To Finish First: My years inside Formula One, Can-Am and Indy 500 racing with Cooper, Brabham and McLaren [Hardcover]

Phil Kerr (Author), Jack Brabham (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2008

This book fills an important gap in the history of top-level motor racing during the historic era of the 1960s and 70s. The author was at the center of it all, first as Sir Jack Brabham's right-hand man during his leadership of the Cooper team, and later when he formed his own Brabham Racing Organization. Subsequently, when Phil Kerr joined his great friend Bruce McLaren, to become joint managing director of an ever expanding company, which was to achieve unrivalled success in Can-Am racing as well as being at the forefront of Formula One, he and his colleagues had to cope with the tragedy of the founder's untimely death while testing a Can-Am car at Goodwood. The author's description of how the shattered team was saved and ultimately restored by the bravery of Bruce's co-driver Denny Hulme, already sidelined by agonizing burns to his hands, is a poignant highlight of his story. Includes a balanced mix of racing and off-duty pictures, many being seen for the first time and 15 reproductions of paintings by the renowned artist Michael Turner.

Editorial Reviews

Review

To finish first - first you have to finish' - this was the motto of Bruce McLaren, who established a Formula 1 team, which is one of the most successful one these days. Phil Kerr, McLaren's life-long friend chose the first part of this very apt sentence to be the title of his book. The author had started his carrier as a racing driver, just like McLaren, but later found his place in motor sports as a team manager. Thanks to that, he is supplying first hand information to the readers which is not at all common in other motor racing books. His memory is sharp as a razor and not only tells the readers what happened but also explains why. This excellent book was published by Motor Racing Publications Ltd and distributed by Vine House Distribution Ltd.

Book Description

Written by a life-long friend of Sir Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren reveals the inside stories behind the successes and tragedies, the deals and disasters, of the Cooper, Brabham and McLaren teams during the 1960s and 70s, a period widely recognized today as the golden years of international motor racing.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: MRP; First Edition edition (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1899870814
• ISBN-13: 978-1899870813
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,363,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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