RUNWAYS & RACERS

RUNWAYS & RACERS

SPORTS CAR RACES HELD ON MILITARY AIRFIELDS IN AMERICA 1952-1954 by Terry O’Neil As the name of the book suggests, this was always going to appeal to a select few and not perhaps to a wider general audience. However, the attention to detail and background knowledge of these

early race reports from the vast often operational airfields means there is much to learn about the early days of closed-circuit racing across America.

Following the road-racing birth of motor sport and its associated dangers, the renowned Sports Car Club of America went into a partnership with Strategic Air Command to organise, promote and run sports car racing in a more controlled and safer environment on military bases. Crowds of tens of thousands often attended the events, with keen amateur racers going head-to-head with professionals such as Shelby, Fitch and Cunningham. There are comprehensive results tables together with high-quality images, track layout maps and event programmes which really give a flavour of those early days of racing on the wide open runway tracks of America. DC Published by Veloce Publishing, ISBN 978 1 845842 55 0, £35