Description

Racing Green is the story of how advances in motorsport science are changing the world, helping it become smarter and more environmentally friendly.

Motor racing is already one of the most scientifically demanding sports: it involves a combination of peak physical and mental skill, world-class mechanical nous and perennial technological innovation. These innovations, first developed for racing, have been incorporated into everyday car designs to improve their safety – from ABS brakes to crash helmets – and ecological impact, via electric engines and more efficient fuels and tyres.

Author Kit Chapman is a lifelong motorsports fan who has previously worked with Virgin Racing’s Formula E team on the chemistry and material science of their cars. With help from his wide range of contacts in the industry, Kit criss-crosses the globe from Ohio to Monaco, Spain to Bahrain. He steps behind the scenes of current engineering breakthroughs, picking up extraordinary tales along the way, such as that of maverick designer Warren Mosler who designed a car so fast it was banned from racing.

Part travelogue, part historical retrospective, Racing Green combines visits to the experts with lively retellings of real-life incidents that became milestones in modern car development. Kit looks at the breadth of racing, both its glories and its tragedies, revealing the industry as a driving force for progress, and where it’s on track to take us next.

Publisher Review

Chapman writes engagingly about the benefits motor racing has brought to a climate problem that needs all hands on the wheel. * Financial Times * An entertaining and often insightful read that will be enjoyed by both racing fans and people generally interested in processes of innovation. * Science * A reminder of the crucial role that motorsport plays in the mission to save our planet. * Lucas di Grassi * Chapman expertly places scientific developments in societal and historical contexts while making you feel like he's sharing stories over beer at the local pub ... If you're not a racing fan, you probably know one. Racing Green would be an excellent way to get them interested in the science behind the cars. But I also highly recommend Chapman's book to scientists as a case study in how story can be just as powerful a force for change as fact. -- Diandra Leslie-Pelecky * Physics World * Chapman's clear passion for all things motorsport seeps heavily through the narrative of this book, and he engagingly walks us through the history of motorsport, and the extraordinary engineering that goes into all the materials and parts. * Engineering & Technology * Motorsport science isn't a thrilling topic for most people, but it's presented so well here and the writing is so compelling that it's undeniably interesting. * Auto Express *