1 1/2-litre Grand Prix Racing: Low Power, High Tech

This is the story of a Grand Prix formula that no British constructor wanted but became one that they would almost totally dominate. It has remained largely overlooked due to the perception that the cars were underpowered and hence unspectacular. Such a perception ignores the significant technical developments that took place that are now taken for granted, such as monocoque chassis construction. It saw the career of Stirling Moss came to a premature end but in his absence the rise to prominence of a new breed of British drivers in Jim Clark, Graham Hill and John Surtees.?The book paints a complete picture of the 1Ω-litre F1, the 21 marques and 101 drivers that took part in one or more of the 46 GPs between 1961 and 1965. Many of the marques and the majority of the drivers made little or no impact, yet their contributions deserve to be remembered.

Mark Whitelock ?s enthusiasm for motor sport was first sparked when his father took him to Goodwood on Easter Monday 1957. His knowledge of the sport grew over the 1960s giving him a special affinity with the 1Ω-litre Formula 1. By the early 1990s he had become disillusioned by contemporary Grand Prix racing and turned his attention to historic racing in which he already had an interest, having been a keen supporter of the revival of motor sport at Goodwood.?He retired from a career in banking in 1999 to his East Sussex home and began writing for pleasure.