ATLAS F1   Volume 6, Issue 48	Email to Friend   Printable Version
The Bookworm Critique FORMULA ONE TESTING: GRAND PRIX ACTION BETWEEN THE RACES
By Wendy and Simon Lewis Published by Lewis Transport Books	by Mark Glendenning, Australia

The flood of Formula One books that is unleashed upon the marketplace each year has left few aspects of the sport free from exhaustive exploration and scrutiny. Occasionally though, something slips through the cracks; a point neatly illustrated by Wendy and Simon Lewis's 'Formula One Testing'. Considering how critical testing is in the broader picture of Grand Prix racing, the lack of attention it has received from the publishing world is a little surprising. After all, these sessions play as significant a role in charting the course of the world championship as the races do. It is through testing that the teams can explore different setup tweaks free from the distractions and constraints of a race weekend; drivers can familiarize themselves with their car; and there is also the opportunity to experiment with new components; be they mechanical, aerodynamic, or, from time to time, biological. Drawing upon a series of visits to test sessions at Silverstone throughout 2000, Formula One Testing relies primarily upon photographs to offer the reader a window into the less public side of Grand Prix racing. This book is very much a homegrown effort- the authors were responsible for the photographs, the text, and the publication. While this DIY approach accounts for some of the book's appeal, it is also responsible for some of its shortcomings. That testing is so under-represented in the body of Formula One publications gives this book a special endearing quality before it has even been opened. It's easy to keep up to date with the day-to-day goings on in various test sessions around the place, but we rarely get to actually see much of it. From that perspective, this is an interesting book. Reading a news report about teams running hybrid cars, or young drivers turning the wheel of a Formula One car for the first time, is one thing. However, being able to study a picture of it helps bring the story to life. And this book acts as a record for some of last season's most interesting non-racing moments: Dario Franchitti's test with Jaguar, Jenson Button coming to grips with the FW22 prior to the Australian Grand Prix, Olivier Panis putting in the miles for McLaren, Alan Jenkins wearing Prost team gear...it's all here. The quality of the photographs themselves is, on the whole, fairly good. The authors have made prints of all the photographs in the book available for order, and there are a few that are certainly worth considering if you are looking for something to fill that blank space on the wall. The two sepia-toned shots of the Arrows are real standouts, but there are also some reasonable action shots of assorted drivers and teams scattered throughout the pages. There is also a good opportunity to put faces to the names of some of the drivers that you might read about over and over again, but have never actually seen - Patrick Lemarie, Darren Manning, or Antonio Pizzonia, for example. Be warned though, there's also a bit of padding there too. For example, the entire 'Gestures' chapter, which features candid shots of various drivers that happen to appear to be making various hand signals, seems to serve little purpose other than a tired attempt at comic relief. Far and away though, it is the text that is Formula One Testing's biggest flaw. The entire book is rife with spelling and punctuation errors, as well as inconsistencies in the way that particular words or terms (such as Formula One) are represented. On more than one occasion, the most fundamental rules of grammar and sentence structure have gone completely out to lunch. There's really no excuse for these types of problems - all of them could have been wiped out had someone taken half an hour to sit down with a cup of coffee and do a spot of proofreading. There are a few other simple additions that would have done much to enhance to enhance the book. The most fundamental is a chapter list at the start - although Formula One Testing is not particularly thick, it is a little irritating to be continually flicking if you're looking for something particular. It would also have been nice of the photos had been dated, because this may sometimes have allowed whatever was being depicted to be put into some kind of context. It is obvious that 'Formula One Testing' was a labour of love, and the Lewis's enthusiasm for Formula One is evident throughout the book. Leafing through the pages, the reader is struck with the feeling that they are looking at a particularly glossy photo album belonging to another fan. The book retails for just under £10, so it's fairly affordable, and the nature of the topic is such that this will be of fairly broad appeal within the global family of Formula One followers. It's not really the kind of book you would find yourself revisiting over and over again though, which is something that you might wish to take into account when evaluating whether this represents good value for money. Despite the flaws, I did enjoy this book. Nevertheless, it's disappointing to see how, with a little extra thought and care, it could have been so much better. All the same, it would be nice to see the Lewis's follow this up with another volume at the end of next year.

Mark Glendenning	© 2000 Kaizar.Com, Incorporated.
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