Author Description

A tribute to a charismatic motor racing hero, this biography of James Hunt examines in close-up the life and times of one of the last British sporting eccentrics. With his devil-may-care attitude and cavalier approach to living, Hunt endeared himself to the British motor racing public, driving for Lord Hesketh's Formula One team and later, in 1976, for McLaren during his World Championship-winning season. But alongside the triumphant moments came the inevitable darker side - the drugs, the alcohol and the women. The book reveals the truth about his playboy image, and explains Hunt's successful transition from hero of the track and social celebrity to articulate BBC television commentator, breeder of budgies and energetic cyclist. These are the memoirs that Hunt had always planned to write with author Gerald Donaldson before his sudden death of a heart attack, aged 45. This is the official biography, written with the full approval of the family estate.