Crashed and Byrned: The Greatest Racing Driver You Never Saw

Winner of the William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year Award

“One of the most extraordinary sporting autobiographies you are likely to come across.”—Daily Telegraph

Crashed and Byrned is the thrilling tale of a poverty-stricken kid’s rise to become the only driver Formula One legend Ayrton Senna ever feared—and how it all went wrong from there. For a brief moment Tommy Byrne was arguably the world’s greatest driver, the equivalent of Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali rolled into one. But in a sport where talent isn’t always as important as the money you bring to the table, he was almost doomed from the start. With all the chips stacked against him, he became the 1980 Double British Formula Ford 1600 champion, the 1981 British Formula Ford 2000 champion and the European Formula Ford 2000 champion. In 1982—having also become British F3 champion—he entered F1, but by the following year had disappeared without trace.

This is the true story of Byrne’s improbable escape from the streets of Dundalk, Ireland, his rapid rise, and his fall from grace. From his hardscrabble childhood to navigating Irish sectarian violence, and from the spectacular trials of the racing circuit in the 1980s to the time he spent driving for a rich, gun-toting Mexican playboy—Byrne’s memoir details how he finally found peace within himself and became an instructor for high school students, professional drivers (Al Unser III), and rock stars (Vince Neil) alike. Peppered with dark humor, the insights of fellow F1 racers, and a cast of over-the-top characters, this book is raw, passionate, and—with Byrne’s ability to tell it like it is—not for the faint-hearted.

TOMMY BYRNE is the father of three and now makes his home in the United States, dividing his time between Daytona, Florida and Lexington, Ohio where he teaches at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

MARK HUGHES is one of sport’s top journalists. His books on Formula One include the critically acclaimed Lewis Hamilton: The Full Story and Speed Addicts, which won the Illustrated Sports Book of the Year.