Customer Reviews

The Bahamas Speed Weeks

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An insightful look at this historical venue of
sports car racing that attracted the world's best drivers including Donohue, Penske, Grossman, Posey, Revson, Rodriguez, Foyt, Hansgen, P Hill, A Pabst, Surtees, Ginther, Gurney, and Morgan.
Detailed race results from 1961-1967 in each class with many B&W and color photos, many never before published.
A must have book if you love this golden era of sports car racing.

Strictly for the die-hard race fan. A nostalgic look back at the "vacation" racing from a bygone era. I am amazed at the amount of historical items that the author saved from the time period. All the class results and entry lists are there as well. I only wish I could have been there for one of the weekends.

My first experience in the Sports Car Racing world was at Lime Rock in 1959 helping a friend with a Volvo P544 slope back coupe. I was 16 and had no idea how I would get caught up in the fun of Sports Car racing. By 1964, I had moved to California and enjoyed Riverside and Laguna Seca.

This is one of the most honest books about the 1955-1967 era of Road Racing Sports Cars any where. Each chapter covers every year from 1954 thru 1966. Denise McCluggage presents the forward. And Terry O'Neil tells the story with amazing accuracy that allows one to re-live the time. As he says, "For those few lucky enought to be invited to compete, it was an experience of a lifetime" Thanks for sharing the story Terry.

This is the first and to date only book to chronicle an event whose importance on the motorsports calendar is difficult to peg. It was a serious racing series inasmuch as it attracted all the big names of the day but people came to party just as much as they came to race, especially in the early years. O'Neil's primary challenge, then, was to do some major house-keeping and gather the data from whatever sources could be found (mostly newspapers and magazines), weeding out discrepancies, and filling in some of the gaps through interviews with participants. While he is quick to point out that he is the first to be frustrated by not being able to reconstitute a complete set of race results, the gaps affect mainly only the minor races. Almost half the book is consumed with tables, all in a uniform and basic format, covering the sometimes 15 and more races in any one year and including karting, motorcycle, and speedboat events.

The story is told in chronological order from 1954-1966, with closing chapters on the 1967 International Formula Vee Grand Prix and a mini history of the BRSSC. Throughout there is a vast amount of b/w and color photos and supporting material such as maps, program covers, trophies, badges, posters, newspaper clippings, entry lists, drivers' autographs, and invitations. Much of the material is here published for the first time.

Full review at <speedreaders.info>. Copyright 2010, Sabu Advani