Ken Tyrell: The Authorised Biography

Ken Tyrell: The Authorised Biography by Hamilton, Maurice. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780007143764.

One of the most respected figures in Formula 1 for nearly four decades, Ken Tyrrell discovered Jackie Stewart and went on to win 33 grands prix and three world championships as an independent team owner. This biography provides an expose of the man himself, and an insight into the drama and excitement of the world of Formula 1 motor racing. The former timber merchant arrived late on the F1 scene at the age of 23. Early successes in the 1950s were followed by a move into team management, where he scraped and scrounged the money to build his own F1 team. His biographer charts Tyrrells dramatic debut, how he persuaded a young Jackie Stewart to join his new team, a triumphant World Championship win in only their second season, and how the car, with Stewart at the wheel, went on to win 25 grands prix for the team. The book goes behind the scenes at the team HQ in Surrey, where Tyrrell built his prototype six-wheeled F1 car under cloak-and-dagger secrecy. It examines Tyrrells relationship with drivers such as Jody Scheckter, Ronnie Peterson and Stewart, and his vital role in the development of the sport. And it delves into the murkier side of F1 - the politics, the battles between the haves and the have-nots - as well as Tyrrells moving battle against the cancer that eventually took his life.