DRIVEN: An Elegy to Cars, Roads & Motorsport

Description

DRIVEN is John Aston's hugely entertaining motoring autobiography. This ambitious and far ranging book begins with his early days as a teenage car enthusiast and race marshal in the late Sixties before covering the wide range of subjects close to his heart. These include the best and worst of Formula One, the icon that is Ferrari, the writer's NASCAR adventure and the delights of long road trips in his beloved Caterham Seven. But that's not all, as you can read about why the NSU Ro80 was a prophet without honour, as well as what the writer thinks about the changing face of motoring journalism. Yes, one J Clarkson is mentioned ... And there's more still, as a major part of the book is a description of a year in British motorsport. The writer's love of the lesser known categories of motor sport illuminates the text, as does his insight into the places, people and machinery making up the sport's diversity. He describes the mood music of events ranging from a round of the British Touring Car Championship to historic race meetings for Cortinas and Minis, before venturing further from the mainstream with drag racing at Santa Pod, speed hillclimbs, autograss and rallying. Oh - he also doubled the average age at a Time Attack meeting. Don't expect objective reporting, as he holds strong opinions, but they are leavened by a tongue firmly lodged in his cheek. Any reader, enthusiast or not, is guaranteed to enjoy reading about these adventures as much as the writer enjoyed having them.

John Aston was born in Leeds in 1952 and grew up in a mining village where his father was the local GP. He attended school in Wakefield and gained an LLB at the University of Leeds. John worked as a public sector lawyer, starting his career in Lincoln from 1975 to 1979 before returning to North Yorkshire, where he worked until his retirement in 2012. The author has two obsessions - angling and motor sport - and has written extensively about both, his first article was published in 1981, his first book in 2007, and the second five years later. He became interested in motor sport in 1967, about 7000 car magazines ago, and he is passionate about the diversity of British motor sport and the importance of experiencing it live. John drove Caterham Sevens for 20 years but loves driving anything, anywhere. His head belongs to Lotus but his heart is firmly located in Maranello, but, sadly, his small collection of Ferraris is in 1/12 scale.. John has travelled to Europe and USA to watch motor sport, but claims never to be happier than when he is watching old cars racing at Cadwell Park. He volunteered as a marshal in the Seventies, working at a range of events from speed hill climbs to Formula 1, and has since been involved in many other facets of the car and motor sport community.

This book makes for a surprising and entertaining diversion from lengthy autobiographies of great motor sport figures. In essence, it's the autobiography of a lifelong motor sport enthusiast, but Aston writes with such erudition, with and lawyer's logic that, at times, the book feels it could form the basis of a manifesto for better racing. Read this book and you'll get the strong sense John Aston speaks for a great many of us. - Classic Cars. Driven is recommended unreservedly. - SpeedReaders. Good value for money and should keep even avid readers well-occupied. - Classic Car Weekly. An interesting read. - Auto Express. Informative, funny, iconoclastic and written in a style that makes it hard to put down ... an absolute must-read. - Speedscene. Recommended unreservedly. - NZRR&BC Magazine. This book is a must-read for British car enthusiasts, those who love the sport of racing as well as automotive-oriented Anglophiles. - The View Through The Windshield. Extremely entertaining ... you'll not regret forking out a few buck for this gem. - New Zealand Classic Car.