Autodrome: The Lost Circuits of Europe
By S.S. Collins
Photography by Gavin D. Ireland
Published by Veloce Publishing, 2005
ISBN: 1-904788-31-9
Review by Neil Tipton
Anyone familiar with Motor Sport magazine's 'Track Tests' series will instantly understand the thinking behind this book. A tour of some of the 'lost' circuits of Europe, it compares nine venues in their heyday to what now remains.
In many ways this should be a sad book - the sulking remains of formerly great circuits laid bare in all their current distress and misery. However, the skillful photography of Gavin Ireland ensures this is a nostalgic and evocative look at the past, helping spark the imagination with memories of past glories.
Circuits such as Brooklands, Reims and Monza are included, as are slightly less well-known venues such as Keimola and the orginal Brno course. That said, it seems a shame to ignore Rouen and the original Spa-Francorchamps circuit - perhaps though there is a volume two in the offing?
Nevertheless the book has a solid coffee-table feel and is lavishly illustrated throughout. Each time you turn a page new details emerge from the photographs, some of which could probably be candidates for the walls of an art gallery.
Collins' prose does an admirable enough job to back this up - but there is no escape that the photographs will likely be the ultimate reason to purchase the book. A potted history of each track is provided, along with rudimentary track maps, and an account of what lies in store for the modern visitor to each of the tracks.
There are problems - proofing seems to have been a hit-and-miss affair with a variety of typographical errors and the odd textual diagreement: is the combined Nürburgring course 17.5 miles or 19 miles long? Both are suggested, mere lines apart. It is also a shame that more effort wasn't made to contrast the modern photographs with contemporary pictures taken at the same spot. This has been something of a hallmark of the Motor Sport series and is sadly lacking here.
Readers may thus feel drawm towards re-tracing the author's footpaths to see what remains for themselves; a pity then that little in the way of detailed info is given on how to find many of these hidden gems.
Perhaps these are churlish criticisms, however. Overall, the book more than justifies its cover price and is a concept that was long overdue. If nothing else, it ensures that whatever becomes of this 'gang of nine' in the future, they won't be entirely lost to history.
