Reviewed by Kim Henson
Author: Peter Osborne
Published by: ‘From the Driving Seat’: www.fromthedrivingseat.com
260 pages (A4 landscape pages, paperback)
UK Price: £29.95 including p. and p; order direct from the publisher, website details above.
ISBN: 978-1-3999-7834-7
This comprehensive book covers, in superb colour photographs taken by author Peter Osborne, and with concise yet detailed race reporting by Jeremy Walton and Peter, highlights of the classic racing seen annually, and loved by the crowds, at the Silverstone Classic Festival. This annual event was formerly known as the Silverstone Classic, then the Classic Silverstone. The photographs and reports date back to 2012, and race results from each year are also included.
It’s all here, from Historic Formula Junior to Historic Formula One, including single seaters and saloons, and captures perfectly the wheel-to-wheel racing, the heart-in-mouth moments when the grass and the barriers beyond loom all too closely at times, and the sheer exhilaration of the largest Classic racing event in the world.
I enjoyed working my way through the book, marvelling at the crisp images which really bring to life the most magical moments of more than a decade of classic racing at Silverstone. I found that the more I looked at each photograph, the more detail revealed itself in each ‘capture of the moment’
I also enjoyed learning more about the cars and the drivers depicted in the photographs; throughout this book the text and captions impart much helpful information, making the experience of reading it all the more enjoyable and useful.
VERDICT
Excellent! Peter Osborne is a master of his photographic art, and I revelled in studying the fruits of his labours behind his lenses, so beautifully captured in this book.
I was also impressed by the text and captions, jointly put together by Peter with Jeremy Walton, both very knowledgeable guys in terms of the motor racing scene – and this intrepid pair have worked well together for more than 50 years…
If you have even a minor interest in classic cars and motor racing, my advice is to invest £29.95 so that you too can enjoy this wonderful book.