The Successful Race Car Driver: A Career Development Handbook [Hardcover]

Robert Metcalf (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 279 pages
• Publisher: Society of Automotive Engineers Inc (December 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0768004977
• ISBN-13: 978-0768004977
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,393,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Racing How To Book Ever, April 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Successful Race Car Driver: A Career Development Handbook (Hardcover)

I have been racing most of my life and this book contains information I have never seen in print anywhere else. The other books I have read on this subject tell how to start racing but this one tells you how to get good at it. Metcalf explains everything from from how a driver should prepare himself mentally before going on the track to how sponsorship really works and how to get sponsored. He has chapters on driving, chassis setup, offensive and defensive passing manuevers, selecting the best car and class to race, running a team, planning a championship, physical fittness and more that are each directly related to what a driver must do be be successful. My girlfriend read this book and now she seems to have a better insight into why I race and the things I and all drivers must face. Because of her reaction, I think it is also a very good book for racing enthusiasts to gain a better understanding of what the inside of racing is all about. At first I thought the book to be a little expensive, but after reading it, it is worth every penny. If you are a racing enthusiast, it's the best book you will see on what the pro drivers must deal with on a day to day basis. If you are a racer, buy it and memorize it. It's that good.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Successful race car driver, April 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Successful Race Car Driver: A Career Development Handbook (Hardcover)

Over 20+ years of being an enthusiast/racer, i've read pretty much every book on this subject i could get my hands on. This book is the most real world guide to racing i've seen yet. this book should serve to inform an aspiring driver what to expect and possibly remove some of the misconceptions that so many enter motorsports with. I could have used this book 20 years ago. ----------------------------------------- JBL

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Successful Racecar Driver, August 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Successful Race Car Driver: A Career Development Handbook (Hardcover)

Altho' not even an aspiring racecar driver, I read Metcalf's book, so I am approaching it with a "street car" mentality. With the first page of this book, he piqued my interest with his innovative approach to a disclaimer. His approach to racing is experienced, educated, informative and, as as added bonus, entertaining, with an understanding of to whom he is speaking -- you as the reader -- and you as a driver. It IS a very technical book on the art of race car driving. However, even readers like me can glean both an understanding of the race track with all its finer points, and some helpful hints on driving busy or clogged interstates, deduced from his knowlegable and insightive writing. I understand he has a novel in the works.