Go Like Hell

I don't know if this has been discussed here yet. I picked this up at the local bookseller. It's basically an in-depth account of Ferrari v. Ford in FIA sportscar racing and mostly LeMans in the 60s. I'm about 3/4 through and I'm finding it very interesting and hard to put down. It covers a lot of stories you kind of hear about in enthusiast/racing circles but goes really deeply into them.

Although only mentioned in the first part of the chronological book, which focused mostly on the late 50s and early 60s, I find myself wishing I was around in the days when a shed-built car had a chance at LeMans and when a car, mostly unchanged, was still competitive after a couple of seasons. And when broke, young guys said, 'hey let's start a race team!' and they did without any capital and were successful. By the middle of the book racing had got to the point that this was no longer possible.

It's full of big names, fast cars, and really interesting behind-the-scenes Ferrari factory and Ford factory stuff.

Sweet! I'll have to look that one up, sounds good.

The graphic on the cover made me think it was a book about laundry detergent at first glance....go like Tide.

Sounds like an interesting book. Those days are long since gone, but also remember how many people died racing back then and it's not quite so nostalgic. I would've loved to been there and been part of it though.

I feel like a dinosaur, having been crew with a privateer in IMSA in the 80's. Dirt cheap car, but we ran with, and beat, factory cars. Including the Ferrari F 40's at Watkins Glen. Yeah, we had good drivers, including Ron Fellows, but it was a very Grassroots team. The Good Old Days.

cwh wrote: I feel like a dinosaur, having been crew with a privateer in IMSA in the 80's. Dirt cheap car, but we ran with, and beat, factory cars. Including the Ferrari F 40's at Watkins Glen. Yeah, we had good drivers, including Ron Fellows, but it was a very Grassroots team. The Good Old Days.

cwh, are you able to tell us what team? I probably flagged a race or two that y'all were running.

I am on vacation, and I picked up Driving Like Crazy, and Go Like Hell, I am almost done with Driving...good book by P.J. O'Rourke...and I cannot wait to read Go...I love the whole underdog tale...

I was thinking this was an Omni thread

FGC_ Most of the time I was with Del Taylor's team, did a couple of races with Kenny Bupp. Del had been a factory driver for Alfa Romeo way back in the day, and was a very talented driver. Somehow he hooked up with Ron when he was just starting to get serious about racing. Del's cars always looked like junk, mismatched panels, bad paint, just raggedy looking. But, we had a complete selection of excellent motors, both legal and not. IIRC, 331 to 420ci SBC. If we knew we were going to get creamed, in went the bad boy. If we expected to be competitive, legal. The Ferrari's were garaged next to us at the Glen, rolling works of art. We looked like street bums in comparison. Beat two of them, the third one never got on the track. At Mosport, Ron set a track record with that junker. Competing against factory Mustangs and Camaros. We did not do so well against the Audis. Good days.

Grtechguy wrote: I was thinking this was an Omni thread

Kind of, Go Like Hell has a lot of Shelby content.

cwh wrote: FGC_ Most of the time I was with Del Taylor's team, did a couple of races with Kenny Bupp. Del had been a factory driver for Alfa Romeo way back in the day, and was a very talented driver. Somehow he hooked up with Ron when he was just starting to get serious about racing. Del's cars always looked like junk, mismatched panels, bad paint, just raggedy looking. But, we had a complete selection of excellent motors, both legal and not. IIRC, 331 to 420ci SBC. If we knew we were going to get creamed, in went the bad boy. If we expected to be competitive, legal. The Ferrari's were garaged next to us at the Glen, rolling works of art. We looked like street bums in comparison. Beat two of them, the third one never got on the track. At Mosport, Ron set a track record with that junker. Competing against factory Mustangs and Camaros. We did not do so well against the Audis. Good days.

I think I remember that guy. He was the one that had the Chevron-Buick in the early 80s, right? And later ran that Firebird in GTO & SCCA Trans Am? I never knew Ron drove one of those cars.

FGC- Yup, that's the guy. Ron drove the car in GTO configuration in 5 or 6 races, and ran the piss out of it. We also had Dorsey Shroeder hang around with us, too. He was chasing after a female part of our crew.

cwh wrote: FGC- Yup, that's the guy. Ron drove the car in GTO configuration in 5 or 6 races, and ran the piss out of it. We also had Dorsey Shroeder hang around with us, too. He was chasing after a female part of our crew.

Sounds like Dorsey! Some of the stories he used to tell us Corner Workers are legend.

One year at Mosport, Del had all of us, (5guys, 1 girl) in one hotel room. He brought us dinner- 2 medium pizzas, a two liter Coke. Cheapass!

Boom - Movie time

http://jalopnik.com/tom-cruise-could-play-carroll-shelby-in-the-movie-of-go-1451587424

This is the first book I have read in probably 10 years. It was definently hard to put down.

One of my favorite parts is when Shelby is meeting Iaccoca for the first time in Iaccoca's office. Shelby is so wound up that Iaccoca tells his secretary "get this man a check and get him out of here before he bites someone." Probably my favorite line out of any book.

Enyar wrote: Boom - Movie time http://jalopnik.com/tom-cruise-could-play-carroll-shelby-in-the-movie-of-go-1451587424

Tom Cruise?! WTF? It's irrational but I can't stand looking at Tom Cruise for an hour and a half anymore. Damned shame Paul Newman isn't alive. He could do the role. I'd rather see Eric Bana play the part. At least he's a real car guy AND raced a Ford.

The way Ferrari treated John Surtees is almost unbelievable. Stress on "almost."

I read it last year. GREAT read. Absolutely fascinating. There were some cold bastards in charge back then.

I wonder if Hollywood could treat this story well. Especially after Rush bombed.

Definitely a movie I would watch....the book was great.

Just put it on hold at my local library