seventy people were killed outright at Le Mans as a result of a racing "incident." The particular value of this work is that Hilton is not just documenting a disaster but he's trying to recapture a state of mind, a time when risk to life and limb was seen more as merely being part of the game. Not to mention there possibly being more of a sense of people being acclimated to risk in show more the wake of World War II.

While suggesting that the real cause of the incident was the lethal intersection of the limitations of the race circuit versus the capabilities of the best cars, Hilton also goes out of his way to rehabiliated the reputation of the Pierre Levegh, the French driver who died outright in the disaster. Hilton comes to the conclusion that Levegh had no chance to effectively respond to the situation created by Michael Hawthorne (a leading hot shot of the period) who in making a competitive statement precipitated disaster. This is still controversial stuff and Hilton does his best not to throw stones, but to analyse what led up to what he calls "the end of innocence." show less

I own several books about Senna, and this book is my favorite. It includes several pieces of information of which I was not previously aware, one is his childhood nickname. That was quite an esoteric piece of data that really humanized the story for me.

But what REALLY sets this book apart is the meticulous research and inclusion of memorabilia. With the book you should receive a series of enclosures - reproductions of pit passes, stickers, and handwritten notes, not just photos on a page, show more but actual items carefully included in tissue paper envelopes hidden within the book's pages.

I actually lived when Senna was ascending and watched his races. He was so good, I will admit I developed a dislike for the man - I wanted to see victories by others at least SOME of the time. But that was Senna. He was light years past all others, and this book is a testament to that. Very well done, and a highly recommended addition to the library of anyone wishing to learn more about Ayrton Senna de Silva. show less

While most people who pick up this work are going to do so because of Team Toleman's association with Ayrton Senna, it's really the tale of Ted Toleman, businessman turned sportsman, and how he built an organization that, in some ways, still exists on the F1 grid in the form of Alpine. There's an interesting story here but I'm not sure that the publisher did the author any favors, as the material doesn't seem as well organized as it could be. Then again, Hilton was nearing the end of his show more life when this book came out, so perhaps more refinement of the material was intended. show less

It is unreasonable to expect an exhaustive analysis of 100 years in just 450-odd pages, yet 'Grand Prix Century' successfully distils issues and events into concise chunks that carry the reader on a tidal wave of discovery from the earliest gladiators to today's superstars. Very little of importance is missed, but do not expect a comprehensive dissection of every race.

Hilton's strong points are the human stories. His pen-portraits may be brief, but they are illuminating, his subjects treated show more sympathetically with a welcome directness. Also refreshing is his handling of some of the darker moments of the sport's history, where there is often a temptation for over-dramatisation.

The book shows a clear shift in technique as it progresses: the earlier years of gentlemen drivers and racing mechanics are treated quite expansively in a conventional flowing style. As the pace hots up, so does Hilton's narrative, at times even resorting to a kind of shorthand, snappy and to-the-point, that urges the reader ever forwards, reflecting the pace of modern life!

You might wonder why an average racing fan needs a book like this. I did too, and am still not entirely convinced on that score. Yet it is an excellent book, entertaining and thought-provoking, delivered in a manner that conveys excitement and drama. At the very least it begs a curious reader to delve deeper into areas less well known.

You won't buy 'Grand Prix Century' for the pictures, but there are four blocks of adequate, if mostly unexceptional, plates, some of the later ones in colour. The book is printed on low quality paper: my copy is already showing signs of age! show less