Holiday Reading

[Purple Frog]

Nothing to do with formula cars... but interesting none the less to us old timers.

I just finished Harry Hurst's new book "12 Hours of Sebring 1970". Maybe it was just special to me because by 1970 it was already my 7th Sebring and I was pretty into the whole sportscar racing deal by then. I'd walk around the whole viewing area at least twice, once in the day and once at night to see every car going through every turn. I was glued to the fences for the whole 12 hours. Then as soon as the checker flew, we would storm the pits to see glimses of our heros.

Pretty amazing to average 127 mph for 12 hours on Sebring's rough as hell runways, at night, in traffic that may be going half your speed... 35 years ago.

http://www.glorydaysofracing.com

[Dave Hopple]

I've been to the last 4 12hrs races, it's such a cool event, I think you would like this link Frog, they even have scans of the entrylist (right side of the page)-Dave

http://www.racingsportscars.com/phot...-21-photo.html

http://www.racingsportscars.com/photo.html

[John Nesbitt]

I really enjoyed the Hurst book. On a related note, I bought the Le Mans DVD - no plot or character development, but great racing footage.

I have just finished rereading Brock Yates' "Sunday Driver", an account of his foray into TransAm racing in (?) 1971. A wonderful read. How can you not get hooked on a book which opens with, "The helmet bag does it every time. There you are, striding around in public places, holding this black vinyl satchel with 'Bell Helmets' printed on its flanks ... and people automatically think that you are a very tough stud indeed." ?

Happy holidays.

[EPRacer]

PF:

That was my fifth Sebring, but growing up in Fort Myers, I was only an hour and a half away. I was at U of F then and drove down for the race. I too hung on the fences for hours and dreamed of the day. One of my favorite memories of the race was seeing Dan Gurney's head four inches above the roll bar of the Matra.

Warmest Holidays to you and Mrs.
Lyn Pollock

[Purple Frog]

Dave,

Thanks for that post. I saw a picture of me standing behind the rear wing of the #2 Riley & Scott in pit lane at the 1996 Sebring.

[Daniel]

Another racing book worth picking up is Brock Yates' Against Death and Time . Yates needs to fire his editor but the content is good. My dad passed it to me after he read it because it chronicles the fate of many of his childhood racing heroes. The story is told by a fictional reporter following the 1955 racing season from the AAA Championship to Watkins Glen to Indy to Le Mans. It's a good read.