Book reviews, January 1952, January 1952

“Controlling a racing car team,” by SCH Davis (119 pp, 15s, Foulis Ltd, 7, Milford Lane, Strand, WC2).

When CG Grey retired from editing The Aeroplane he wrote a number of books, SCH Davis, having retired from the post of Sports Editor of The Autocar, is doing likewise. This latest from Foulis is typically Sammy and imparts a wealth of useful information and suggestions about the fascinating task of the racing Team Chief. He covers very seriously, but with a continual leavening of humour, every conceivable aspect of a task he knows intimately. If the book is read at one sitting the reader feels a trifle overwhelmed, but there is no doubt at all but that Davis writes of how a racing team should be run. His book will be of interest to all who hope to manage teams in this year’s races and will doubtless be referred to frequently hereafter—especially its chapters on pit equipment, signals, chart-keeping and time-keeping. It is good to see that amongst the many illustrations obviously inspired by Sammy —Bentley at Brooklands, Aston-Martin at Le Mans, for example—are many up-to-date pictures, such as a signal being given to a Lago-Talbot driver, Joan Gerard spotting in her husband’s pit, etc. Also photographs are included of pit equipment. A useful book, painstakingly detailed, although Sammy doesn’t seem to bother to read proofs, otherwise he could never have let the surname of his friend, the great Kensington Moir, go by as Moore !—WB.