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Crashed and Byrned: The Greatest Racing Driver You Never Saw
 
 

Crashed and Byrned: The Greatest Racing Driver You Never Saw (Paperback)

by Tommy Byrne (Author), Mark Hughes (Contributor)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
RRP: £10.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 228 pages
  • Publisher: Icon Books Ltd; First Edition (a paperback original) edition (4 Sep 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1848310285
  • ISBN-13: 978-1848310285
  • Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 13.4 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 15,704 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #6 in  Books > Biography > Sport > Formula One & Other Motor Racing
    #7 in  Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Motor Sports > Formula One

Product Description

Review

"For all the rollicking yarns, this is a tale of talent wasted, but in spite (or perhaps because) of that, it is far more honest - and funny - than the anodyne autobiographies of many more successful drivers." --Independent on Sunday, Sept 08


Review

"One of the most extraordinary sporting autobiographies you are likely to come across"

Inside This Book (Learn More)
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews
5 star:
 (10)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Hurricane Byrne!, 5 Sep 2008
By A. T. Airey "Sniffer" (Huntingdon, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is some journey!

Barely believable, 'Crashed and Byrned' somehow twists through the apposite worlds of grubby 1970's O'Connell street, the 1982 Las Vegas Grand Prix and a seedy mansion in drug addled Mexico. Why? Because Tommy Byrne was chasing his quest to make the motor racing world realise that he was the most naturally gifted racing driver of his generation (and that is no idle boast by the way). And what is more, this book does it in a kind of surreal innocence that would be quite at home in a Hunter S.Thompson yarn!

Tommy Byrne will generally only be known to racing people but his story is so unique that he and his adventures will be enjoyed by those who have never seen a motor race in their lives before. This story will surely become a classic alternative to the bland and colourless publications that modern sports stars often produce.

It wasn't so much that Tommy was anti establishment it was more like he created his own establishment and then whether it was his fault or not, trashed it in a bright haze of his own brilliance and confidence. This had an uncanny knack of rubbing people up the wrong way. Ron Dennis was one of these people, so was Ayrton Senna. Years before Eddie Irvine was getting a slap from the great Brazilian champion, another and more gifted urchin from the Emerald Isle was getting under Ayrton's skin! Put bluntly, if John Lydon and Phil Lynott had raised a bastard child that took up motor racing, then his name would have been Tommy Byrne.

The anecdotes are told in a fabulously honest and more often than not comic fashion. There is no self pity and no 'what ifs'. These are left to the reader, who by the end of it are likely to ask these questions quietly to themselves. His 'tell it, how he saw it' descriptions of situations and people are quite superb, brutally honest and tremendously funny. In these days of wretched PR sheen this book takes you back to an era when genius 'literally' stole. It's sports answer to 'The filth and the fury!'

Put together in a simple and effective way by Mark Hughes, who proves that he is as subtly adept at translating these unforgettable memories of racings greatest roguish lost talent' as he is of acutely detailing the weekly technical and strategic aspects of the current Grand Prix scene in Autosport magazine. Hughes also offers an oversight to Byrne's memories, dipping in to the likes of Gary Anderson and Ron Dennis himself, for a revisionist perspective twenty five years on from 'Hurricane Byrne.'!

Above all, it tells of an ambitious and talented young man who was fighting a desperate and constantly losing battle to be accepted by an elitist sport that even by the standards of the early 1980's found Tommy Byrne just too much of a risk. It cannot be recommended highly enough.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible read - what a story!, 17 Sep 2008
Just extraordinary. What a fantastic read. If you could imagine an unlikely cross between Angela's Ashes and Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas with a loose motor racing backdrop, this is it. It has you in hysterics one moment, full of sadness the next. The most amazing sports biography I've ever read. In fact even if it was a work of fiction, it would still work. If you never buy another book again, you must buy this one.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved the book, what a read I couldn't put it down., 11 Sep 2008
By J. Scott (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I loved the book, gripping from the beginning and a great read all through. The Racing stuff is very interesting but it's not just a book about racing the strange characters that Tommy encounters through his life you just couldn't make up!

Full throttle racing, money, steeling, sex, drugs and rock and roll (without the rock and roll).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Complete and utter rubbish
Wow - what a truly terrible book. I read the reviews and thought I would give it a go - even though I had never heard of Tommy Byrne - strange since I grew up around motor racing... Read more
Published 19 days ago by D. Lloyd

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting-wonderful book
This book is a MUST for every true fan of racing driving-an excellent purchase and very well written, full of interesting facts.
Published 20 days ago by S. Murphy

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fabulous Book
A very enjoyable and fascinating read. A must for anyone who tracked the racing scene back in the early eighties. It will shock you time and time again. Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. D. Norris

5.0 out of 5 stars Crashed and Byrned
This is a no holds barred on how getting to Formula 1 was (and probably still is) if you do not have the financial backing required when Tommy raced. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mrs. Elaine Little

3.0 out of 5 stars Byrned language
Crashed and Byrned: The Greatest Racing Driver You Never Saw
I have been a follower of F1 for many years, but I do not remember Tommy Byrne. Read more
Published 7 months ago by L. M. Bray

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Great book with insight into a troubled life. The balls of the man are unbelieveable! Recommended reading for any racing fan! Read more
Published 7 months ago by K. S. Bhambra

3.0 out of 5 stars Four letter words and sleeze
I am very much inclined to the views expressed by Mr Allen. Some people may think that a liberal dose of four letter words makes for a great book- I don't subscribe to such a... Read more
Published 7 months ago by D. J. Folland

3.0 out of 5 stars Never quite made it to the big time for me.
I bought this book after reading the other reviews and to be honest was disapointed. Tommy Byrne got very far in motor racing on pure talent at a time when the politics and... Read more
Published 8 months ago by G. ALLEN

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book.
I am a motor racing fan since the early seventies and have read quite a few motor racing biographies. This one is by far the best. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Luis F. A. Galvao

5.0 out of 5 stars Break from the norm
This is the first time that I have written a review. Must say that this book make a nice refreshing change from other biography books in that it opens up many debates and puts you... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Lee S.

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