Reviewing Franchitti and Hallbery's "Romance of Racing"

Before the accident at Houston last October hastened Dario Franchitti’s full retirement from competitive driving, he and good friend, author/editor Andy Hallbery had the grand idea to do a book of essays called “Romance of Racing.” Thanks to a Kickstarter financing campaign, the hard-bound coffee table book is seeing the light of day.

And what a light it is!

Franchitti, most certainly one of the accomplished racers of his era, is also a student of the history of motor sport. He drinks information about the sport like a rampant drunk and relishes his study time with those that came before him, particularly when he’s able to physically meet and greet. For the others that have left us, Dario appears to have channeled their manner of success and incorporated their successes into his own. Never one to let his own ego usurp the subject, here is a soon-to-be motorsports legend who has reveled in using the skills of his many, many mentors.

In this encompassing book, Dario Franchitti, with the superb editing talent of Andy Hallbery and the assistance of some of the best photographers in the medium, relates his views of drivers competing now (most of them his friends) and the many legends that paved the way for him and his peers. The lush photography surrounding Franchitti’s commentary on the various drivers he believes embody the “Romance of Racing” may be familiar to some; all are exquisite.

If you’ve ever heard Dario Franchitti speak, then you’ll recognize the timbre of his voice in every word. The manner in which each driver choice is dissected, his personal experience with many (most) of them and the phrasings are magical. Hallbery’s work as editor of this book is so invisible, another mark of quality in a tome that reeks of the word.

This hard-bound, 136-page collection of essays by the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and four-time IndyCar Series champion has a foreword by double Formula 1 champion and two-time Indy winner Emerson Fittipaldi and a closing essay by Jackie Stewart all about the author of the book. Stewart, who helped progress Franchitti’s career and remains exceptionally close to his fellow Scot is, as you would expect, succinct and to the point.

“Romance of Racing” is available on www.amazon.com for $69.95. I know I’ll return to my copy to re-read it (well, I already have a couple of times) for a very, very long time.