From Brands Hatch to Indianapolis
By Tommaso Tommasi
Photography by David Phipps
Published by Hamlyn, 1974
ISBN: 0 600 33557 7
Review by Neil Tipton
Although long out of print and not that easy to find, From Brands Hatch to Indianapolis is invaluable window into the motor racing world as it existed in the early 1970s.
In many ways a forerunner to Joe Saward's later World Atlas, this hardback tome includes a good smattering of international circuits, with a neat section at the back with a round-up of other tracks, complete with well-drawn track maps.
The focus of attention is on 10 of the top tracks of the day, with the history of each recounted in some detail by Tommasi, an accomplished Italian journalist. And while this is a translation of the original work Da Monza A Indianapolis, it is carried out to a high degree.
Tommasi explains that his choices of tracks were designed to showcase the variety of circuits available - which means that some people's favourites may have been overlooked. Nevertheless, classics such as the Nürburgring, Le Mans, Spa, Kyalami and Monza all make it, alongside Buenos Aires, Watkins Glen, Indianapolis, Monaco and Brands Hatch (of course!).
Besides the detailed histories, one of the joys of the book is the lap guides provided by a host of top names from the day. Emerson Fittipaldi takes us through the curves of Brands Hatch, Graham Hill gives a masterclass on Monaco, Jacky Ickx explains some of his tricks to lapping the Nürburgring. Sadly, Hill and fellow track guides François Cévert, Ronnie Peterson and Pete Revson would fail to see the decade out - indded Cévert and Revson did not live to see the book first published.
Allied to the aces' words are racer's eye views of the track, bolstered by some interesting trackside and paddock photographs which effectively capture the atmosphere of 1970s racing.
Less successful are some of the artwork illustrations, which appear as rough watercolours at best and do nothing more than take up space which could have better been used for additional tracks or photographs. The same goes of the section on the major race winners from the 10 circuits, with simplistic line drawings of the winning cars. Again, this seems a little off topic and unneccesary.
Overall, the book is worth a look if you can find a copy - second-hand book sellers will be the only option here. And the final words should go to Juan Manuel Fangio, who contributes to the foreward. "I consider that it was a brilliant idea to publish an illustrated book on the great racing circuits of the world, since tracks have often been left in the shade while all the attention was focussed on racing drivers and their machines," says the maestro. Hear, hear say us!
