Great Moments in Auto Racing, the book

[Martyj]

Great Moments in Auto Racing by Irwin Stambler.

Any one currently own this book? I once did as a kid--it was among the books in a flyer/catalog that used to circulate among the class in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, and we could order books at a special "scholastic club price."

The book highlights 10 "great moments" and I am trying to recall from memory what those moments were.

Keeping in mind this went to press in either 66 or 67, those moments that I can recall were:

'65 LeMans
'65 Indy (despite the implication of the 66 image on the cover)
'64 Mexican Grand Prix

I'm foggy on the rest, but I seem to recall a Daytona 500, a Mille Miglia, and F1 races at Monza and Nurburgring.

I'm trying to piece together the 10 races for a possible personal project. Thanks.

[dalz]

It was in my elementary school's library. Read it cover to cover, several times, even though I didn't understand some of it. From what I can remember:

1957 German GP--Fangio's masterpiece.

1960 Daytona 500

1965 Indy 500

1957 Mille Miglia--the final one.

1964 Mexican GP--Surtees wins the title.

1961 Italian GP--Hill's title.

A 2-part chapter on 1965-66 Le Mans.

1965 Southern 500--Ned Jarrett wins by multiple laps.

NASCAR's Riverside Motor Trend 500--Gurney won, don't remember the year, or might have been another 2-part-er.
That's all my memory has. Not bad tho.


Edit: A late-season 1958 GP, where Hawthorn clinches?

Like many classic books we'd really enjoy, this little jewel is on Amazon right now for 7 bucks.

[Openracer]

Martyj contact the International Motor Racing Research Center (IMMRC) in Watkins Glen. Guarantee they have the book and some nice people will help you out, just by calling them or emailing them.

www.racingarchives.org

[Martyj]

It was in my elementary school's library. Read it cover to cover, several times, even though I didn't understand some of it. From what I can remember:

1957 German GP--Fangio's masterpiece.

1960 Daytona 500

1965 Indy 500

1957 Mille Miglia--the final one.

1964 Mexican GP--Surtees wins the title.

1961 Italian GP--Hill's title.

A 2-part chapter on 1965-66 Le Mans.

1965 Southern 500--Ned Jarrett wins by multiple laps.

NASCAR's Riverside Motor Trend 500--Gurney won, don't remember the year, or might have been another 2-part-er.
That's all my memory has. Not bad tho.


Edit: A late-season 1958 GP, where Hawthorn clinches?

Like many classic books we'd really enjoy, this little jewel is on Amazon right now for 7 bucks.

All of those are ringing a bell. Thanks. There still seems to be a hole or two, though. As much as this book tries to be representative of all the major events I have to think the Monaco GP was in there somewhere. I have a vague memory of Moss with the sides of this car missing.

Also I have a childhood memory of a chapter of Craig Breedlove's speed run in a book I had...although I'm not sure it's this one.

[Calhoun]

GreatMomentsCover.jpg

GreatMomentsContents.jpg

[dalz]

Thanjs Calhoun.. I'm flabbergasted that after multiple decades I remembered 9 out of 10. I often couldn't tell you what I had for breakfast yesterday.

There was a photo from the Monza chapter showing the double front straight when the oval was used. Cars barreling down the outside straight off the banking, right next to cars coming off the parabolica, separated by a white line and some cones. It left me confounded for years.

[Calhoun]

I trust this is the photo of which you speak? ;-)

MonzaBanking.jpg

[dalz]

I trust this is the photo of which you speak? ;-)

You got it.

Imagination being an 8 year old kid, bonkers about racing, with no references other than what I can find in books and magazines, trying to make sense of this photo.

There was a new arrival to my elementary school later on, Drama on the Speedway, circa 1978, with chapters on Foyt's #4, Janet Guthrie's Indy debut, Mario's Long Beach F1 win. I thought, awesome, NEW stuff that I remember seeing myself!

[The JP]

That cover looks very familiar. I have a feeling that we have this one in the family collection. I may have to find it and read it. It looks really interesting!

[Bruce Spencer]

I had this book, ordered at school from Scholastic whatever... and also read it cover to cover multiple times. And I too was confused by the whole Monza photo showing the oval dumping onto the straight, added by the fact I also had my dad's '58 Indy Clymer yearbook that covered the Race of Two Worlds.

[dalz]

The chapter about the final Mille Miglia had fascinating photos. Piero Tarruffi was a longtime veteran who finally won over Wolfgang Von Trips. They were wheel to wheel near the end, but Tarruffi held the edge from a later start time. The finish in Brescia looked like a parade route, spectators packed along the streets, while cars whizzed by at 100+ mph. The tragic de Portago accident put an end to a race that had certainly outlived its era.

[thehairpin]

Seems like Scholastic dealt in significantly more substantial books back then than when I was a kid (90s).

[Bruce Spencer]

Ya, I got a bunch of books from them that were good. Got a paperback about NASCAR that was pretty legit.