Tasman Cup book now available

[Ray Bell]

I trust it's okay to mention this in this blatantly commercial way, though I have no pecuniary interest in the book myself...

Tony Loxley, whose Full Throttle Publishing produced F5000 Thunder has his newest book about to be available for shipping. He has advance copies in hand and he tells me two weeks should see the bulk shipment through Customs etc.

The book is...



This series ranked second only to the World Championship in the FIA's listings in the sixties, it ran from 1964 to 1975 and finally Tony Loxley has managed to complete the work with almost 500 pages, perhaps 1,000 photographs (everybody lost count!), inclusions from all sorts of people:



Including, unfortunately, writings from three people who died before the publication date... Eoin Young, Sir Jack Brabham and...



...while Peter Windsor's Frank Matich chapter was based largely on interviews before Frank's death.

Peter also wrote about the driver he, and many others, loved most:



Among the many who wrote of their own experiences competing in the series was...



...while both sides of the Tasman Sea and both the 2.5-litre and the F5000 eras are fully covered...



Not race by race, but by representing the memories of the highlights and the low moments through the lenses of top photographers and the writings of competitors, photographers, writers and others.

The book doesn't neglect the lesser competitors nor does it forget the achievements of the locals who dared to challenge the International drivers who came here hoping to clean up. Nor even those who were simply racing for their own enjoyment and thus making up the numbers.

My personal contribution is about just one race. But that race was outstandingly the best race I ever saw, it was loaded with speed, slipstreaming battles with passing and repassing, heroic acts, disappointment and, unfortunately, tragedy and death. It was a race that saw the lap record fall time after time, the race record eclipse the previous lap record and through it all the irony of the star of that race having his last openwheeler race of his career.

Advance orders are building with the publishers and also some of the bookshops. At under $A100 a copy, it is tremendous value too. And if you missed out on buying the F5000 Thunder book three years ago there will be a package deal with a discount attached.

New Zealand distribution has been organised, but advance orders direct can be made by contacting Laura - sales@printciplesource.com.au