The Lost Generation: The brilliant but tragic lives of rising British F1 stars Roger Williamson, Tony Brise and Tom Pryce

by David Tremayne, Tom Wheatcroft (Foreword by)

The 1970s was a great decade for British racing drivers, but it was also the era in which the nation lost a generation of brilliant young drivers--Roger Williamson, Tony Brise and Tom Pryce--in tragic accidents. All had the potential to be World Champions. With access to their families, friends and race colleagues, David Tremayne tells their full stories for the first time. It makes for poignant but uplifting reading.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

240 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2007

Reviews

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, well researched and interesting book about three British racing drivers who died while on the cusp of success. Tragic.

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a moving and absorbing account of three young lives, and it also evokes an entire era. The author's knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, his subject is clearly evident, and good use is made of contemporary press reports and interviews, as well as retrospective reflections. The photographic content of the book is also excellent and well-judged.

"The Lost Generation" works on more than one level, articulating the human qualities of the subjects, and the sense of loss, as well as providing a snapshot of racing in the Seventies.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book with lots of memories of 1970's races but it needed better editing. The stories of the three drivers blended to easily and needed more page breaks as it changed subjects.

[David Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

[4 stars, rounded up from 3.5]

Several years ago I asked a motorsports publisher friend to recommend a biography or two. This was his suggestion.

At first, I wasn't that impressed. There are parts that are a bit... wooden. In places, it seemed to me, the text would just as well have been replaced by lap charts. But the good parts of the book are quite good. Not so much about the racing, but about the people. And the analyses of the fatal incidents are thorough and clearly written.

Nominally, this is about three British racers who lost their lives serving the sport. But I think the title is more apt: it is not just about these three drivers. They are the center, the focus of the story, but not the whole story.

The events all happened before I became an F1 fan. I was familiar with Roger Williamson's name but couldn't tell you what he'd done. I didn't really know anything about the other two. Williamson's crash and Pryce's crash are two of the most notorious crashes in the sport. Brise wasn't killed in a car but died in the plane crash that took Graham Hill and other team members. (Some time ago I read Hill's memoirs, which end before the events described in this book, so this book sort of completes his story for me.)

[Peter Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at several F1 drivers you may not have heard of but you probably should have. If you have heard of them you know how their lives tragically end... a look at what could have been for them and their families.

[Emilio Vazquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

the book is realy awesome

[Noorhazlinda Abdullah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

[Rob Mollart-highfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good that. Not cheerful though!