Good novels with a motor sport theme are hard to come by. There were many excruciating examples in the 50s and 60s when, fitting the period perhaps, drivers were all jolly good chaps and eventually got their girl -- or 'gal'. The villain usually reeked of garlic and drove for a 'foreign' team run either by a dastardly cove smoking untipped Gitanes or a mysterious Count with slicked-back hair and driving an Italian supercar.
Bob Judd set new standards 20 years ago thanks to bolstering his genuine enthusiasm for the sport by becoming part of racing circus on both sides of the Atlantic. Added to which, he is a fine writer with an eye for detail; two attributes not necessarily a given with his predecessors.
For me, the best fiction motor sport book of all time is 'Stand On It' by Stroker Ace, actually written by William Neely and Robert K. Ottum as an autobiography of a fictional driver based on actual events from the racing world in North America. Published in 1971, it's been many years since I first came across the paperback but I'm sure it would continue to have me doubled over if I read it today. It was so good, they made the film 'Stroker Ace' starring Burt Reynolds but, as often happens, much of the subtly generated by the truly clever writing was lost in translation.
I'm mentioning this because I'm currently on holiday and brought with me an advance copy of 'Crash', a novel by Toby Vintcent with a Formula One theme. The brash title did little to dispel a reluctance to turn the first page and get going.
I read it in four sittings (okay, I didn't have much to do while lying on the beach) but that should indicate that this is a pacey, well-written story. F1 forms the backdrop but not the main theme, which can best be described the intrigue and nastiness of Russian politics.
The chapters are short; a clever format that encourages page-turning, as in: 'I'll just read this next chapter'....'and the next'...'oh, and this one, too.' That's because the plot moves along at a brisk pace, starting with a massive shunt that kills a number of spectators. Initially, this seems ghoulish and the mechanics of the accident come across as slightly bizarre. But those details become irrelevant as the story reveals all.
If the detail involved in the motor racing narrative is to be a barometer, then it is to be assumed that Vintcent has carried out an equally diligent and extensive research in the other areas touched by his plot -- specifically, the machinations of Russian politics. If the real Charlie Whiting reads this novel and finds himself a touch perturbed initially about the insinuation that one of the race tracks is not safe, his unease will be nothing compared to President Putin's feelings over how his country and the book's fictional leaders are portrayed.
The story line is comfortably easy to follow thanks to clever recapping of events by the main characters. As with all good novels, there are parts that marginally stretch credibility. But who cares? It's a motor racing novel that works; a cracking read worth putting in your bag for the coming holiday.
'Crash' by Toby Vintcent (Arcadia Books)