Under the circumstances, Julius could have been forgiven for failing somewhat to keep his sense of self-importance in check. Clever people that they were, though, the Romans had already thought of that. So as the great leader moved through the heart of his mighty empire, a couple of aides would walk a few steps behind him, whispering 'Remember, thou art mortal'. Translation: It's OK for all these teeming masses to think that you are a borderline god, but don't go getting any delusions yourself.

Heroes are important, and no doubt they were a major element of all of our formative years as motorsport fans. But many racers that you speak to – and some motorsport journalists, for that matter – profess to have left all that behind. I'm not sure that they are being totally honest with themselves, and I for one freely admit to feeling a mild need to pinch myself whenever I meet someone like Jack Brabham (and he retired before I was even born!). I think a little bit of good old enthusiasm for the sport and those that excel in it is a good thing. It sure beats being jaded.

Such enthusiasm is also a major driving force – in fact, probably the driving force – behind a lot of motorsport books that hit the shelves nowadays, particularly those with an historical leaning. Enthusiasm was very clearly a powerful motivator when John Tipler was producing this new biography of Graham Hill.

Tipler is an author for whom I have a lot of respect – I thought that his book on the Lotus 25 & 33 was pretty good, and have heard positive noises about some of his other work. But this time, unfortunately, I think he's fallen a little short of the mark. I would never argue against the suitability of Hill's career for further study. Gifted in the manner of contemporaries like Clark and Stewart he might not have been, but two world championships, an Indy 500 win, a Le Mans win, and a ludicrous string of success at Monaco points to a driver who had something that a lot of others did not.

But there are times in this biography that Tipler's reverence for Hill becomes more than a mild annoyance, and begins to cloud the author's judgement.

One such instance is when Tipler gently chastises Tony Rudd for daring to suggest that Hill knew little about the inner workings of an engine. Rudd, one would think, was probably better positioned than just about anybody else on the planet to make such an observation. Tipler, on the other hand, rebuffs the comment partially on the flimsy basis that Hill possessed a general mechanical aptitude.

Another disappointing aspect to this book is one that emerges alarmingly frequently. I had a fairly fundamental knowledge of Hill's career before I sat down to read 'Master of Motor Sport'. By the time I reached the final page, I felt that I had a rudimentary knowledge with a few extra details added. This is less a biography, and more an extensively annotated race-by-race account of Hill's career. This is problematic for two reasons. Firstly, in skimming over Graham Hill's life outside the cockpit, the author lessens the reader's opportunity to actually learn something about the driver as a person. And second, reading one race report after another quickly becomes very tedious indeed.

I am also aware that other readers of this book have detected a number of factual errors. I did notice the rather odd designation of the Ford GT-40 as the Lola-Ford. OK, it's kind of correct, but given that the GT-40 (or Ford GT, as it was known during its heyday) is now the accepted name for the car, it is hard to see the point in confusing the issue. But I will confess that any other errors in the text slipped past me. Nevertheless, it's something worth keeping in mind if you're using this book for any kind of research.

I applaud Tipler's efforts in producing this book, especially because it's always nice to see an historical book written about somebody other than Fangio, Clark, or Moss. (And I suppose Senna just about qualifies now as well). It is obvious that a fair bit of work has gone into the research for this, with a wide variety of sources, both primary and secondary, having been consulted.