Tales from the Toolbox - A collection of behind-the-scenes tales from Grand Prix mechanics

By: Michael Oliver .

Description

Tales from the Toolbox is a unique collection of behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes as told, in their own words, by former Grand Prix mechanics who have worked at the top level of the sport during the past 50 years.

Features

• Unique insight to the realities of life as a Grand Prix mechanic
• Covers the past 50 years
• Stories told in mechanics' own words
• Recollections of the good, and bad times
• The camaraderie
• Candid views on the drivers and team bosses
• Features rare photographs from the mechanics’ own collections
• Three different indexes allow quick access

On the front line of the sport, mixing with drivers and team bosses, the mechanics saw a side of it that nobody else got to see and rarely gets to hear about – and this book tells their story.

Chapters are themed around a particular aspect of a mechanic’s life, ranging from what they consider the highs and lows of their career, to their opinions of drivers and team bosses, the all-nighters, letting off steam, the ‘Mechanic’s Gallon,’ nightmare journeys and customs capers. It also reveals a tale of camaraderie between teams and individual mechanics which is hard to imagine in today’s highly competitive Formula One environment.

The stories in the book Tales from the Toolbox are supplemented by photographs from the archives and photo albums of the mechanics themselves, many of which are previously unseen.

"This book will break new ground, allowing its readers to fully understand and appreciate what those very special people who are called 'mechanics' are capable of which permits us prima donna racing drivers to achieve success. Without them, not only would we perhaps not be anything like as successful, we might also not be alive ..."

Sir Jackie Stewart OBE, Chairman, Grand Prix Mechanics Charitable Trust

Introduction by Michael Oliver

In today's era of flying to races, staying in the best hotels, working in spotless pit garages and enjoying hospitality in luxurious paddock superstructures, it is hard to imagine or appreciate the life of a racing mechanic back in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Not only did they build the entire car, they also loaded it onto a transporter or trailer, drove by road to the event, worked on it all through the race weekend, drove home again — and then prepared it for the next race! All of which took place on an archaic European road network, staying in shabby bed and breakfasts, and working in dusty paddocks or the corner of a local garage. But, boy, did they enjoy themselves ...

With so many drivers from that era no longer with us, these mechanics provide a vital historic link with that period. I have lost count of the number of times I have found myself turning to a mechanic for a first-hand account of something that happened all those years ago. They really are the unsung heroes of motor sport — without them to bolt the cars together and rebuild them when they broke or were damaged, the show wouldn't have happened, and none of the history that I have gained so much pleasure from writing about over the past decade or so would have been established. What is more, their stories remain largely untold.
When I discovered the existence of the Grand Prix Mechanics Charitable Trust, which does such a marvellous job of looking after their interests, the germ of an idea was planted in my mind, and I resolved to try and do something which would highlight their contribution, whilst at the same time helping to raise the profile of, and funds for the Trust. This book is the result.

I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I have enjoyed talking to the mechanics during the course of my research. My only regret is that I haven't been able to include all of the stories that have been recounted to me, because of both space constraints and the fact that some of them could still probably land the protagonists in a lot of trouble if they came out today, even all these years later ...

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