Di Spires – I Just Made The Tea – Tales from 30 years inside Formula 1

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Di Spires - I Just Made The Tea - Tales from 30 years inside Formula 1Foreword: Murray Walker, OBE and Michael Schumacher. This memoir of Di Spires looks at Formula 1 from a very unusual viewpoint. She travelled the world in Formula 1 for 30 years, running the team motorhome for a succession of different teams. As well as Formula 1 people, she encountered personalities from every walk of life, from royalty to criminals on the run. Her stories range from the hilarious to the tragic and provide a unique perspective. This is a fast-paced read packed with surprising snippets and observations, with plenty of intimate insight into what the drivers are really like. Di's spellbinding stories cover 30 years of the hilarious antics and tragic events of motor racing at the highest level. Whether she was following James Hunt's 'naughty tour' of Amsterdam, smuggling one racing superstar out of Spa or another in, cast adrift on a white-water raft by Gerhard Berger, covering for Nelson Piquet's lack of political correctness or just supplying George Harrison's favourite cakes, she did it with a smile on her face and a teapot at the ready. Her sorrow at the death of Elio de Angelis and the events leading up to the loss of her close friend Ayrton Senna at Imola in 1994 is as evident as her delight at introducing Michael Schumacher to his comic hero, her alarm at things that 'go bump in the night' at Lotus, or her amusement at the antics of Johnny Herbert. Di's sense of humour and love of people, whether global superstar or race team mechanic, shines through in this fast-moving autobiography that is packed with intimate insights into what top Formula 1 drivers are really like. Co-Authors: Di Spires, with her husband Stuart, worked in motorsport for 30 years running a succession of team motorhomes, including those of Lotus in the Senna era and Benetton in the Schumacher years. Before that she was a civil servant at the Department of Employment with a role in industrial relations, which involved time at British Leyland's Longbridge plant dealing with the likes of Derek 'Red Robbo' Robinson. Bernard Ferguson left his native Lancashire in the late 1960s, drawn to the Midlands by the lure of the motor industry. Following spells with Rootes, Chrysler, Peugeot and the infamous DeLorean organisation, he joined Cosworth where he worked for 23 years before retiring from his position of Director of Motorsport. He also served as the engine manufacturers' representative on the Formula One Commission. Light and easy to read story of an ordinary married couple who fancied getting into Foumula One hospitality - 30 years later they wrote a book on their tales from behind the scenes of the F1 paddock, they looked after, caterered and mixed with the ultimate racing drivers over the years and now provide F1 fans with a unique look behind the scenes. A great read, highly Recommended! Hardback, 216 x 135mm, 376 pages, 54 colour illustrations Publisher - Haynes Price - £17.99Tags:,