The Racers: How an Outcast Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Challenged Hitler’s Best (Scholastic Focus)

Neal Bascomb has written some great books such as “Higher” and “The Winter Fortress” but “Faster” in my opinion captures the best of the previous titles referenced with additional narrative nuances such as anecdotal details, the use of setting to capture the drama and spirit of Grand Prix auto racing, and historical context of the times juxtaposed with the historical context of European auto racing in the 1930’s, making this Bascomb’s best to date. Well researched with great bios of the drivers makes this a fantastic read!! This book is more than a book about auto racing… It is a book that focuses of the spirit, determination, endeavor and hubris of humanity.

After reading initial reviews, I was expecting a good book when I ordered this one. What I got was a gem that shines out among books about racing history and social history as well. I have been involved in auto racing my entire life and am a perpetual student of the history of all things racing. This book combines fascinating biographies of racers, designers, engineers, manufacturers and sponsors from The United States to the European continent and beyond. It all takes place during the 1930\’s as Hitler\’s Third Reich arose and engulfed so much of the culture in its geographic sphere. The framework of Bascomb\’s articulate and fascinating book is the Grand Prix racing circuit that was largely dominated by Hitler\’s pet automakers, Mercedes and Auto Union, with their exquisitely engineered performance demons, the Silver Arrows, piloted by the most talented and successful drivers of the day. Challenging this automotive powerhouse was American heiress Lucy Schell (a successful rally racer in her own right), her French race cars made by underdog Dellahaye and obscure driver Rene Dreyfus, a Jewish ace rejected by the Reich machine. Events culminate in a showdown at a wartime Grand Prix wherein Dreyfuss and the Schell team beat the Germans in a highly contentious setting. I especially liked Bascomb\’s portrayals of other drivers involved in the Grand Prix arena, including the Reich drivers who were not competing for the greater glory of the Reich as was expected by Hitler, but rather competing for the love of the sport. Anyone would enjoy this book, do not make the mistake of passing it thinking it is only about racing !

I knew Rene Dreyfus. But don\’t be impressed. So did every other amateur and professional racer and serious automotive enthusiast who lived within a hundred miles of his Manhattan restaurant, Le Chanteclair. He remembered us all and greeted us not lavishly but kindly–always a welcome that made one feel just a bit special. Neal Bascomb\’s book fills in all the details Dreyfus\’s life of which I was unaware, and it does it in an immensely readable and well-researched way. Not only is the writing wonderfully accessible to readers who might not be motorheads, this is a book that should go on the most accessible shelf of any automotive enthusiast\’s library.

This is a good story, told in a workmanlike manner. No more, no less. I found the climax to the book a little \”anti-climactic, however. The racing scenes are nicely described, though I did spot what I believed were a couple of minor technical errors. Unlike a lot of automobile racing tales, this one does a very good job of fleshing-out the personalities of the main characters without making caricatures of them.

This is a multi-faceted story that features famous European drivers of the 1930s like René Dreyfus, Rudi Caracciola, Tazio Nuvolari, and others who were at various times friends, enemies and always competitors. Of all the famous race cars we know today – Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, Ferrari, Mercedes, Maserati, etc. – the Delahaye 155 is among the least remembered. Hitler and his Nazis touted Germany superiority in all areas, auto racing included. The Mercedes and Auto Union cars were taking the checkered flag more and more. They were unmatched in speed on the straightaways. But on the 2.8 km track at Pau, they were soundly defeated in the Grand Prix. The author, Neal Bascomb, does a remarkable job in describing various races, curve by curve, downshift by downshift. Readers who like that style would also enjoy Boys in the Boat (Daniel Brown) and Seabiscuit (Laura Hillenbrand.)

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