Gerry Marshall : His Authorised Biography

I can't overstate how much seeing Gerry Marshall race inspired me and my interest in cars, seeing Gerry race was a treat that made me return time and again to Brands Hatch to witness him push his car, an Aston Martin at the time, round the circuit with brilliance.  I was very much saddened by his death and have been waiting for his authorised biography to appear.

Gerry's son Gregor along with 'Only Here For The Beer' writer Jeremy Walton present 256 pages of words and pictures to give us all a reminder of the larger than life character that Gerry was.  The bumpf on the book reads thusly : "Gerry Marshall was a legendary figure in British motorsport from the mid-1960s until his death in 2005. A larger-than-life character in every way, Gerry's outrageous behaviour, humour, outspokenness and legendary capacity for alcohol combined to ensure that no social event with his presence will ever be forgotten, while his amazing car control, tenacity and natural showmanship provided wonderful entertainment for thousands of racegoers over a 40-year career in which he won more than 600 races. This lavishly illustrated tribute will be treasured by all of Gerry's fans."

Without a doubt one of the greatest British racing drivers ever, he is very much deserving of your time and attention.  With the photos coming from Gregor Marshall's archive you can be sure that you are getting the authentic view.  I'd trade any biography for the chance to see him race again, but now the book is what we have, that and the glimpses of his brilliance in videos like the one below.

You can buy Gerry Marshall : His Authorised Biography from good bookshops and from Amazon.