Description
By: Jeremy Walton, Gregor Marshall .
Description
Gerry Marshall's motorsport career spanned over 40 years, and during this time he became a legend both on and off the track Here for the first time is his full life story, and what an astonishing tale it makes! For most men, participating in more than 1,400 motorsport events and amassing over 625 victories in many different disciplines would have been sufficient. Not Gerry! To a supercharged lifestyle, add a succession of championships and awards, three wives, three children, other significant relationships and a wide circle of friends, many of whom made engaging contributions to this book.
Gerry's motoring passions exploded through a series of unlikely motorcycle and car capers before he first raced in 1961. Madness in Minis helped him to a- professional career in his chosen sport, and he later became famous for thrilling spectators with his exploits in Vauxhalls with nicknames like 'Old Nail' and `Baby Bertha'. The sheer breadth of Gerry's racing career saw him compete in a remarkable range of cats, from the classiest classics to a Morris Marina. His results in Aston Martins were exceptional, but he was also successful in TVRs, thunderous V8 Lolas, Mustangs and a Corvette. Gerry won with Lotus Cortinas and an ex-Bond Lotus Esprit, assorted MGs, plus an Austin-Healey and his favourite Lister Jaguars.
Gerry was also so much more than a successful racing driver. Alongside a lifetime of motor trading, he was a regular contributor to popular motoring forums throughout the UK His wit transformed three books, a trio of regular motoring magazine columns and features in classic and motorsport media. Jeremy Walton, respected motoring journalist and author of the legendary 1978 biography of Gerry, Only Here for the Beer, takes a warm-hearted look at Gerry's life, assisted by Gerry's son, Gregor, who also compiled the conscientiously cross-checked racing results and provided many of the photographs.
Synopsis
Gerry Marshall was one of the legends of British motorsport. Aside from his imposing 43-year motor racing record, seizing 625 victories in more than 1,400 appearances, Marshall's vast automotive memory was wittily expressed through media and forums. An intense thirst for knowledge accompanied an all-round entertainer who won in all manner of competition cars from thoroughbred Aston Martins to a Morris Marina. A man of devastating contrasts, Gerry's chatty charm alternated with a whiplash tongue. He fascinated three wives and earned the loyalty of a worldwide circle of friends, many of whom contributed to the fast-paced and often hilarious content of this extensively illustrated biography.
With the help of Gerry's son Gregor, Jeremy Walton chronicles Gerry's remarkable life, both on- and off-track, from schooldays to his amazingly appropriate and peaceful death in 2005.
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