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AuthorHouse UK - Rick Shortle

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134 pages

English

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Description

An intimate account of FF1600 racing and the people and cars that make it what it is, through one man’s storied career.
'His first book 'Full Circle' was one of those reads you could not put down once you'd started it. Rick related stories and events through his life from being a cheeky-chappy looking for sponsors, dare-devil antics and serious scrapes on speedway bikes to FF1600's and beyond - into saloon cars. This book in contrast, details the racing career itself focussing inevitably on the diverse range of cars, serious competitive drivers of character and fame, Martin Down, a life long friend and car designer, as well as the race engineers and sponsors. It is a very easy read full of surprises and ... did I mention Tom Cruise?'
- 'Russell Houchin, Sponsor and Friend

Sujets

Sport

Autour du sport

Histoire du sport

Autres sports

Sports mécaniques

Sport mécanique

Motor Sports

Sports

Racing

Recreation

Course de lévriers

Formula One

Life

Informations

Publié par	AuthorHouse UK
Date de parution	22 janvier 2023
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9798823080187
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0250€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

BY CHANCE
RICK SHORTLE

AuthorHouse™ UK
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403 USA
www.authorhouse.co.uk
Phone: UK TFN: 0800 0148641 (Toll Free inside the UK) UK Local: (02) 0369 56322 (+44 20 3695 6322 from outside the UK)

© 2023 Rick Shortle. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/19/2023

ISBN: 979-8-8230-8019-4 (sc)
ISBN: 979-8-8230-8020-0 (hc)
ISBN: 979-8-8230-8018-7 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
CONTENTS
Introduction by Brian Varney
Introduction by Russell Houchin
By Chance

Chapter 1 Grass Track
Chapter 2 Speedway
Chapter 3 My Time at Hackney Hospitall
Chapter 4 Recovery and Decision Time
Chapter 5 Brands Hatch, Here I Come
Chapter 6 Single Seaters or Saloons?
Chapter 7 Enter Martin Down of Getem gd Racing
Chapter 8 My Big Day
Chapter 9 A Call from Getem gd Racing
Chapter 10 Trying to Raise Sponsorship
Chapter 11 My First Outing in the Getem GD112
Chapter 12 1982 A Learning Year
Chapter 13 The Learning Year Begins
Chapter 14 The 1983 Dunlop Autosport Star of Tomorrow Championship
Chapter 15 Unexpected
Chapter 16 1984 FF1600 John Player Special Champion of Brands
Chapter 17 Brian Varney
Chapter 18 Back to the 1984 Champion Of Brands
Chapter 19 My Cruel Blow
Chapter 20 Was This the Right Decision?
Chapter 21 The RAC National FF1600 Championship
Chapter 22 Welcome, Rob Cresswell Racing Services
Chapter 23 A Taste of FF2000
Chapter 24 Back to FF1600 and FF2000
Chapter 25 1985 FF1600 Festival
Chapter 26 1985 BBC TV FF2000 Grandstand Series
Chapter 27 1986 Champion of Brands, Bring it On With Title Contender Jamun Pilot Chris Hall Get Ready, Ricky Boy, for Battles Royal
Chapter 28 Rac Townsend FF1600 Championship at Brands Hatch.
Chapter 29 More of Working Within Motorsport
Chapter 30 Brian Jones the One and Only Voice of Brands Hatch.
Chapter 31 Welcome, Jacky and Isabel Epstein
Chapter 32 New Race Cars to be Built AT Brands Hatch
Chapter 33 Fun AND Frolics at the Race School
Chapter 34 Hovercraft Pilot
Chapter 35 Working at the Ideal Home Exhibition London
Chapter 36 1987 No Sponsorship
Chapter 37 Wow, Thanks, Mr Webb
Chapter 38 1987 Brands Hatch Leisure -British Sports 2000 Championship
Chapter 39 Saloons for Me in 1988
Chapter 40 Canterbury Mortgage Centre and Jeremy Axworthy
Chapter 41 A Learning Year in Honda CRX.
Chapter 42 The Willhire 24 Hour Race at Snetterton Circuit, Norfolk
Chapter 43 1989 Honda CRX with Dennis Bunning, Island Garage, Stafford.
Chapter 44 1990 Honda CRX Ian Taylor-AB Glass-Vic Lee.
Chapter 45 CLUB 89
Chapter 46 Whippet Motorsport
Chapter 47 More Opportunities Work-Wise
Chapter 48 John Webb Sells Brands Hatch Leisure
Chapter 49 By Chance
Chapter 50 The 1991 Honda CRX Challenge with Getem GD Racing
Chapter 51 Martin Down R.I.P 15 th November 2019
Chapter 52 The Following Years
Chapter 53 The Peter Rogers Celebration Party
Chapter 54 The Orange Army
Chapter 55 R.I.P Brian Jones “The Voice OF Brands”
Chapter 56 2022 Still Involved
Chapter 57 Winding Down

With Special Thanks to

Thanks to my grandson Cameron Patrick Lee for the fantastic front and rear cover design and thanks to Neil Connor for helping me proof this book and at the same time keeping it to my style of writing as many commented about my first book, Full Circle, an Autobiography, that it was like talking to Rick in his front room.
INTRODUCTION BY BRIAN VARNEY
I have known Rick for 40 years, and throughout this time, his loves have always been first family, married over 50 years, and second motor racing.
I first saw an article in our local newspaper referring to this talented plasterer seeking sponsorship to race the Getem ff1600 in the Champion of Brands.
At the time, I was much younger, more prosperous, and enjoyed F1, the Nigel Mansel era, so I got in touch. We organised the RS Consortium of individuals and small businesses and raised the necessary sponsorship and racing.
Getem was a homemade car, and up against top race car manufacturers. Van Dieman (still a leading Formula Ford) and Reynard (who were challenging them for supremacy and went on to build Formula Three race cars). Both manufacturers ran Works teams with massive budgets.
After achieving some success, more success than we could have imagined. We changed cars to the Reynard 84, in my opinion, the best and on par with the Van Dieman; Rick continued his successes supported by another team, “Rob Cresswell Racing Services.”
My most fantastic memory is of him in a photo when he was in the front row, competing against the best drivers in Formula Ford 1600 from around the world. In a support race to the 1985 European F1 Grand Prix, with Nigel Mansel in the foreground. Unfortunately, the gearbox got stuck in second gear, causing Rick to retire.
The only time he did not achieve the success he deserved, was in 1985. When noting the disproportionate success of the car and funds he had, the top manufacturer Reynard offered to give him their latest car and works support for a much-reduced price. Unfortunately, it proved a significant failure and set us back a year. Undeterred, we rented a replacement car and carried on with further success in Formula Ford 1600 and 2000, Sports 2000 and Honda CRX.
All this was achieved due to Rick’s boundless energy and enthusiasm, taking challenges head-on. He recovered from adversity several times in his personal and racing life in Speedway and Motor Racing. He thrived to succeed in everything he did at will; hopefully, you have read Full Circle, the first volume of his Autobiography. If not, I recommend that you purchase it straight away!
Even now, 40 years later, he is still involved in helping to raise sponsorship and mentor other drivers, including an up-and-coming young gun, Matt Luff, who has contested the Milltek Honda Civic Cup over the last couple of years.
Long may it continue, Rick, my good friend and a inspiration to many. Good luck with this second volume of your Autobiography; you deserve it.
Brian Varney
Ashford
Kent
INTRODUCTION BY RUSSELL HOUCHIN
12 years ago, Rick wrote his life story for the grandchildren possibly. Now he’s back with the sequel to that successful Autobiography Full Circle in which he encapsulates his full racing career. It’s a fascinating insight into motor racing in a very different era with vivid memories, archive material and photos from his career. A race drivers read, pure and simple, for those who love the sport and have been involved in its many dimensions: the ups and downs, paddock camaraderie, racing incidents of course, the three on the race podiums and the thousands of other drivers making up the grid, without whom the sport cannot thrive and endure. Every Race driver can relate to the author’s tales, and warm to a guy who loved the thrill and spills of the racetracks in the UK and Europe.
R ussell Houchin
Sponsor for over 40 years
Milton Keynes.
BY CHANCE
My first book, Full Circle An Autobiography, proved to be more successful than I could have imagined. Many that have read it say it’s like chatting with Rick in his front room, so I’m not going to change how I write my books because it works for me, and you, the reader.
My next book, By Chance, will tell the story of my racing years.. I was fortunate enough to have raced in ff1600 in what were my best years ever—the 1980s. Grids often oversubscribed some meetings, I.E., the Silverstone Esso and John Player Champion of Brands would run a couple of heats to make the final. The list of outstanding drivers in that decade was endless, Senna, Johnny Herbert, Roland Ratzenberger, Welsh Wizard Karl Jones, Eddie Irvine, Peter Rogers, Damon Hill, Rick Morris, John Village, Dave Coyne, John Pratt-Perry McCarthy, and Chris Hall. The Rain Master, to name but a few.
The title of my book, By Chance, is what happened. It allowed me by chance to take advantage of the many opportunities that seemed to come my way, and it was up to me to make sure I grabbed these opportunities with both hands.
Because I was dedicated, committed and wanted to win, I became relatively successful in contested formulas. Yes, I won many races, and I’m sure quite a few of you may even have raced against me during the 1980s - 90s.
Like most of us, we never reached the dizzy heights of Formula One. It doesn’t mean there isn’t a story to tell because there is, so read on as this book will hopefully bring back memories to many of you, and maybe those who fancied racing might spur you on.
This time, my book By Chance is for all you motor racing fans; to explain how I got into and eventually earned a living out of the Motor Sports Industry. The great friends I made, and the personalities, I gave tuition.
For many reasons, I consider the following my golden years; therefore, a bulk share of this book is about Fo