KARL LUDVIGSEN WINS MOTORING BOOK OF THE YEAR
Power Unleashed by renowned automotive historian Karl Ludvigsen, and published by Evro Publishing, has been crowned the Royal Automobile Club’s 2025 Motoring Book of the Year.
The announcement was made at a special ceremony in central London on 29 October, attended by distinguished motoring and motor racing authors and publishers from around the world.
Power Unleashed represents the culmination of Karl’s lifetime of research into the evolution of supercharging and turbocharging. The three-volume work running to 665,000 words charts how engineers and visionaries revolutionised the performance of cars and aircraft through forced induction.
With Karl’s trademark clarity and authority, the volumes bring complex technologies to life, showing how these power-boosting technologies transformed Grand Prix racing, Le Mans, and everyday motoring.
Upon accepting the award, Karl said: “It’s deeply gratifying to see Power Unleashed recognised in this way. Forced induction has fascinated me since I was a student engineer in the 1950s, and this project represents a lifelong journey of discovery. I hope readers will share my admiration for the brilliant minds who turned air and pressure into power. I would like to extend my thanks to Evro Publishing for their belief in this project and their superb work in making it a reality.”
Jeremy Vaughan, Head of Motoring at the Royal Automobile Club, commented: “Power Unleashed is a towering achievement and a truly definitive work. It is beautifully produced, deeply researched, and stands as a landmark publication that will serve as an important reference for engineers, historians, and enthusiasts alike.
“Here at the Club, we’re proud to recognise such excellence in motoring literature, and we’re grateful to our expert panel of independent judges for their passion, knowledge and dedication. The Book Awards represents our part in encouraging the best new work.”
Another Evro book won an award on the night. Pete Lyons’s memoir My Travels On Racer Road: Can-Am and Formula 1 in their Golden Age was winner of the category ‘Books on a motorsport subject with no price limit’.
Judge Damien Smith said: “Pete Lyons was a major influence on a whole generation of aspiring motorsport writers. He captured the unquenchably positive spirit of motor racing of the period with his own blend of warmth and humour, of the ever-inquisitive search for knowledge and understanding. Pete is still an inspiration as the very best of the photo-journalist, sports-writing breed.”
Two other Evro books were shortlisted for the awards and also highlighted on the night. These were Texas Legend: Jim Hall and his Chaparrals – the official biography by George Levy (‘Books on a motorsport subject with no price limit’) and Le Mans: The official history of the world’s greatest race, 2000-09 by John Brooks (‘Graham Robson Award for Best Debut Author’).
