Racing Books

I bought this for my daughter when she was only two or three years old and my wife and I read it to her at many many bedtimes. She made us give names of friends and family to each rider and she would make herself the winner most of the time. Young kids will love to hear and learn to read with this book

This story seems to be about a simple bicycle race; butit'sdeeper than that. This story exemplifies the power of endurance.A race where all contestants are riding bicycles. Fair enough exceptone of the contestants has to stop to fix their bike. They don't just fix the bike and return to the beginning of the race giving up; but they instead continue in the race not only to finish -that was an encouragement in itself-but to go on to win really says a lot. This is an excelent story to encourage our youth to continue on no matter what problem you can not only make it but be successful. This story says don't go on trying to just finish your course. Instead acknowledge that you have a problem, handle it and move on to obtain your prize. We all no the the saying that derived from the scriptures about how the race isn't given to the swift nor the battle to the strong but to he that endureth till the end. This book, again, tells me that I don't only get to finish the race but I can be a winner in the race. To God be the Glory!

I'm originally from Alabama and have to admit that I've been to my share of Talladega races! I bought these books for the kids, but I ended up reading them as well. I feel like I'm right there at the track, sitting in the stands, feeling the excitement, the roar of the crowd, the smell of burning rubber ... The kids absolutely love the action packed adventure. Reading along with the kids gives me the opportunity to open a much needed dialogue with them about the many different worldly and spiritual topics discussed in the books. When I know the kids are reading books by this author, I know they're in good hands! Check out this author's Red Rock Mysteries series as well.

All I really wanted to do was read a few chapters of Blind Spot by Chris Fabry so I'd be able to describe the book to the kids I'm giving copies to because they love NASCAR.

Something went awry. I kept reading (29 chapters the first evening) trying to find a point where there wasn't much action, so that I could put the book down quietly and go about my business. That point never came, so I stopped reading until the following evening when I finished it. I enjoyed every character, event, twist and turn.

Now, either my reading level fits perfectly into the range of the target audience (young adults), the writing is far beyond the intended reader, or the story is crafted so that people of all ages can enjoy it. I'm not, as they say, "the brightest bulb on the string," but I think Blind Spot offers enough excitement, character development and escape for young and old, although it's best for the kids.

I expect I'll have to explain a couple of acronyms (MANS and MRN, for example) to my family that they might not already know, but Chris Fabry has done a fine job of inducting us into the world of NASCAR and those who long to race...and win.

The final chapter should have been titled "Buy the Next Book," because that's what you'll want to do when you finish volume one in what promises to be another successful series from a man who is a master of morality plays, Chris Fabry.

I used to read this book over and over to my son, now a freshman at Yale. It is full of wry wit and splendid imagination. I often thought someone could make a fortune merchandising all the bear characters as stuffed animals.

Blue Bear's Race is one of my 3 1/2 year-old's favorite stories. We've been reading it for a year. She enjoys the excitement as the bears fly in the air and land on their respective hat and nose, resulting in a trip to a hospital. You'll find child-pleasing tidbits like "Put out that cigarette!" and the surgeon's cold paws. The artwork is as clever as the story-telling, drawn at imaginative angles such as a view over a car passing in the rain through the window at the two bears arguing inside. A pleasure for the parent, too, with its wry humor. I think of the first part as a story of consequences for irresponsible behavior, and the second part as a "prodigal son" type story as the bear friends and bear medical people nurse the injured bears back to health. I also liked the opportunity to give her a child's-eye view of a hospital and its workings.

for all cycling fanatics who want to read portions of bob's racing diary. fyi, this book is not to be confused with anything john wilcockson has written :)

Words cannot capture the drama, the funniness, the insanity, the rambling rants, the verisimilitude of the live race descriptions, and that certain 'je-ne-sais-quoi' of Bob Roll's cycling book. It is a peculiar and interesting place, that region or landscape where the demented mind of Bob Roll inhabits and calls itself home. I am sure I don't want to live there, but a visit is well worth the price of admission.
Yes, he is the real deal. Rode the Tour de France with Lemond. The Giro with Andy Hampsten. Helped Andy win the Giro d'Italia in probably the most epic stage ever of any Grand Tour when Hampsten claims the lead of the race in a freak snowstorm over the tallest mountains in Italy, aided by his trusty leftenant-one certain Bob Roll-who brought warm drink and clothing up to his leader to assist him win the stage and the Giro. (Many riders crawled off their bikes, weeping in pain and the knowledge they would never even finish the stage, much less the race. ) Not so Mr. Roll-- in helping his teammate win, Mr. Roll of course suffered hypothermia, frostbite, and literally had to have his heart jumped when the freezing temperatures plummeted his pulse to a mere 20 or 30 beats per minute.
Oh yeah, he was also the person Lance Armstrong called when, during his comeback post-cancer, Lance wanted a good training partner and colleague to go to Boone, North Carolina to exorcise his demons and return to the bike. Hundreds of cycling miles in N.C. and laughter and tall tales at night, courtesy of Mr. Roll...
We all know what happened next.
But to those of us who want to know more about Sancho Panza (Bob Roll) than Don Quixote (Greg, Andy, or Lance) please consider this. True heroics often hide themselves in others' glory. His demented humor belies a fine intellect and a warped and twisted view of life that makes sanity appear disgusting, I want to know this man. For now, the best I can do is read his book and follow his peregrinations across the desert of media cycling hype.
Don't expect to do anything but laugh and cry when you read this piece of culture clash, as if you were at a cocktail party with Hunter Thompson meets Bernard Hinault. You'll wish you too had gotten lost in a New Mexico snowstorm and had the wit to tell it as yet one more brush with the eternal masquerading as sheer chance. As if.
Roll on. Ride like the wind signor!!!

I am about half way through reading this book. It is a masterpiece. This is one of the finest books ever written on a motor sport subject. From family backgrounds of the important characters in the story, through a description of comfortable, middle-class, life in Britain in the late 19th and early 20th century, the book goes on to describe Raymond Mays driving career, leading into the story of ERA cars. All this is, of course, just the background to the formation of BRM. The design, construction, development and competition career of the BRM V16 cars is described in great detail. All these aspects of this car were such troubled experiences, dealt with in an absorbing and entertaining way, the account interspersed at regular intervals with lighter moments which occured around the endless problem solving. I know the remainder of this book, dealing with the later front engined cars of the 1950's will continue at this high standard.
I am unable to say that this is the finest motor sport book ever written, as I also have, waiting on my bookshelves, Volumes 2 and 3 of the BRM story, which I know will give the same high level of reading pleasure. And I cannot wait for the [final] 4th volume to be published to complete this mammoth work.

From the pre-WWII beginnings with ERA cars, Doug Nye traces the development of the enigmatic and sometimes successful BRM racing cars. Starting with the incredible 1.5 liter V-16 of the early 50's to the 2.5 liter 4 cylinder cars that followed, Mr. Nye produces an accurate and well refrenced account of the behind-the-scenes effort along with a detailed run-down of each competitive event that BRM entered during the "front-engine" period. We are treated to many first-hand accounts from Mr. Tony Rudd who joined the team during the early days as a develoment engineer. Of special interest are his descriptions of the many technical investigations into the failures of the early V-16 engine, and the theoritical and experimental efforts to understand handling and braking problems during a period when much of the engineering was "seat-of-the-pants". This book is very worthwhile for the avid BRM watcher, and I eagerly await the second volume. In fact, if anyone knows the publication date of the next volume, please let me know

Without a doubt the best book out there about the subject it covers, building and detailing model stock cars. I have some models that would not exist were it not for the ideas I got from this book. Admittedly, some models have come out on the market since its publication to make some of the tasks easier by kit bashing instead of scratch building, but I feel it still remains the standard by which others will be measured for the subject it covers.

Bill Coulter is a master at building great stock car models and his book show it. This book is a must have for anybody who loves to build stock car models of all eras, the intructions are very clear and accurate along with great photos's and illustrations it makes it easy and fun to build stock car models.

Burnin' Rubber, as the subtitle explains, goes "behind the scenes in sock car racing." After writing over 100 books for young readers, I expected that George Sullivan would know exactly what interests the reader and just how to present the subject. I was right; he does. About 8,000 words, the book is just the right length, taking the reader not only around the track but into the pits, with the drivers and their teams. Two dozen colorful photos, seven (mostly of drivers) by Sullivan himself, seem to capture the action, sound and smell of burnin' rubber. The boys I saw reading it supplied the appropriate noise for narly every photo. Just as they enjoyed Sullivan's books on Indy cars and monster trucks, they are now loving this book also. It is the next best thing to actually being at the track.

DW donwigal@ix.netcom.com

Burnin' Rubber, as the subtitle explains, goes "behind the scenes in stock car racing." After writing over 100 books for young readers, George Sullivan certainly knows exactly what interests the reader and just how to present the subject. About 8,000 words, the book is just the right length, taking the reader not only around the track but into the pits, with the drivers and their teams. More than two dozen colorful photos, seven by Sullivan himself, capture the action, sound and smell of burnin' rubber. The boys I saw reading it supplied the appropriate noise for nearly every photo. Just as they enjoyed Sullivan's books on Indy cars and monster trucks, they are now loving this book also. It is the next best thing to actulaly being at the track. The color photos of the jacket are repeated on the child-resistant hard cover.

anyone who likes watching equestrian events, from the 'high life' of polo to the down and dirty racing action of a steeplechase in the country, should own a copy of capitol horse country. it's a guide of events around the capitol area, washington, maryland and virginia. you'll find out what to wear, what to bring, and most importantly, what to expect when you spend an enjoyable afternoon watching a top notch equestrian event. it's a must have book if you live in the capitol area....or if you love horses. the history is also fascinating. if you like this title, the author also wrote 'equal to the challenge' about the pioneering women in horse sports. give it to a young girl or woman and inspire them to reach new heights. great author and fascinating subjects.

anyone who likes watching equestrian events, from the 'high life' of polo to the down and dirty racing action of a steeplechase in the country, should own a copy of capitol horse country. it's a guide of events around the capitol area, washington, maryland and virginia. you'll find out what to wear, what to bring, and most importantly, what to expect when you spend an enjoyable afternoon watching a top notch equestrian event. it's a must have book if you live in the capitol area....or if you love horses. the history is also fascinating. if you like this title, the author also wrote 'equal to the challenge' about the pioneering women in horse sports. give it to a young girl or woman and inspire them to reach new heights. great author and fascinating subjects.

This is the best book on ski technique and instruction I have ever seen! Very easy to understand, and just as easy to put into practice! It is as simple as that - 'practice'. In no time, you will realize an improvement in your skiing! Just as I did! And the feeling is great - just fantastic! I am sure you will feel as appreciative as I do of this book and author!!

First of all, I strongly recommend you find the video version. When you see the techniques in real time and stop motion, you will get much more from the instruction. Al Hobart has a great system that can taking a person with zero skiing experience into an accomplished carver in just a few days of practice. With even more practice, you can go as far as your physical ability will take you. Al's methods of moving the center of gravity of your upper body seems odd at first, but it is the best way to make the most of getting on your edge. The steps to progress from a snowplow stance to skiing tight turns at speed is right on the mark. Al has trained many professional skiers with this method and it works. I've seen many skiers going down the slopes without bending their carving skis, but if they followed Al's training, they would be bending and therefore carving tighter turns. Certainly they would be having a lot more fun with greater confidence and control with Al's method. I was a struggling beginner, but with good equipment and Al's instruction, I went from a clumsy beginner to an adept intermediate skier in a weekend.

Not only eay to read and understand, but very easy to put into practice no matter what level of skier you are! Very well written. I have seen and read alot of books/articles, etc. on ski technique - and I would definitely rate this the best! A 'must have' book for every skiers' library! There is also a video available - just great - which I highly recommend! It opened up a new world of skiing for me! Wow!

This is the first book to clearly explain how World Cup racers carve the turns necessary to compete. The book clearly describes how to position your hips and torso to carve and stop skidding.
The anatomical detail of angulation matches the theory of skiing described by Howe in Skiing Mechanics.

The book also describes a series of drills to help learn the proper angulation. These are a good way to ease into proper form.