Rapid Response: My Inside Story as a Motor Racing Life-Saver [Paperback]

Dr. Stephen Olvey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2010

Now available in paperback. This is the compelling story of the author's life in motor racing, providing fascinating insight into crashes involving many famous racers and circuits. The book begins with Alex Zanardi's crash in Germany in 2001, and from there the author reflects on his career with many tragic, funny, interesting stories.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Road and Track, May 2007

“Dr. Stephen Olvey, along with Dr. Terry Trammel saved Alex Zanardi’s life at the Lausitzring in 2001 and the gripping account at the start of Rapid Response is reason enough to buy this book.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Road Record (UK), Aug. 25, 2006

“A fascinating insight into motorsport safety.”

Speedtv.com, November 2006

“Before you even open Rapid Response I defy you to put it down … Olvey is a gifted writer, but he doesn’t take himself too seriously … Rapid Response gets my highest rating…5 out of 5 lug nuts.”

Saturday Star (CAN), Dec. 9, 2006

“The coming year’s best-seller in motorsports books is bound to be Rapid Response.”

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Book Description

Now available in paperback. This is the compelling story of the author's life in motor racing, providing fascinating insight into crashes involving many famous racers and circuits. The book begins with Alex Zanardi's crash in Germany in 2001, and from there the author reflects on his career with many tragic, funny, interesting stories.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Haynes Publishing; Reprint edition (September 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 184425982X
• ISBN-13: 978-1844259823
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #723,972 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book for open wheel race fanatics.., January 9, 2007

By 

A. Armitage (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rapid Response: My inside story as a motor racing life-saver (Hardcover)

Dr Steve Olvey has done a wonderful job at putting us behind the sceens in a place only a few ever know about. This is not a book for the faint of heart, it tells it like it is. The men and women who are first response and emergency meds are to be commended for the amazing work they do. Many owe their lives to the Rapid Response they have received, and the fans owe a debt of gratitude for keeping our heroes of the race racing another day.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars shared history, March 8, 2007

By 

Lori Lovely (Indianapolis) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rapid Response: My inside story as a motor racing life-saver (Hardcover)

Dr. Stephen Olvey served as Championship Auto Racing Teams' medical director from 1979 to 2003. This very moving memoir of his years leading the charge for motor sports safety in the series at the pinnacle of open wheel racing in America recaptures an exciting era in the development of technology, both in motor racing and in sports medicine. With professionalism, sincerity, empathy and humor, Olvey recounts the challenges, rewards and devastating losses of forwarding safety in the sport.

On a personal note, I have had the distinct honor of knowing Olvey during most of his tenure with CART, and have heard many of these stories directly from him and Dr. Trammel. Many of the people he writes about are friends of mine and I was present during most of the racing accidents he describes (and several he doesn't mention). For me, it is a bittersweet reminder of the history of my own life in motor sports.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent insight into the high pressure world of racing, February 12, 2007

By 

Matthew A. Snyder "tifosi77" (San Pedro, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rapid Response: My inside story as a motor racing life-saver (Hardcover)

Dr. Olvey is world-renowned in the racing community, and with good reason. Dozens of racing drivers across the globe owe their lives directly to his work, as in the case of Alex Zanardi, as well as indirectly in the cases of the thousands of racers who have benefited from Dr. Olvey's research. He truly is a special human. I had the pleasure of being given a tour of the CART Medical Unit by Dr. Olvey during the Laguna Seca race weekend in 2003, and he is a genuine person, without pretense. The only thing that I found somewhat odd about "Rapid Response" was the somewhat hyperbolic writing style... seems as if everything has exclamation marks as punctuation. Elaine Benes would not approve, but that's beside the point. This is an utterly minor quibble, and does not detract from the engaging and often sobering stories he tells. Consider this a must-read for any racing fan, even if you never followed CART or Indy Car racing. Great stuff.