When our Natalie raced in the 750 MC’s Kit Car Championship one of the friendliest competitors was Dave Roberts. He’s just written this excellent book

Chiselbury, the independent publisher, is pleased to announce the republication of ‘The Blunt End of the Grid’ by author Dave Roberts.  When first issued it was shortlisted for the Royal Automobile Club’s ‘Motoring Book of the Year’ in 2019.

This is a book which tells the story of the world of amateur motor racing. Far from the glamorous world of Formula One, it describes the real challenges, spills and thrills of the sport that grips thousands of ‘ordinary’ men and women up and down the country and across the world.

Dave Roberts started circuit racing at the age of 50, feeling like a bumbling overweight bee amid a swarm of angry hornets.  Although he began to learn, haphazardly, how to become slightly more credible as a racer, even overtaking another car now and then, the pursuit of prizes was never at the top of the list of priorities.  In fact, just arriving at the track with a working race car was often a cause for celebration.

Dave is no Hamilton or Verstappen, a state of affairs for which he gives thanks.  Some people believe winning is everything; some think of motorsport as being just some cars going round and round making a noise.  In between, we find this defiantly unprofessional memoir, which speaks most of all about the humour and fun of it all.

‘The Blunt End of the Grid’ is available for purchase in paperback here, from all good – and bad, no doubt – bookshops (ISBN: 978-1-908291-96-7) and worldwide from Amazon. It is also available in epub format here and from all major ePub platforms, including as a Kindle edition from Amazon ENDS.