Jo Ramirez: Memoirs of a Racing Man

By Jo Ramírez

Book Overview

Jo Ramirez is one of the best-liked and most respected Formula 1 personalities of recent years, and is held in high esteem both inside and outside the Grand Prix paddock. Now in paperback, this his... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1844252388
• ISBN13: 9781844252381
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Haynes Pub Group
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.3" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Jo Ramirez Memoirs Of A Racing Man

Jo Ramirez, one of the most friendly/smart guys in F1.I have been a F1 fan since my first F1 race at Ring 1954 (Fangio MB 196). Met Jo in 1966, when he was a mechanic with Dan Gurney AAR. Gave me a tour of AAR facility at Rye England. At every F1, he would give you a big smile, and even at task at a lot of work,he would always take the time to spend some time talking to you. He invited me to attend his F1 retirement party at Indy 2001. Great/sad party, as he was leaving F1. No friendly smiling faces in F1 in pits now!If you want to learn what goes on in racing you must read this book.Have a very large collection of racing books,and his book, is one of my favorites.

5 stars for what it is, not for what it's not

Yes, it's too little a book to cover so much time but I'd rather have what have what Jo's written than not have it at all. It's not the best racing book I've read but I'm very glad to have it. Jo could've written a 5 volume set of books this size (but the problem would likely be recollection, not lack of subject matter) and the complaints would be "there's too much detail" and "we need a condensed version"... that's this book.

Well told insider's view of racing over 40 years

This is a fun, informative look inside auto racing a 40 year period, starting in Mexico but mostly in Europe. It's properly titled memoirs rather than autobiography. Ramirez is generous and amusing in his tales about almost everyone in the book. He's too modest about his own role. For many pages in the 2nd half of the book it I wanted to know more of what Jo was doing and what the experience was like. The 2nd half also drifts a bit far into celebrities & parties. That plus too little introspection held the book short of 5 stars to me. Jo lived with racing's high level of fatalities in the first 20 years of the book, especially Francois Cevert's accident. He honestly portrays each event. I don't envy him recalling these in the book but a little more of Ramirez himself living through it all would give the book some extra depth. Ramirez's focus is on personalities, anecdotes and memorable events. I don't think anyone else could deal honestly with the Prost-Senna conflicts from up so close and sympathetically with both sides. Even the biggest names here come across as regular people -- but I think it's a reflection of the author's personality. He enjoyed his life in racing and written a book that carries that enjoyment with it.

Good behind the scenes book, but..........

Bottom line is, Jo Ramirez's 40+ years in racing needs more than one book to adequately tell the stories he has experienced. In this 340 page book, he averages covering an entire racing year in the span of about eight pages or fewer. This is an author who worked for Dan Gurney with Indy cars, Trans-Am, and Can-Am cars; worked with Jackie Stewart and Francios Cevert at Tyrrell during the championship and tragic 1973 F1 season; worked with the legendary Wyer Gulf Porsche 917 team; managed the Shadow, Fittipaldi, ATS, and Theodore mid-level F1 teams; and then spends 18 years at the top with Team McLaren! And all this is "crammed" into 340 pages! Honestly, I enjoyed the book. It is good reading for any road racing fan, but it comes across more as an "overview," although in my opinion through no intended fault of Jo Ramirez. He just has way too many good stories needing to be told in much more detail for just one book. It is still enjoyable and worth buying, but wouldn't it be nice to have two sequels: "Memoirs: Stories From The Early Years" and "Memoirs: Stories From the McLaren Years?"

Great Formula 1 Racing Book

I have read many racing books and also many Formula 1 books. I can only say this ine is a must for anyone interested in Formula 1. Prominent racing events from 1963 through 2001 are described by the very well liked Mexican. Jo Ramirez knew every one from the Formula 1 team's mechanics all the way up to Ernie Ecclestone. This book is the best way to understand the very complicated personalities of Ayrton Senna and Ron Dennis from Mc Laren, as no one has described them so well before and he worked with them and also had a personal relationship with both. I will treasure my copy as the best racing book I own.