I just re-read Sam Moses' book on his two year odyssey on the brink of madness in road racing back in the 1980s. There are a lot of how-to books on road racing, but this one details how much he went through trying to land a ride, finally succeeded, his mechanical woes, the constant search for money and sponsors, and his limited success in road racing.
When I first read it, back in 19-ought-87 (in the previous century), I could not relate to it very well. Having done a smattering of road racing now, what he says makes much more sense.
One of the most satisfying chapters was about an event at Road America, where a 2:40 lap was in the middle of the grid. I (ahem) also turned a 2:40 at Road America on a damp track and realized that, although we don't have 600 hp on tap, our cars brake and handle much better than those stock cars did 20 years ago. It's possible that, with a set of Hoosiers and a dry track, a DSM could set the same time (2:30) as the pole-sitter did 20 years ago. It's an interesting perspective, anyway. OTOH, stock cars haven't changed much in 20 years.
If you can find a copy of "Fast Guys, Rich Guys and Idiots: A Racing Odyssey on the Border of Obsession" by Sam Moses at a used book store, I highly recommend it, especially for those of you who have actually done some racing. It helped me understand the Red Mist a little better, and made me realize that some of the really dumb things I've done on (and off) a track weren't so dumb after all. It was just racin'.
It's been out of print for a long time, and I found seven copies at ADDALL (
http://used.addall.com/ ) for prices ranging from $150 to $503. With luck, you might find a copy on EBay from some idiot who doesn't realize what he has.
Can anyone think of any other racing books that talk about the real world of road racing? I don't mean reflections from a top driver, but someone who had to fight and claw his way up, slept in the back of station wagons, and fought mechanical gremlins every weekend.
Rich
