Driven to Crime: True stories of wrongdoing in motor racing

The Best! A must for anyone into car racing (all types, any era) & "true crime". Tons of detail I'd never heard about on the stories I was already familiar with. And never, ever heard at all about the rest! Covers a lot of criminal activity regarding people still in NASCA, F1, INDY, IMSA. Also shows the interesting intersection between inflated ego/insecurity/greed and racing. Read with another racing friend and have great discussions about the chicken and the egg (or more like the chicken vs. the egg).Some of these people are the same kind of pure sociopaths that can steal all the money from an elementary school teacher pension fund, and their only thought is, "how can I do the same thing to the middle school?" The kind of white collar criminals we hear about all the time – who just don't happen to get into professional racing.It's a very journalistic, non-fiction style, very straightforward and with incredible eye to detail. Could have been a more fun read with a bit more humor, or subtext.The book is 500 pages but made up of profiles of 66 different profiles, all independent of each other, so you can read it like a book of collected short stories. Start at the middle and take a left or a right turn whenever you want.

Well-written. It’s just what you want for a read while on a vacation to the beach this summer! Interesting subject matter, sort of light on high crimes and heavier on white-collar offenses, but the reader learns a lot.

Very good,well writen, very entertaining.

Very interesting book for the motorsport enthusiast

I’ve never read anything like it, an extraordinary book of wrongdoing in the world of motor racing. The writing is flawless, the research meticulous. This book should become a classic and essential reading, not just for those taking part in this ludicrously expensive pursuit, but to all those interested in a totally honest, no holds barred insight into the world of such pervasive crime.Much of the time I could not believe what I was reading; the scams, the drugs, the vast fortunes built and lost; the deceit, the fraud, the double dealing and the burning ambition to get involved - at any cost. The world of motor racing can be brutal. Crispian Besley must have taken many years and had countless brushes with the legal complexities of the system before producing this staggeringly good book.I briefly entered the world of motor racing in 1974 (see Sid Miller Chapter 41) and thought my experience bizarre enough. But it was the tip of an iceberg. There’s no doubt that Crispian’s book is a tough read, sometimes depressing, often crushing our idols; people and sportsmen we looked up to. Whether you have been involved in the sport or not, it is a window on the human condition that is rarely demonstrated with such honesty and clarity.Every chapter is jaw-dropping. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Crispian Besley takes us on a fascinating behind the scenes tour de force of real-life corruption and shady dealings within the world of professional motor racing.  Despite more than thirteen years working in this industry, I was unaware of many of the stories featured. At times I found it a difficult read, but only because so many of the characters that I did know were/still are my boyhood heroes, people I’d naively looked up to and tried to emulate… some may say I did a pretty good a job in that respect, because after all my years as both a driver and Team Owner, I also found myself accused of dastardly financial deeds and yes, my alleged “crimes” are in fact featured in Chapter 9 of Driven to Crime!Drawing back the curtain on this often misunderstood, high octane world and objectively and succinctly explaining facts… no options, no theories, just facts… facts that haven’t been airbrushed out or manipulated by a clever Barrister or by the sensationalist media, in search of a quickie thrill, makes for a refreshing change. It is doubtless the result of a great deal of hard research by the author, combined with his several decades in racing whilst also working at the top of the finance industry.

Was recommended this book and was not disappointed. It's a very interesting read, mainly about people's greed and obviously related to motorsport. - good value for money