Page 33 - Yanks reviews

That changed in 1949, when Italian-based Ferrari's general importer, Luigi Chinetti, won Ferrari's first
Ferrari 166MM. From then on, drivers, teams and brands from across the Atlantic have always played a
significant role, such as the Cadillac or Cunningham-Chrysler used by Briggs Cunningham. In 1954, Carroll
https://helgakoenig-automobilbuecher.blogspot.com (Engl. Translation by Google), June 2019 / page 2
Shelby appeared for the first time as driver, who was to intervene in the racing scene at the beginning of the 1960s with his Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupes. Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, Ed Hugus and Masten Gregory were great American drivers who started in Le Mans in the 1950s
.
In the second volume Considine documented the years 1960 to 1969. That was the great time of Americans in Le Mans. Already at the beginning of this decade impressed the mighty Chevrolet Corvette of Briggs Cunningham and the Maserati "Birdcage" of the Camoradi team and of course the numerous Ferrari GT of the North American Racing Team (NART) of Luigi Chinetti. 1963 were the first time a Shelby Cobra and an AC Cobra Ford among the participants. Henry Ford II was extremely angry after the deal with Enzo Ferrari had broken up, and he wanted to leave no stone unturned to beat the victorious Italians at Le Mans. With a hitherto unknown effort Ford put a program on its feet, which led from 1966 almost inevitably to success - from the GT 40 on the Mk.II to Mk.IV. Almost all of America's rank and file riders came to the Sarthe, both in Ford's teams and in other teams: Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti, Phil Hill, AJ Foyt, Richie Ginther, Masten Gregory, Mark Donohue, and Bob Bondurant , Was the Ford factory team victorious in 1966 and 1967, the GT 40 of the John Wyer team led the winning streak even after the withdrawal of the factory in 1968 and 1969 continued.
The following era of 1970, which is the subject of the third volume, was marked by the victories of Porsche and Matra. Nevertheless, the presence of American participants remained remarkable. In particular, the numerous missions of the North American Racing Team - first with the beautiful Ferrari 512S and 512M, later the hardly less impressive Ferrari 365 GTB / 4 Daytona - must be highlighted here. A highlight was undoubtedly the 1971 Ferrari 512M launched by Roger Penske in the attractive blue-and-yellow Sunoco livery with drivers Mark Donohue and David Hobbs. In addition, from the American point of view, several privately used Chevrolet Corvettes were used.
The author describes the racing teams of the American teams, vehicles and drivers in chronological order.He describes the racing strategies, the internal team processes and also gives numerous background stories. Not only Considine's detailed knowledge and his outstanding expertise come to fruition, but also, to an unusually extensive extent, actual quotes of those directly involved in the races. Here it becomes clear the years of in-depth research into this work. Many of the cited protagonists have died in the meantime; this does not change the authenticity of their captivating depictions. Each of the race reports ends with a detailed race result,
Each of the three volumes ends with several appendixes: from a very detailed bibliography to quotes reproduced by the author on a chronological ordered list of participants to a success statistics of American racers. A list of the results of the vehicles and an index divided into vehicles, persons and teams complete this part of the books. So there is really no question about the topic unanswered.
The foreword is written by Dan Gurney, the great American racing driver who died in 2018 and who, without exaggeration, can be described as an icon of motorsport. Not only is Gurney's personal relationship to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but also the fact that more than 300 American racers have participated in the French endurance race so far.
The inspiring illustration of the book with around 900 photographs is in no way inferior to the outstanding text. As with any band about the history of car racing, you have to take into account that the photos are from times when you were a long way from today's sports photography opportunities. But especially the old pictures, partly black and white, are a source of joy and give the reader an excellent impression of the motorsports of earlier times. Most of the pictures are in large to double-sided format and, with their brilliant motif selection, put the viewer virtually in the action on and at the French racetrack. A particular merit of the publishers is that they have used images from very different archives.
The three volumes are protected by a sturdy slipcase and are first-class processed. The cover in a slightly rubbery lamination is unusual, but should be very easy to maintain. The quality of the paper and the reproduction of text and photos also does not raise any criticism.
No doubt about 400 € for a motor sports book a handsome price; However, in view of what is required, this appears to be appropriate in every respect. There is really only one question: Why does this chronology end in 1979? Well, according to current findings, there are four more volumes planned for the period from 1980 to 2017 - hopefully we will not have to wait too long for their release.
Thomas Nehlert
Twice Around the Clock - The Yanks at Le Mans - 1923- 1979