Fast Lines: Memorable Moments in Motorsports from Vintage Race Car Magazine

by Pete Lyons

Reading a Pete Lyons column is like taking a stroll down the pit lane with your favorite race hero. Pete doesn't pretend to be anything but what he is—a car-crazy guy lucky enough to spend his days following the sport he loves. He grew up on the track, and has covered auto racing since the early 1960s. His pieces couple his enthusiasm for motorsports with clear insight into the factors that make cars and men champions. Whether he's screwing up his chance to learn how to drive fast from Dan Gurney, or taking a lap while precariously wedged into a Can-Am car with Peter Revson at the wheel and at full noise, Lyons picks up on the details that help us understand and appreciate what makes racing great.Fast Lines is a collection of 55 of Pete's columns, Fast Lines, from Vintage Racecar Magazine. The book includes looks at cars and racers from Formula 1, Can-Am, Indycar, and endurance racing, most of them racers who competed in the 1960s and 1970s. He also includes glances into the contemporary Mario Andretti, mellowed hardly at age 60, and events like Sebring, Goodwood, and the Monterey Historics.

270 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 19, 2011

Reviews

[J.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I typically admire Pete's work, this compilation of magazine pieces was hit or miss for me. Some pieces didn't really click, while others were fascinating, but far too brief, given their initial intended scope. Ultimately, can't complain, as the book was more than reasonable via the Kindle app, so it still posed good value. Would love to see Pete put together his story in chronological order and expanded form.

[Daniel Ceán-Bermúdez Pérez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like any book composed of a collection of articles published in other media, the topics and styles are very varied, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage. On the one hand, it is positive in the sense that it offers a broader view without focusing solely on a specific speciality. On the other hand, it is negative if there are specific topics that are not of interest to the reader.

Overall, my opinion is positive because I like the way the author recounts his experiences, especially when referring to competitions he attended in person.