Italian Grand Prix at Monza 1971, that sprint that made history. Fifty-four years ago September 5th saw the most spectacular finish ever, with five single-seaters at the finish line packed into just 61 hundredths of a second. The 42nd edition of the Italian Grand Prix was still to be decided with five drivers vying for the highest step on the podium and with Peterson ahead of Cévert, Hailwood, Gethin and Ganley, the latter, however, ended up losing contact with the group. At the entrance to the Parabolica, Gethin took the slipstream mocking everyone, taking the lead and passing first under the chequered flag. Behind the English driver came Peterson, beating Cévert by a hundredth. Points also went to Hailwood, Ganley and Amon. Peterson drove the red March 711 without the elliptical wing on the nose and with a very small rear wing to better exploit the speed on the long straights of the Brianza circuit. An iconic version of the wonderful 711.....

As Sir Jackie Stewart states in his Foreword, “Pete Lyons was one of the best journalists in Formula 1 at the time I was racing.” Lyons himself writes that when he became obsessed with motor racing, “It felt like my true road.” This memoir retraces his steps along that road, focusing on the days when he wrote about and photographed the Can-Am sportscar series in his native America during its finest period from 1966 to 1972, then switched to Formula 1 for four great seasons from 1973 to 1976. Lyons witnessed Chaparral, Lola, McLaren and Porsche create ever-more-monstrous Can-Am beasts to be tamed by the likes of Jim Hall, John Surtees, Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme, Mario Andretti and Mark Donohue. His cameras, notebooks and typewriter also were there when Tyrrell, Lotus, McLaren and Ferrari were the dominant forces in Formula 1, with Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi, Niki Lauda and James Hunt the World Champion drivers. Immersed in this golden age of racing, Lyons brought a unique blend of evocative description and fastidious factual detail to his craft, putting his devoted readers at the heart of the action. This captivating memoir will transport you back to those times.....