ISBN2930354216
FIA GT Yearbook 2003 £29.99
weight 1.4kg
With the resurgence of real GT racing leading to the involvement of more manufacturers, the 2003 FIA GT Championship was closely fought out over 10 rounds, especially in the NGT class. With comprehensive results and race reports in both French and English, this covers the season very well. The Spa 24-hours gets extra coverage, with hourly position charts etc. There is a wealth of excellent photography capturing many of the attractive subjects (automotive and otherwise!) to be seen in this series. Those models that we have already seen are well covered and there are plenty more potential subjects. You won't find every car that raced but it's still a must for sportscar fans.



ISBN1405420898
F1 Yearbook 2003/2004 £9.99
weight 2.4kg



ISBN2847070494
Rally Yearbook 2003/2004 £14.99
weight 1.9kg



ISBN2847070508
Motorcycle Yearbook 2003/2004 £14.99
weight 2.2kg
Quite how the publisher of these books does it for the money we're never quite sure, it must just be sheer volume. They will never quite replace Autocourse and it's companion titles as the must have reference sources, as there are still far to many mistakes in the data, but the quality and quantity of colour photography is unsurpassed. Each Grand Prix in the F1 title has several pages of vivid photography and there are also sections dedicated to the atmosphere in the paddock and introductions to the teams. In the latter the cars are illustrated with colour drawings.
The WRC and Moto GP editions are rather lighter when it comes to the individual event coverage but again they are illustrated with excellent photography throughout. Presumably the fact that the F1 book is much bigger and less expensive would suggest that it has a greater print run. The sooner the world at large wakes up to the spectacular competition both on the rally stage and on two wheels the better! Hopefully these will help a little. As a reference source for modellers they are all such good value it seems a shame to miss them.

ISBN1903135303
Motocourse 2003/2004 £30.00
weight 1.8kg
From the publishers of Autocourse, this takes an in depth look at all of the major International two wheeled action with Moto GP, Superbike and Isle of Man TT action. The core focus is of course Moto GP and its junior partners, the 125 and 250cc classes. Each gets in depth race reports with plenty of photos and full results. The World Superbikes get briefer coverage with just a page per round and the supporting Supersports just a couple of paragraphs. Then there's an overview of the very competitive American Superbike scene and a look at the most famous motorcycle race of them all, the Isle of Man TT. Not sure I'd want to be on a sidecar outfit round there......



ISBN8887110646
Superbike World Championship 2003 £20.00
weight 1.6kg by Porrozzi
The coverage in Motocourse of the Superbikes might be brief but this more than makes up for it if this is your particular favourite form of two wheeled sport. A few of the key players may have retired or defected to other series but the racing was as competitive as ever and is superbly captured here. As well as the main Superbike category there is also coverage of Supersport and the amazingly quick production Superstocks. Add in the Sidecars and there's plenty of colourful action to enjoy. I really must manage to get along to Brands Hatch this year rather than just watching them on TV.



ISBN3893659919 Tourenwagen Story 2003 £19.50
weight 1.3kg by Andre Dietzel
One of the most colourful annuals of the motorsport year, Tourenwagen Story gives in-depth coverage of the DTM series in Germany. The technical section features several up close and personal shots of the cars, the race reports are lavishly illustrated and there are full results at the back of the book. It isn't all DTM, with reviews of the V8-Star championship and various German long-distance races, the most famous of course being the Nurburgring 24 Hours. Then there's a round up of all the one-make saloon action in Germany and a brief overview of other major saloon car series elsewhere in Europe. The only drawback is that the text is entirely in German. The pictures translate well though! A must for all Touring Car fans.

new books, page 2

ISBN8887110417
F1, Behind The Scenes 2003 £23.00
weight 1.9kg by Paolo d'Alessio
This is another title that complements Autocourse very well but will never replace it. This is an almost purely photographic review of the season and the images included are stunning. There is very little text with just an overview of the season, a diary of significant events and brief race reports. This is all about the photos though and as well as the dramatic race shots there are a fair few detail close ups and some excellent drawings, both of which will no doubt be of interest to many modellers. Well worth putting into the library in anticipation of the models in the future!



ISBN1903135273
Rallycourse 2003/2004 £30.00
weight 1.7kg
One of our perennial library essentials, Rallycourse gives us an in depth look at the WRC of any of the rally annuals. With a photographic team led by the legendary Reinhard Klein it captures the drama of these varied events superbly. To complement the photos there are detailed rally reports which include the top 6 times for every stage. There aren't the complete entry and results lists that you'll find in most of the non-rally annuals due to the large numbers of entries for each event. Instead there are top 10s, class winners and major retirements.

ISBN3927458112
Slideshow 2003 Rally Yearbook £22.50
weight 1.9kg by McKlein
This is a slightly unusual annual but there is no doubting the visual impact it has. The Klein of McKlein is Reinhard and the Mc represents the equally talented McMaster and McCaffrey. The end result is a large format review of the season packed with some of the most spectacular motorsport images you will ever see. We start with close-up photo-studies of the works WRC cars, which will be very useful to modellers, and then we move on to the race reports. The text has been kept brief, largely because they have to fit it in in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Japanese. The large format does however allow the inclusion of full entry lists and results. Let's hope this becomes a regular publication.


ISBNX000013463
Ferrari Yearbook 2003 £49.99
weight 2.1kg
In this latest official Ferrari annual the editorial team are celebrating the F1 team's 5th consecutive Constructors title and 4th successive drivers title in some style and who can blame them. The season is covered race by race but don't expect impartiality! There is a fascinating comparison of the technology of the F1 car and the new 360 Challenge Stradale and in another comparison feature we see the 575 road car and 575GTC side by side at the Nurburgring (who said we had good jobs working here?). This is part of a celebration of the legendary German circuit. Then there is an in depth look at the new 612 Scaglietti, we see the activities of the various Ferrari clubs around the World, Enzo Ferrari's telling of the story about the origins of the Prancing Horse motif and much, much more.