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Flat Out, Flat Broke: Formula 1 the Hard Way!
Perry McCarthy decided at the age of 18 that he wanted to reach the top in the world's most expensive sport This is his autobiography.
Hardcover
First published September 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 23, 2015
Hands up if you ever wanted to be a racing driver when you were younger? Or even if you still harbour dreams of being one? I know I certainly did. It didn't matter to me whether I was racing in rallying, Touring Cars or in Formula 1; I just wanted to be paid for driving very fast. There was a spell in my younger years where I even had a vague ambition of being a motorway policeman, for much the same reason.
Perry McCarthy had the same dream. His childhood certainly prepared him for the world of being a racing driver, as he had a daredevil streak and an eye for the ladies, even at the age of six. But this would be as close as he came to fulfilling his dream until he was 18 and had a session at Brands Hatch which proved him to be a natural driver.
From here on, Perry's life becomes a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Motor racing is an expensive sport and he spends a lot of his time trying to get the money to be a racing driver and a lot of money trying to win races and get into Formula 1. He experiences successes and failures, winning races and losing his home and obtains national press coverage early in his career, but only thanks to a spectacular crash which left him with a broken back. But he never gives up on his dream.
McCarthy is clearly a bit of a nutter, but he's a very likeable one. Despite a huge number of set backs, the book is written with a huge dollop of good humour. Even when things are going at their absolute worst, he recounts the tales with a twinkle in his eye that lets on that he was really having a good time. The whole story reads like he's just dashed into the pub with a huge grin and said "You'll never guess what I've just done" and then, when he's talked you into buying him a drink, tells you exactly what that was.
By the end of the book, I was rooting for McCarthy. I had to admire the stubbornness of a man who knew what he wanted and refused to give up on it, despite all the obstacles that were put in his way and despite all the things that went wrong. I loved the way that he keeps smiling and joking even when his dreams and his life were falling apart around him. By the end of the book, I was cheering his wins and disappointed when they lost. But most of all, I was smiling all the way through, as alongside being a decent driver, his ability to make you smile is one of McCarthy's great talents, whether the smiles are at his own expense of someone else's.
This isn't intended as a comedy, but it's a fair bit funnier than many books I have read that were. McCarthy isn't a comedian himself, but he's got more amusing anecdotes than people who are. Despite all the bad luck he had, McCarthy manages to make this a heart warming and uplifting story. It's a tale of what can be achieved if you never give up your dreams and always remain positive.
If you've ever had any interest in motor racing, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It's easily the funniest and quite possibly the best book I have ever read on the sport. Although McCarthy's expressed intention was to get into Formula 1, he has been involved and, more often then not, crashed in most forms of four wheel racing. So whatever your favoured form of motor racing, it may well be featured here. As this has all happened relatively recently as well, many of the names he mentions will be familiar to those who have been a fan of the sport for anything more than a couple of years.
Those who aren't fans of the sport will probably get less enjoyment from the book, although even then there may just be enough laughs to make it worthwhile. But if you know anyone who is a fan, this would make the ideal present for them, as it did for me.
Unlike the sport did to McCarthy, buying the book won't break the bank and for the huge amount of enjoyment any motor racing fan will get from this book, any price would be a good one. It's a book I know I will be reading again and again, as although the story may become stale with constant repetition, the humour never will.
This review may also appear, in whole or in part, under my name at any or all of www.ciao.co.uk, www.thebookbag.co.uk, www.goodreads.com, www.amazon.co.uk and www.dooyoo.co.uk
Perry McCarthy had the same dream. His childhood certainly prepared him for the world of being a racing driver, as he had a daredevil streak and an eye for the ladies, even at the age of six. But this would be as close as he came to fulfilling his dream until he was 18 and had a session at Brands Hatch which proved him to be a natural driver.
From here on, Perry's life becomes a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Motor racing is an expensive sport and he spends a lot of his time trying to get the money to be a racing driver and a lot of money trying to win races and get into Formula 1. He experiences successes and failures, winning races and losing his home and obtains national press coverage early in his career, but only thanks to a spectacular crash which left him with a broken back. But he never gives up on his dream.
McCarthy is clearly a bit of a nutter, but he's a very likeable one. Despite a huge number of set backs, the book is written with a huge dollop of good humour. Even when things are going at their absolute worst, he recounts the tales with a twinkle in his eye that lets on that he was really having a good time. The whole story reads like he's just dashed into the pub with a huge grin and said "You'll never guess what I've just done" and then, when he's talked you into buying him a drink, tells you exactly what that was.
By the end of the book, I was rooting for McCarthy. I had to admire the stubbornness of a man who knew what he wanted and refused to give up on it, despite all the obstacles that were put in his way and despite all the things that went wrong. I loved the way that he keeps smiling and joking even when his dreams and his life were falling apart around him. By the end of the book, I was cheering his wins and disappointed when they lost. But most of all, I was smiling all the way through, as alongside being a decent driver, his ability to make you smile is one of McCarthy's great talents, whether the smiles are at his own expense of someone else's.
This isn't intended as a comedy, but it's a fair bit funnier than many books I have read that were. McCarthy isn't a comedian himself, but he's got more amusing anecdotes than people who are. Despite all the bad luck he had, McCarthy manages to make this a heart warming and uplifting story. It's a tale of what can be achieved if you never give up your dreams and always remain positive.
If you've ever had any interest in motor racing, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It's easily the funniest and quite possibly the best book I have ever read on the sport. Although McCarthy's expressed intention was to get into Formula 1, he has been involved and, more often then not, crashed in most forms of four wheel racing. So whatever your favoured form of motor racing, it may well be featured here. As this has all happened relatively recently as well, many of the names he mentions will be familiar to those who have been a fan of the sport for anything more than a couple of years.
Those who aren't fans of the sport will probably get less enjoyment from the book, although even then there may just be enough laughs to make it worthwhile. But if you know anyone who is a fan, this would make the ideal present for them, as it did for me.
Unlike the sport did to McCarthy, buying the book won't break the bank and for the huge amount of enjoyment any motor racing fan will get from this book, any price would be a good one. It's a book I know I will be reading again and again, as although the story may become stale with constant repetition, the humour never will.
This review may also appear, in whole or in part, under my name at any or all of www.ciao.co.uk, www.thebookbag.co.uk, www.goodreads.com, www.amazon.co.uk and www.dooyoo.co.uk
October 3, 2017
Having worked in Motorsport Flat Out Flat Broke by Perry McCarthy was a biography which spoke a lot of truth to me about what it's really like to chase the dream of becoming a Formula One driver. A story that is usually ignored in favour of the hero worship of the greats that make it all the way to being crown multiple world champions but one that is always going on in the background.
Most people don't realise what it takes to make it into Formula One (as I write this the current estimate is between £6,000,000 and £7,000,000). The personal sacrifice is just as great. Flat Out Flat Broke does a great job of telling that story, not to mention being extremely funny in the process. This is a book that made me laugh far more then even some of the best quality comedies. If you work in any masacline industry then you'll get the sense of humour and wit that this book is written in.
Perry McCarthy is statistically the least successful Formula One driver there has ever been but that adds to his lovability. I read a lot of biographies and this is one of the few where I actually liked the subject more then I did before reading their life story. Flat Out Flat Broke is the gold standard for showing what life in the fast-lane is really all about.
Most people don't realise what it takes to make it into Formula One (as I write this the current estimate is between £6,000,000 and £7,000,000). The personal sacrifice is just as great. Flat Out Flat Broke does a great job of telling that story, not to mention being extremely funny in the process. This is a book that made me laugh far more then even some of the best quality comedies. If you work in any masacline industry then you'll get the sense of humour and wit that this book is written in.
Perry McCarthy is statistically the least successful Formula One driver there has ever been but that adds to his lovability. I read a lot of biographies and this is one of the few where I actually liked the subject more then I did before reading their life story. Flat Out Flat Broke is the gold standard for showing what life in the fast-lane is really all about.
December 16, 2020
Flat out- what it takes to almost get into Formula 1, total dedication. And then it doesn't always work out. A humorous look at what was a very stressful push to get to the top in a dangerous sport, overflowing with very competitive people with the same ambition and the same determination. How McCarthy kept his (almost) sanity and pushed on despite the obstacles, is a great lesson in dedication in pursuit of what you love. Good on you Perry!
March 22, 2019
If you're a race fan, and even if you're not, you need to read this book to understand why these folks do what they do...and the nutty misadventures that occur along the way. God Bless ya Pel, and thanks for allowing us to ride along with you.
October 15, 2015
I've read a lot of driver's biographies, but I don't think I've ever read one this funny.
And to be honest, I can't blame Perry in the slightest - you have to laugh or you'll cry. This is the story of a man who lost his house to get to Formula 1 - twice - and when he got there, found it was only for Andrea Moda, the worst F1 team of all time. It was either a sense of humour or seppuku.
The meat of the story is his time in Formula Ford/Formula 3/Formula 3000, which is a revealing insight into how tough that world is when you're not being shepherded by guardian angels with hefty bank accounts. It's also a nice portrait of what he called the Rat Pack, that late-80s/early-90s cohort of Grand Prix drivers the British Isles produced that started with Martin Donnelly and culminated in Damon Hill, with Johnny Herbert, Mark Blundell and Perry himself somewhere in the middle. There's also a nice side plot involving his father's rise to and fall from millionaire status thanks to the "McCarthy self-destruct gene," although it's nice to see someone managed a scam against Shell (the oil company isn't named, but if the suits involved were Dutch, I'm guessing it was Shell).
If you pick it up just for the section on being Top Gear's original black Stig, my advice is not to bother - that section takes about two pages out of the whole book. His time in IMSA and driving Audis at Le Mans is given more time than that, and it's clear the job didn't interest him much. Having read Ben Collins' The Man In The White Suit, there's no question which of them actually applied themselves to that job.
I also have to wonder whether Perry was really that good a racing driver. Oh don't get me wrong, any racing driver is on another planet compared to my pathetic skills, but he seems to spend his entire time in a car going flat out and then crashing. Not all of them are his fault, but at the same time, you get the feeling he was in over his head. He had speed, but not control, and if I was a team boss there's no way I'd put a machine with a seven-figure price tag in his hands and tell him to go for it. But that's probably why I'm not a team boss.
An interesting read, and a funny one, and a side of motorsport we don't often see - the man who didn't win, didn't make the big time, didn't quite made it. But, as Damon Hill says in his introduction, Perry can go to sleep at night never having to wonder if he could have tried harder. And I suspect that's a luxury very few of us have.
And to be honest, I can't blame Perry in the slightest - you have to laugh or you'll cry. This is the story of a man who lost his house to get to Formula 1 - twice - and when he got there, found it was only for Andrea Moda, the worst F1 team of all time. It was either a sense of humour or seppuku.
The meat of the story is his time in Formula Ford/Formula 3/Formula 3000, which is a revealing insight into how tough that world is when you're not being shepherded by guardian angels with hefty bank accounts. It's also a nice portrait of what he called the Rat Pack, that late-80s/early-90s cohort of Grand Prix drivers the British Isles produced that started with Martin Donnelly and culminated in Damon Hill, with Johnny Herbert, Mark Blundell and Perry himself somewhere in the middle. There's also a nice side plot involving his father's rise to and fall from millionaire status thanks to the "McCarthy self-destruct gene," although it's nice to see someone managed a scam against Shell (the oil company isn't named, but if the suits involved were Dutch, I'm guessing it was Shell).
If you pick it up just for the section on being Top Gear's original black Stig, my advice is not to bother - that section takes about two pages out of the whole book. His time in IMSA and driving Audis at Le Mans is given more time than that, and it's clear the job didn't interest him much. Having read Ben Collins' The Man In The White Suit, there's no question which of them actually applied themselves to that job.
I also have to wonder whether Perry was really that good a racing driver. Oh don't get me wrong, any racing driver is on another planet compared to my pathetic skills, but he seems to spend his entire time in a car going flat out and then crashing. Not all of them are his fault, but at the same time, you get the feeling he was in over his head. He had speed, but not control, and if I was a team boss there's no way I'd put a machine with a seven-figure price tag in his hands and tell him to go for it. But that's probably why I'm not a team boss.
An interesting read, and a funny one, and a side of motorsport we don't often see - the man who didn't win, didn't make the big time, didn't quite made it. But, as Damon Hill says in his introduction, Perry can go to sleep at night never having to wonder if he could have tried harder. And I suspect that's a luxury very few of us have.
April 28, 2012
I'd rate it as an average 3-star book. However I raise it to 4 stars for its entertaining style and because it made me rethink the relations between desire to succeed and price one has to pay for it, between dedication and sheer stupidity. A typical motor racing enthusiast's reading, though.
May 26, 2014
A humorous romp into the world of racing and just what the costs are to be competitive.
McCarthy brings wit and wisdom to the reader and tells his story of racing from carting to Formula One where he signed on to one of the biggest jokes in racing history, Andrea Moda.
McCarthy brings wit and wisdom to the reader and tells his story of racing from carting to Formula One where he signed on to one of the biggest jokes in racing history, Andrea Moda.
February 21, 2010
Perry McCarthy, has there ever been anyone as desperate as him to break into the big time. Laughed my arse off all the way through it.
March 3, 2014
Not a bad book, but not really what I was hoping for. More details about the racing, and less details about the failed sponsorships would have been nice.
November 13, 2013
Excellent reading! Entertaining, even for people that don't know anything about racing.
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March 17, 2018Hilarious, greatest underdog story ever
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews