Page 64 - Yanks reviews

AutoMobilia Resource, Jan-Mar 2020 / page 1
BOOKS
TWICE AROUND THE CLOCK THE YANKS AT LE MANS, 1923-1979
Great books start with great concepts. In Twice Around The Clock, The Yanks at Le Mans, by Tim Considine, he chose to not just list American history at Le Mans but to personalize it, which makes his book a suc- cess. Three volumes, 1100 pages, and 925 photos cover every American car, driver (300 or so), team, and engine that raced at Le Sarthe from 1923 through 1979. Re- sults appear, but more importantly–for the reader, not just the researcher–they are enlivened by fascinating first-person an- ecdotes gleaned from personal interviews and communications. These behind-the- scenes accounts enliven the book.
Based far away,
American competi-
tors faced logistical
challenges. Equally,
European writers
find U.S. research
difficult, so it took
an American to write
this book. In more ways than one, Con- sidine was close to his subjects. Thank- fully he began interviewing 29 years ago, before we lost such characters as Zora Arkus-Duntov, Briggs Cunningham, John Fitch, Dan Gurney, Phil Hill, Ed Hugus, Bruce Kessler, Pete Lovely, Denise McClug-
gage, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Carroll Shelby, and Phil Walters. All these heroes contributed stories for this book, many of which you’ve never heard before.
While driving a Ferrari facto- ry entry in 1959, Dan Gurney, who wrote the foreword, reflected, “I remember thinking, ‘Jeez, two years ago, I was only reading about Le Mans, and now I’m leading the race!’”
In 1958, Bruce Kessler, who had stashed a bag of fried chicken in his sweater in case he got stuck out on the track, was hurt and taken to hospital. When the nuns unzipped his sweater, they were aghast at the gory mess on his chest. Kessler says, “...I realized what they were looking at, so I picked up some chicken and took a bite. That didn’t go over very well...”
Cunningham fans will enjoy read- ing of how the team armada orga- nized its first Le Mans race, in 1950. “Hemp” Oliver’s great photos show
how the damaged “Le
Monstre” was repaired in time
for the start. Briggs’ ebullience and focus are revealed in words and images.
Besides ground-pounding Corvettes, the 1960s brought more American teams and drivers. Sam Posey tells how he and Chuck Parsons adapted to their French hotel: “Every morning, at 5 AM, we would arise, lift our suitcases onto the beds, and wait. ‘Long after we’ve forgotten what happens in this race,’ Charlie said philo- sophically, ‘we’ll always remember sitting here, before dawn, watching the bidet overflow.’”
In the pre-dawn hours in 1965, did Ed Hugus really covertly co-drive NART’s winning Masten Gregory / Jochen Rindt
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By: Frank Barrett
Frank Barrett has collected books since 1951 and in 1978 began selling Porsche titles and out-of- print books. For 25 years he was editor/publisher of The Star, magazine of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America, and on the board of The Colorado Grand. He’s written two books: The Illus- trated Mercedes-Benz Buyer’s Guide and Shelby Cars in Detail, and edited 30+ others. Living in Boulder, Colorado, he serves on the board of Auto-Archives and drives a Porsche, an Alfa Romeo, a Mercedes-Benz, and a Citroen 2CV. To help Frank reduce the size of his library, go to ToadHallMotorbooks.com