Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #144492 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 306 pages

Synopsis
This is the story of the boy who proves fairytales do come true. The boy who grew up on a council estate, who, at the tender age of 22, came through against all the odds to dominate and revolutionise the world of motor racing. Thrown in at the deep end 'on a mighty whim' by F1 team owner Ron Dennis, Lewis Hamilton began his 2007 debut season with several podium finishes - and is surely in the running for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year 2007. He has done better than anyone could have predicted: not only has he had to combat his own nerves and fears; he has had to overcome a dissenter within his own camp. With behind-the-scenes insight into the intense rivalry between Hamilton and his team mate Fernando Alonso which threatened to derail the young Briton's dream, bestselling sports author, Frank Worrall describes how the rookie rose above his critics, keeping his dignity and emerging triumphant as he racked up sensational wins around the world.But the boy-wonder's stellar rise through the motor racing ranks from karting to the hotly contested F3 Superprix and onto the F1 podium was by no means straightforward.

Lewis' racing career began aged just six, when his father, holding down three jobs to support his son's blossoming career, bought him his first go-kart. Life was always a challenge - against the backdrop of racial inequality, Lewis was faced with the heartache of his parents' divorce and his anguish for half-brother Nicholas, who suffers from cerebral palsy, but these setbacks only made Hamilton more determined to succeed. The breakthrough came when he was ten on meeting McLaren boss Ron Dennis at an awards ceremony. Lewis told him, 'I'm going to race for you one day...I'm going to race for McLaren.' Two years later he contacted Dennis and the big man signed him to McLaren's development programme.By 2007 he could hold him back no longer. This is the remarkable story of the boy who has been called 'The Tiger Woods of F1'. Hamilton's is a tale of glory against the odds which reads like the script of a Hollywood movie. But this is not fiction: this is the real-life story of a record-breaking season and a legend in the making.

Customer Reviews

A ridiculous mistake
I hope Mr Worrall is better as a writer than as a fortune teller... His predictions about the result of the 2007 F1 championship, as we know, went completely wrong, and it reminds me of what should be the first goal of any biographer: to provide honest and clear information about his/her subject, and not trying to foresee the future, with the risk of making ridiculous mistakes like this one. The book is not definitely a remarkable one, but at least will we remembered as one of the funniest mistakes of this year of 2007.

The right formula...
Just finished reading this fascinating account of the rise and rise of Lewis Hamilton. Frank Worrall's book is well researched and full of brilliant anecdotes that give a real insight into Hamilton's character - and what has driven him to such success at such a young age. An inspiring read.

Turning Japanese, I really think so....
I LAUGHED ALONG WITH THE REST OF THEM WHEN I SAW FRANK WORRALL'S PREDICTION THAT LEWIS WOULD WIN BY JAPAN, BUT THE BOY'S NEAR ENOUGH DONE IT. WELL DONE FRANK FOR STICKING YOUR NECK OUT - I HAVE JUST READ YOUR BOOK ON LEWIS AND THINK IT IS TREMENDOUS, ESPECIALLY ENJOYED LEARNING ABOUT HIS BACKGROUND. HOW ABOUT A BOOK ON ALONSO NEXT?
PS FRANK, CAN YOU HAVE A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE AND TELL US WHERE ALONSO WILL BE RACING NEXT SEAOSN SO WE CAN GET A BET ON NOW. ALL CREDIT TO ALOSNO, THE RIVALRY BETWEEN THE TWO LADS HAS REALLY MADE THE SEASON EXCITING.