Hunt vs Lauda: The epic 1976 Formula 1 season

Paul Fearnley

Ron Howard’s Rush is notable by its absence here. No hint or acknowledgement of the movie’s existence is made even on the dustjacket, despite the opportunistic timing of its publication ahead of the big release. Still, who cares? This is the best of pure motor racing history, ripe for plunder by all — and few could do it better.

The author, a former editor of this magazine and still a regular contributor, treats the story with his characteristic deft touch. It’s a tale that never grows old, and in these hands the twists of 1976 are as fresh as ever.

At the book’s heart are the parallel lives of the principal players, snapshots of their friendship and a hint of the intelligent movie that could have been made. Who needs a script when the reality was this good? The collection of LAT photographs is comprehensive and captions are as essential as the main text. Skip over them and you might miss Helmut Kohl, future German Chancellor and co-founder of the European Union, standing next to Hunt on the Nurburgring podium, or the metal spacer to make James’s McLaren cockpit roomier. It’s such touches that make a difference. DS