Book Log 2012 #20: The Limit by Michael Cannell

The US has never shown a tremendous amount of interest in Formula 1 auto racing. The Indy 500 and NASCAR have dominated US motor sports in popular coverage, and few American drivers have even driven in F1. Which makes it all the more interesting that the first US F1 champion, Phil Hill, claimed his title in 1961. How he got to that point, and his battle to take that title, is the focus of this book.

Well, one focus of this book. The other is the constant specter of death than hung over F1 (and auto racing in general) in the mid-20th century, when races on dangerous (and often ill-planned or maintained) courses coupled with a lack of safety equipment or awareness led to regular fatalities among drivers and spectators alike. The body count in this book staggers belief, especially given how rare (and traumatic) it is today when a driver dies in competition. But the drivers at the time accepted it as a risk of their profession/mania.

Hill had a very specific mania for fast cars, fostered in the California car culture but relocated to Europe early, where he would work as a driver and/or mechanic for Jaguar and Ferrari. His adversary in the 1961 title chase was teammate Wolfgang von Trips, who raced in defiance of his parents, part of the German nobility.

Cannell wrote this book not as a racing fan - he admits to having never seen a race - but as a journalist, which helps him avoid the favoritism that often infects sports writing. It's accessible for anyone interested in auto racing but not familiar with F1. There may be some quibble with Cannell's lack of personal knowledge or his detached approach to writing the book, but I think it gives him enough remove to write the book as he did. It worked for me, at least.