I have just finished reading Adam Cooper's wonderful book, "Piers Courage - Last of The Gentleman Racers", and would unhesitatingly describe it as one of the most evocative and moving motorsport books which I have ever encountered.
This biography succeeds because of the author's meticulous research and sympathetic style, but also because of the subject himself. Piers Courage was not just a racing driver, but also moved in social circles which encompassed both the British establishment and Swinging London. As a result, his story is also to a large extent a chronicle of a whole era.
Adam Cooper took great care to obtain the recollections and thoughts of those closest to Piers, and these memories greatly add to the narrative.
Apart from the impression one gains of the fascinating and informal motor racing scene of the 1960s, it also emphasises how things have changed. The drivers and their families were a close-knit community, and commercialism was in its infancy. Some of the most heart-warming chapters in the book dealt with Piers' adventures in the Temporada series in South America and the Tasman series in Australia and New Zealand. Vivid tales of an era long since disappeared.
Of course, during that period danger was a constant theme, and the book deals intelligently with the reactions of the drivers and their loved-ones to the risks involved, and the loss of friends. The story of Piers' fatal accident at Zandvoort in 1970, and its aftermath, are dealt with sensitively but candidly, and I for one was immensely moved by these passages.
The biography also left me with a greatly enhanced knowledge of that whole epoch of racing, particularly how highly regarded Courage was by his peers and the motor racing community. It seems that he was close at times to joining both Lotus and Ferrari, and the portents for his sportscar career also seemed favourable. A balanced approach is taken to assessing his merits as a driver, and how he sought to address his perceived weaknesses.
Overall, a superb piece of work, and highly recommended for all racing fans.
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