This is the thrilling, warts-engine-oil-and-all autobiography of the only racing driver Ayrton Senna ever feared - the 200mph flawed genius of Tommy Byrne.It tells the surreal tale of a poverty-stricken Dundalk kid's rise to become the only racing driver the great Ayrton Senna ever feared - and how it all went wrong from there. For a brief moment Tommy Byrne was arguably the world's greatest driver, the motor racing equivalent of George Best and Muhammad Ali rolled into one - A racer, a thief, a raconteur.This is the story of his improbable escape, his rapid rise and his spectacular and bizarre fall from grace. Peppered with dark humour and a cast of ridiculous characters, it is the antithesis of a fairytale - and it's all true. Hold on tight, the tale of Tommy Byrne is quite a ride - from fending for himself as the runt of a big Catholic litter in the '60s, running the gauntlet of the sectarian violence in the '70s, troubling Ayrton Senna and making it to F1 in the '80s, resorting to drugs in the aftermath and driving for a deluded billionaire madman and then gun-toting Mexicans in the '90s. It's raw, passionate, and - with Byrne's ability to tell it like it is - not for the faint-hearted.
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"'Forget Senna and Schuey. Tommy Byrne was the best of them all.' Eddie Jordan"
About the Author
Tommy Byrne was the 1980 Double British Formula Ford 1600 champion, the 1981 British Formula Ford 2000 champion and also the European Formula Ford 2000 champion. In 1982 - having also become British F3 champion - he entered F1, but by the following year had disappeared without trace. He will be available for publicity at time of publication. Mark Hughes is recognised as one of sport's top journalists. He has written a number of books on F1, including Icon's bestselling, critically-acclaimed Lewis Hamilton: The Full Story, and another of which won the 2005 Illustrated Sports Book of the Year award.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Shock
Format:Paperback
Fantastic book by one of the greatest race car drivers in history. Tommys book is an outstanding read for all race fans and thrill seekers. His life story is absolutely amazing! Buy a few of these books, as you will want to keep one for yourself and gift the others to friends that can appreciate a wild ride!
Excellent - Could not put this book down!
Excellent - Could not put this book down!
Format:Paperback
You don't need to be a racing fan to enjoy this amazing story. I couldn't put it down, and read it in two sittings. It's funny, heartbreaking, and infuriating all at the same time.
It's the story of one the most talented athletes of his time, and his battle to rise above his upbringing on the wrong side of the tracks in Ireland.
The best book that I've read in years.
It's the story of one the most talented athletes of his time, and his battle to rise above his upbringing on the wrong side of the tracks in Ireland.
The best book that I've read in years.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars
17 reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Absolute Must Read For Any Auto Racing Fan
Mar 20 2010
By Larry V.
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Tommy Byrne tells his life story with with jaw dropping brutal honesty. How a kid from a poor working class family in Ireland rose to the pinnacle of motor sports. You will come away thinking Tommy Byrne may well be the best race car drive that ever lived, better than Senna and Schuey. He talks about the mistakes he made with is career, and in his life, and about the people that stabbed him in the back. Once you start on page one it will be very hard to put this book down. My only warning is that there are about 6 F-bombs per page plus lots of other colorful remarks. Perhaps not a good read for a young impressionable mind.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliantly raw and brutally honest
Dec 19 2009
By Richard Andron
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have read all of the racing biographies and autobiographies during 35 years as a sometime amateur Skip Barber racer and full-time racing junkie. Tommy Byrne's raw, no-holds-barred frankness and brutal tell-it-like-it-was honesty is both refreshing and uncommonly enlightening. The comment inserts of many of the important people who were close to him, giving their opinions and versions of events described by Tommy, just add to an extremely rich, colorful story of an incredible, yet flawed, talent. If you have any interest in motor racing, read this book. It's also very funny, in an ironic, self-deprecating, black humor sort of way. One of the all-time best motorhead reads.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a ride!!
Mar 19 2009
By Kirk A. Rush
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Having just finished Tommy Byrne's book, I can tell you that it is a non-stop ride that is like no other. It's like riding around the track with Tommy at the wheel and you in the passenger seat holding on for dear life! He takes you through his gritty upbringing in a lower-class Irish household all the way to the top of the racing circuit running with the likes of Ayrton Senna, Roberto Moreno and Michael Andretti . His innate driving skills won him multiple formula championships and many times brought him to the brink of legendary greatness, but there was always something that kept him from the very top of the pile. He talks about ALL of his experiences, good and bad, in a refreshingly candid way that, in the end, makes you respect him all the more for who he is today. I can't say enough about this truly great book and riveting life story!
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Go to Amazon.com to see all 17 reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
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