Tales from the Toolbox – A collection of behind-the-scenes tales from Grand Prix mechanics
By Michael Oliver
Foreword by Sir Jackie Stewart OBE

Tales from the Toolbox, a new book by motorsport writer and historian Michael Oliver 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.

Published by Veloce at £12.99, containing 50 pictures, the majority of which are rare and intimate snapshots handpicked from the mechanics’ own collections, this book is the result of many years of Michael’s own research to meet the mechanics and compile their wealth of previously unpublished tales.

Mixing with drivers and team bosses, denizens of pit, paddock and workshop, these mechanics experienced a side of Grand Prix racing that few others got to see and is rarely heard about: this book tells their stories. Chapters are themed around a particular aspects of a mechanic’s life, ranging from what they consider the highs and lows of their career, to their opinions on drivers and team bosses, the all-nighters, letting off steam, the ‘Mechanic’s Gallon,’ nightmare journeys and customs capers. Surprisingly, the book reveals a camaraderie between teams and individual mechanics which is hard to imagine in today’s highly competitive and commercial Formula One environment.

Michael Oliver commented: “Mechanics are the real ‘unsung heroes’ of motor sport. Without them, we wouldn’t have a sport. Even today, drivers rely on mechanics time and time again to get things right. Their lives are literally in the mechanics’ hands and so it has always been, which is a tremendous pressure to have on your shoulders. Also, I literally couldn’t have written the features and books that I have over the past decade or so without the assistance of mechanics, so it is great to be able to give something back. I’m delighted that some of the proceeds from Tales from the Toolbox are going to benefit the Grand Prix Mechanics Trust, which plays a vital role in ensuring that the welfare of mechanics is not forgotten, even if they are no longer involved in the sport. I’d like to thank the Trust’s founder, Sir Jackie Stewart, for his support with this project and particularly for providing the foreword. Let’s hope that we can raise a good sum of money for the Trust, it is a very deserving cause.”

The 176-page paperback book is available now from bookshops or from www.veloce.co.uk.

Additional Information

Period covered: 1950s – late 1980s

40% of all royalties to the Grand Prix Mechanics Charitable Trust

“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.

For more information about the Trust please visit: www.gpmechanicstrust.com.

Tales from the Toolbox
By Michael Oliver
Available now UK & USA
ISBN 978-1-84584-199-7
UPC 636847041991
£12.99 UK / $24.95 US

BULLET POINTS

• Foreword by Sir Jackie Stewart

• 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

THE AUTHOR
Michael Oliver went to his first Formula One race when he was just two weeks old, and contends that he learned to count looking at the number roundels on the sides of racing cars.
A professional writer, he has contributed features to a wide range of magazines and websites, including autosport.com, itvf1.com, Motor Sport, Octane, Classic Cars, Vintage Racecar, Victory Lane, Chequered Flag and Motor Racing Australia. He is also the author of two other motor racing books: Lotus 49: The Story of a Legend, published in 1999; and Lotus 72: Formula One Icon, published in 2003. It was the contact he made with mechanics while researching these books, and the mechanics’ wealth of untold stories, that inspired him to write this latest work.

SPECIFICATION
Paperback. 176 pages. 14.8×21cm. 50 colour & b&w pictures.

MORE INFORMATION
View sample pages and sample text on our website -
http://www.veloce.co.uk or contact John on 01305 260068/e-mail john@veloce.co.uk

VIDEO
Interview with the author can be viewed on YouTube -
Bite Size http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8L72Huiaxg
Full length http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3EulBy7K3Q

RETAIL SALES
Veloce books are stocked by (or can be ordered from) bookshops by quoting the correct ISBN number. We also take orders direct: telephone – 01305 260068 (+44 1305 260068 from outside UK), fax – 01305 268864 (+44 1305 268864 from outside UK) or e-mail – sales@veloce.co.uk. Books can also be ordered on our website – http://www.veloce.co.uk

Note: All details subject to change.