Closing Speed

by Ted West

It was the fastest, most competitive European endurance-racing season ever Ferrari, Porsche, Alfa Romeo, Matra all battling wheel to wheel for the 1970 World Manufacturer s Championship, and young American journalist Nick Thorne was there to cover it... But when one spring afternoon he sprinted across a rain-slick German test track to rescue the World Champion from a fiery wreck, he was thrust into racing s red-hot center. Suddenly on intimate terms with the drivers, their wives and lovers, the secrets he came upon were vastly more than he bargained for, as race by race the championship rose to its desperate climax. From England s rain-drenched Brands Hatch to sunny Monza in Italy, Sicily s gritty Targa Florio to glamorous Monaco and the horrifying speeds of Belgium s Spa-Francorchamps, Nick learned to trust only one truth In the violence of all-out competition, there are no innocent bystanders.

335 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2010

Reviews

[Jack R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this edition is a good one, it lacks the contemporary narrative that depicts how the racing events of decades ago changed the life of the book's protagonist, a motor racing reporter much like the author himself. If you are a motor racing fan or not, the drama will propel you through the story. But Closing Speed - The Unabridged Edition, which contains the author's full vision, is the version to read.

[Aaron Spiegel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book... a reminder of the racing culture of the 60's and 70's

[Loyd Mcintosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading a lot of non-fiction books about open wheel racing and history of speed and when this book popped up in a list of recommendations I jumped on it without realizing it was a work of fiction. It took me a while to get into it, but once I became comfortable with the pacing and vast array of characters, I was hooked. This is a fictionalized but accurate portrayal of Formula 1 racing during the heated days of the late 60s and early 70s when death was a real possibility and the men behind the wheel lived life passionately and, if they had any fear, never showed it.

[Geoff Loftus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really terrific book. Sexy, glamorous, thrilling -- if Hemingway wrote about auto racing instead of bullfighting, he might have written this book. Except for the sexy, glamorous, thrilling part.

Ted West takes you inside the European racing scene of the early 70s, inside the epic battle between Porsche and Ferrari and makes his tale vibrate with drama.

I know nothing about racing, but I loved this book.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit overwrought, but a nice escape read for race history buffs.