Vroom!: Motoring into the Wild World of Racing.

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

In 1895, the first recorded automobile race averaged a blistering five miles per hour. Midget racing cars thrive on a diet of castor oil that keeps them lubricated and regular. The Indianapolis Speedway is called the Brickyard because its surface was once paved entirely with bricks instead of the usual dirt or wooden boards. These are just a few of the fun facts you will discover in this fascinating book that traces the history and evolution of automobile racing.

Author Tim Miller starts his book at the beginning of the automobile age, when roads were few and rarely paved. He then traces the development of racing from county fairs to cross-country contests called tours. In later chapters, he explores the development of drag racing, formula one, stock cars, and other racing genres.

To support his well-researched text, Miller’s prose is also peppered with dozens of sidebars that explain other interesting facts, such as the origin of the checkered flag used to end a car race, which is descended from picnic blankets that womenfolk used to wave to make their sports-crazed spouses stop racing and come in for lunch. Dozens of colour and vintage photos support the text and if you don’t know a head sock from a war wagon, there is a six-page glossary at the back of the book. This is a great book for burgeoning car buffs. Highly recommended.