British motor racing fans are a fortunate bunch. For such a small island we have an amazing amount of racing and an impressive number of tracks. But all that is nothing compared to the scores of circuits and venues that have come and gone since the dawn of the sport.
For the first time ever, Motorsport Explorer has catalogued all known venues – past and present – that have played host to circuit racing, hillcimbs and sprints since the turn of the last century.
There are over 800 entries contained within. From well-known favourites like Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Brooklands to the more obscure roads and lanes in the Cotswolds, Chilterns and Pennines that were once the sites of hillclimbs and speed trails featuring the finest drivers of their day.
Each entry includes directions – with Ordnance Survey grid references, should you wish to visit – along with operational dates and a narrative of major events, including records set, drivers and personalities involved as well as the vehicles used.
Author Julian Hunt goes into an impressive amount of detail when describing the significance of each location and, with information relatively sparse given the informal nature of many events, it is easy to see why Motorsport Expolorer took a decade to produce.
Such dedication and painstaking research on a topic that has never been tacked before – and probably never will again – should be rewarded.
So go buy it. Even if you have only the faintest interest in Britain’s motor racing heritage.
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Product information
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: J H Haynes & Co Ltd (2 Aug 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1844256340
ISBN-13: 978-1844256341
R.R.P: £35.00 / $56.95
