Faster! A Racer's Diary

Jackie Stewart had a kind of genius. He could extract speed and precision from an automobile in a way that is beyond the comprehension, let alone the ability, of most men. In 1969, after only four years of Formula I competition, he won the World Drivers Championship. He won the championship again in 1971. But 1970, the year Stewart relives in Faster!, was a difficult year. Because of the machinations of racing politics, he was left with an uncompetitive car. During the year his two best friends, Jochen Rindt and Piers Courage, were killed while racing. Adversity and honesty forced Stewart to reexamine his motivations, and the result is a penetrating look at big-time auto racing. In his diary, Jackie Stewart goes behind the surface of a glamorous career to show why a man is compelled to risk his life in the quest for victory. Faster! is co-authored by Peter Manso, a writer and former college professor. Their disparate backgrounds and sensibilities make Stewart and Manso an unusual team. Together they give us an unforgettable portrait of a complex man and his dangerous profession.