The Exciting History Of Auto Racing

Two teen-agers back in early day France probably started it all by "borrowing" their Dad's "horseless carriages" and seeing which could go fastest. That was when highly respected doctors were certain that you would die if you moved faster than sixty miles an hour. The human body simply couldn't survive at that speed. Now, racers routinely go two hundred miles an hour, and drag racers go more than three hundred miles an hour in only a thousand feet. Auto racing is one of the most popular sports in the world. It is daring, dangerous, and exciting, and the winners often become millionaires. This book aimed at young adults is full of stories about racing as it describes the progress from the two kids to modern racing. The author has participated as a driver, photographer and journalist for many years, and has written a number of books on the subject.

Automobile racing, the world's fastest sport, began almost as soon as the first cars were built. It developed and thrived in the Province of Alberta, far removed from the world power centres of racing. In TheSpeediest Land Traveller, former race driver Dick McDonell spins a story of the heroes and geniuses who built and raced cars against the best on the planet, and of the developers, politicians, promoters and wheeler-dealers who gave them places to learn their craft.At times hilarious and others tragic, The Speediest Land Traveller paints a memorable portrait of an exciting sport and the century of change in which it grew. This is must-have book for anyone with an interest in auto racing or Alberta history.

A best seller and winner of the Antique Automobile Club of America's prestigious Thomas McKean Award.The Golden Age of the American Racing Car emphasizes the human side of racing history, offering insight into the men who shaped the golden age. Covering a period of time from the 1910s through the 1930s, the book describes the historical development of race car technology and presents fascinating information on race courses, designers, builders, drivers, and events. Racing pioneers covered include: Fred Duesenberg, Louis Chevrolet, Harry Miller, Leo Goossen, and Fred Offenhauser.

An informal history of auto racing. Here are the stories, the exciting, amusing, tragic, fantastic, slapstick stories of the sport of racing in its heyday and of the men and machines who made it what it was.

World Racing History chronicles the evolution of auto racing from its start just after the invention of the car into the major sport it is today. Using Race Car Toons – caricatures of actual racing cars throughout history – World Racing History tells this story in a unique way. With the detailed cars and cartoon characters, it makes learning about racing fun and exciting for all ages. There are three primary forms of racing today – Grand Prix, Indy Cars, and Sports Car. World Racing History covers these in detail and touches on other popular forms from around the world including sprint cars, stock cars, touring/GT cars, rallying, and drag racing.

Prior to World War I, auto racing featured expensive machines and teams financed by auto factories. The teams toured the country, and most of the races were held in large cities, so the vast majority of Americans never saw a race. All this changed after World War I, though, and in the 1920s and 1930s there were approximately 1,000 dirt tracks in the United States and Canada. The dirt tracks offered small-time racing--little prize money and minimal publicity--but people loved it. This pictorial history documents dirt track racing, with what are today called sprint cars, around the United States from 1919 to 1941. Information on dirt track racing in Canada during this time is also provided. Regionally divided chapters detail the drivers, tracks, and specific races of each area of the country. Some of the drivers went on to win fame and fortune while others faded into obscurity. Tracks included well known facilities as well as out-of-the-way sites few people had ever heard of. The cars ranged from state of the art machines to the more common home built specials based on Model T or Model A Ford parts. Taken together, the drivers, tracks, and races of this era were instrumental in making auto racing the popular sport it is today.

The first quarter of the 20th century was a time of dramatic change in auto racing, marked by the move from the horseless carriage to the supercharged Grand Prix racer, from the gentleman driver to the well-publicized professional, and from the dusty road course to the autodrome. This history of the evolution of European and American auto racing from 1900 to 1925 examines transatlantic influences, early dirt track racing, and the birth of the twin-cam engine and the straight-eight. It also explores the origins of the Bennett and Vanderbilt races, the early career of "America's Speed King" Barney Oldfield, the rise of the speedway specials from Marmon, Mercer, Stutz and Duesenberg, and developments from Peugeot, Delage, Ballot, Fiat, and Bugatti. This informative work provides welcome insight into a defining period in motorsports.

Daring and Dangerous: Auto Racers for grades 4–8 introduces young readers to the exciting world of professional auto racing. From NASCAR to Formula 1 and everything in between, the 32 fact- and photo-filled pages of this book offer readers an opportunity to learn about the history of racing and what it takes to be a part of this daring and dangerous sport. The Daring and Dangerous Stunt Performers series is an action-packed escape into some of the most daring and dangerous activities on – and beyond – the planet. With topics ranging from stunt performers to space explorers, each spread in these books stands alone so reluctant readers can flip through until something catches their attention. Each book also features glossary words (defined on the pages in which they appear) and a memory game that encourages readers' recall as they are asked to match images to what they've read