Karl Ludvigsen’s book Reid Railton: Man of Speed, published by Evro Publishing, has won the coveted Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot Award (English) for 2019. Presented by the Society of Automotive Historians in the United States, this award is made each year to the book that best advances the understanding of the history of the automobile.

Supported by Railton’s daughter Sally Railton Joslin, Reid Railton: Man of Speed is the first book dedicated to the life and career of Reid Antony Railton, automotive engineer par excellence and the creator of an extraordinary range of cars. He rose to renown during the 1930s as chief engineer at Thomson & Taylor, Brooklands-based racing-car builders. There he realised the dreams of that era’s top men of speed, including Tim Birkin, Malcolm Campbell, Whitney Straight, John Cobb, Raymond Mays and Goldie Gardner. His great cars powered them all to sensational racing and record-breaking success.

“It was the joy of a lifetime to have the opportunity to write about Reid Railton, whose work I have admired for many years,” said Ludvigsen. “I was especially happy for my work to be honoured this year, when the SAH celebrates its 50th anniversary. It is also significant for readers to be reminded of Railton at a time when the Bloodhound, another great British land-speed venture, is nearing its first major trial in South Africa. Its aerodynamicist wrote the book’s Foreword!

“I was lucky in finding revealing Railton vignettes such as his solving of a mysterious noise in a Hudson prototype. For a 21st-century audience I endeavoured to set Railton’s work within the context of his times so it could be better understood by the modern reader. I hope this contributes to a better appreciation of the career of an engineer who deserves to be ranked among the greats of Britain and the world.”

Published by Evro Publishing in April 2018, this magisterial two-volume work by one of the world’s foremost automotive historians tells Reid Railton’s personal and professional story in superb detail and fascinating depth. Set against the turbulent background of the 1930s and 1940s, its special focus is on Ludvigsen’s interpretation of Reid’s unique insights — amounting to genius — and technical accomplishments. All are illuminated in 1,000 images in this superbly designed and beautifully produced book.

The Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot Award (English) is this book’s fifth award and its second in the United States. Its other awards are the Mercedes-Benz Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy (presented by the Guild of Motoring Writers), the Royal Automobile Club’s Specialist Motoring Book of the Year, the Michael Sedgwick Award (presented by Society of Automotive Historians in Britain) and Best Automotive Heritage Book (presented by the Automotive Heritage Awards).

Like everyone throughout motorsport, we at Evro Publishing have been saddened to learn of the great Niki Lauda’s passing. For us, it has been particularly poignant because Lauda played such a significant part in our most recent book, Will Buxton’s My Greatest Defeat, released only last week.

‘Niki was the first interview I conducted for My Greatest Defeat,’ says Will, ‘and his trademark raw honesty over a period of his life that had affected him so deeply ultimately set the course of what the book was to become. He never knew this. News of his passing reached me just hours after I’d placed a copy of the book in the post for him.’

Today The Times published a shortened version of the interview in which the Austrian explained how his ‘greatest defeat’ came in 1991 when a Lauda Air Boeing 767 crashed in Thailand.

‘I’m honoured that the story he wished to share with people about fighting through his lowest ebb should prove so powerful as to be used as a tribute to him,’ adds Will. ‘Niki’s actions and words have always held great emotive strength. In death, as in life, he continues to inspire us all.’

Our very own Rebecca Leppard has been named Automotive PR of the Year at the prestigious Newspress Awards, described as being the Oscars for automotive journalism and PR.

The founder of Eventageous PR was the only independent – and the only woman – in a category of automotive manufacturer PRs including KIA, Honda, Suzuki, Audi and Citroën. Rather than putting themselves forward, those shortlisted had been voted for by members of Britain’s automotive media. She is pictured with Tim Barfoot, Managing Director of Newspress.

After a 10-year career as PR and Marketing Manager with Haynes Publishing, Rebecca formed Eventageous PR in 2004 as a specialist automotive agency. Working predominantly in the classic-car scene, she is entrusted with managing PR and events for a number of high-profile clients, including – among many others – the Royal Automobile Club, the Henry Surtees Foundation, Credit Suisse, Evro Publishing and Derek Bell. During which time she has also worked with motorsport greats such as Sir Stirling Moss, Sir Jackie Stewart, John Surtees, Damon Hill, John Barnard, Brian Redman, Adrian Newey and Gordon Murray.

‘I’m very honoured to be recognised by industry peers,’ said Rebecca, ‘and especially up against the global car manufacturers who have large budgets, PR teams and resources compared to the likes of me. It means so much and I’m so grateful to all those who voted for me and felt that I was worthy enough to win this prestigious award.

‘It’s also great not only for me to be recognised, but the classic automotive scene. I feel exceedingly fortunate to have carved out a niche in an industry that I’m passionate about. I get paid to promote and manage events that, if I wasn’t working at them, I’d be paying to go to myself!’

Renowned writer Giles Chapman said: ‘Rebecca is a one-woman phenomenon of creative energy for clients in the classic car, events, personality-representation and publishing sectors of our industry. She goes to extraordinary lengths to build interest in events with a historic motoring theme, and she helps journalists get great stories that stoke enthusiasm among readers.

‘Rebecca’s PR is hand-crafted and personal. She rarely has a multi-million pound budget to work with, and so concentrates on personal relationships and creativity. She thoroughly deserves the award.’

Upon the award announcement, the host said: ‘A worthy winner, indeed, one enthusiastic hack commented that Rebecca is very proactive when it comes to generating ideas – and brilliant at setting things up at short notice when we need them. If all PRs shared her zest and initiative, the industry would run much more smoothly. She’s an absolute gem.’

Photo by Jakob Ebrey

Evro Publishing is delighted to announce that it will publish Formula 1 journalist Will Buxton’s first book on 30 May 2019.

My Greatest Defeat is a collection of honest and revealing insights into 20 of the greatest living racing drivers; legends of the worlds of Formula 1, Indycar, NASCAR, Le Mans and Rally.

Its purpose is to discover their weakest moment, the one time in their lives when they didn’t know where to turn or what to do next. To show that beneath the fire-proof suits and the helmets and beyond the heroics displayed on track, these great modern gladiators are fallible and breakable.

The legends interviewed opened up completely. Honesty flowed as rarely seen and little expected. Mighty champions, men we’ve always seen as thick-skinned, macho, manly men, unburdening their souls. These are their stories. Their words. Their truths.

‘I’m absolutely delighted to be bringing this book out into the world,’ says Will, ‘and to be doing so with the wonderful folks at Evro.

‘When I started out on this project I had no idea it would become what it has, nor that in its undertaking I would learn so much not only about the racing heroes at the heart of the story, but in turn about myself.

‘For those who are the focal point of this sport, any sign of weakness is a route to their potential defeat. Yet they are human. They suffer with the realities of life every bit as much as you or I. They just can’t show it. Visor closed, foot down. Deal with it later.

‘The stories the greats of our sport shared for this project reflect the hardships they rarely discuss yet that had a life-changing effect on their psyche. Some are related to racing. Many couldn’t be further removed. But they represent, for each man, a moment in time that they felt at their lowest and most broken. My hope is that through their honesty we might acknowledge that even our heroes have struggled to find balance in this world, and through their stories find inspiration to fight past our own demons. To learn that ultimately, in racing as in life, our greatest moments can be born of our greatest defeat.’

The interviews, all conducted specially for this book, are with (in alphabetical order by first name) Alain Prost, Alex Zanardi, Ari Vatanen, Bobby Unser, Carlos Sainz, Damon Hill, Dario Franchitti, Derek Bell, Emanuele Pirro, Emerson Fittipaldi, Felipe Massa, Jackie Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mario Andretti, Mika Häkkinen, Niki Lauda, Rick Mears, Sébastien Loeb and Tom Kristensen.

Matt James, author of Evro’s newly published book Touring Car Racing, will be giving a talk at Brooklands with commentator Alan Hyde on Thursday 7 March 2019.

Together they will look back in entertaining style over the 60-year history of the British Touring Car Championship. Due to start at 7.30pm, the evening promises to be unmissable for all fans of tin-top action.

Afterwards Matt, pictured here with winningest BTCC driver Jason Plato, will be available to sign and dedicate copies of his book, which Motor Sport magazine has described as ‘a very fine body of work’.

Tickets cost £2 for Brooklands Trust members or £7 for non-members. For further details or to book a ticket, please visit: 

https://admin.brooklandsmuseum.com/btm/member-events/history-of-the-british-touring-car-championship-1958-2018

Award-winning motoring journalists, photographers, broadcasters and authors from the UK and Europe were honoured at the Guild of Motoring Writers’ Annual Awards on Thursday 29 November at the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, London.

A record-breaking total of 284 submissions (the most ever received in the 74-year history of the Guild) was entered in the professional categories.

The Mercedes-Benz Montagu of Beaulieu trophy, for the best recording of the history of motoring in the English language, was collected by prolific author and noted Guild historian Karl Ludvigsen, for his comprehensive two-volume history of Reid Ralton, published by Evro last April.

“I’m deeply appreciative of the Guild’s award of its Lord Montagu Trophy to Reid Railton – Man of Speed,” said Karl. “I’m sure that the outstanding design work of Simon Loxley made a big contribution to this recognition.

“It was the joy of a lifetime to have the opportunity to write about Reid Railton, whose work I have admired for many years. When I learned much more about him I was gripped by the depth and detail of his story, especially his little-known work in the design of record-breaking boats for Malcolm Campbell and John Cobb. The only area where he admitted ignorance was airplane design!

“I was lucky in finding revealing vignettes such as his solving of a mysterious noise in a Hudson prototype. For a 21st-century audience I endeavoured to set Railton’s work within the context of its times so it could be better understood by the modern reader. I hope this contributes to a better appreciation of the career of an engineer who deserves to be ranked among the greats of Britain and the world.”

In the photograph above Karl is pictured with National Motor Museum Public Relations Manager Jane Riddiford (left) and Mercedes-Benz Communications Director Debbie Hull. 

Karl Ludvigsen reports on his US speaking tour: 

With my valiant rented Toyota Avalon and a satnav I took Reid Railton on the road in America for 751 miles during a week earlier in November. To suit audiences in the USA I focused my PowerPoint slides on Bonneville where Reid’s creations had so much success. That’s where Sir Malcolm Campbell reached his lifetime goal of 300 mph in Railton’s final Blue Birdcar and John Cobb touched 400 mph in another Railton creation. 

My first stop was in upstate New York at Watkins Glen, where I saw my first road race in 1951. The venue was the International Motor Racing Research Center — a truly impressive repository of racing information — and the event the Fourth Annual Michael R. Argetsinger Symposium on Motor Sports History. I was next to last in a two-day conference that was NASCAR-heavy and often highly academic. As at every venue, with my friend and colleague Judy Stropus I signed some books for Railton enthusiasts.

Then it was into the heart of New York City to Sardi’s Restaurant for a lunch meeting of the Madison Avenue Sports Car Driving and Chowder Society, for which I still have my 1961 membership card! A packed house of ‘Chowderheads’ included friends old and new who were fascinated by the Salt Lake adventures portrayed in Reid Railton — Man of Speed.

On my drive north to Boston I paused at a car collection in Connecticut that is home to my well-loved 750 cc Moretti Gran Sport, now in great shape and great company. My Boston stay included a visit to Reid’s daughter Sally, without whom the book would never have happened, and her husband Jim. My final talk was at the imposing Larz Anderson estate in Brookline, whose museum houses the Anderson clan’s amazing cars. Jim tells me that ‘without exception’ the reviews of my presentation were ‘extraordinarily laudatory’, whatever that means.

Karl Ludvigsen’s Reid Railton: Man of Speed, published by Evro Publishing, has won the Royal Automobile Club’s Specialist Motoring Book of the Year award for 2018.

This magnificent book, presented in two volumes within a slipcase, explores Reid Railton’s life and work in extraordinary detail, stretching to 848 pages and containing 1,000 images.

One of the judges said: “What a life story, and what a book — lavishly researched, profusely illustrated, endlessly informative.”

Railton, automotive engineer par excellence, created an extraordinary range of cars. He rose to renown during the 1930s as chief engineer at Thomson & Taylor, Brooklands-based racing-car builders. There he realised the dreams of that era’s top men of speed, including Tim Birkin, Malcolm Campbell, Whitney Straight, John Cobb, Raymond Mays and Goldie Gardner. His great cars powered them all to sensational racing and record-breaking success.

Karl Ludvigsen said: “Given the wonderful opportunity I had to write about one of my heroes, Reid Railton, thanks to the confidence his daughter Sally had in my abilities, I tackled the job in the spirit that the book could help raise the profile of a great engineer who deserves to be better known for his achievements, not only in his native country but also abroad. Never one to blow his own horn, Railton was overshadowed by his clients, Speed Kings Malcolm Campbell, John Cobb and Goldie Gardner, whose achievements were underpinned by his brilliant designs.

“It’s my earnest hope that this award by the Royal Automobile Club —which I hugely appreciate — will engender wider recognition of the man and his towering accomplishments in the service of speed on land and water.”

This is the third time an Evro book has won a Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year award. In the inaugural year of these prestigious awards, 2014, the honour went to Evro’s very first book, John Surtees: My Incredible Life on Two and Four Wheels. The 2016 winner was Brian Redman’s memoirDaring Drivers, Deadly Tracks.

Eric Verdon-Roe, Chairman of Evro Publishing, said: “It is a great honour to have won another RAC Motoring Book of the Year award. These awards are particularly significant because they are bestowed by the Royal Automobile Club and judged by six reviewers and booksellers who really know our world of motoring books.”

Now in their fifth year, the Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book Awards are recognised as the most prestigious awards to be bestowed in the automotive publishing industry. We at Evro are delighted to announce that three of our books are among the 12 that have been shortlisted:

Shortlisted for Motoring Book of the Year Award:

• Hobbo: Motor Racer, Motor Mouth, The autobiography of David Hobbs by David Hobbs with Andrew Marriott

Shortlisted for Specialist Motoring Book of the Year Award:

• Reid Railton: Man of Speed by Karl Ludvigsen
• Jim Clark: The Best of the Best by David Tremayne

The annual awards, hosted by respected broadcaster and journalist Simon Taylor, will take place on Wednesday 31 October at a special evening held at the Club’s historic Pall Mall clubhouse, amongst many distinguished industry guests.

“We never fail to be amazed at the quality and variety of titles that our experienced judges propose for the Awards, and this year is no exception,” said Peter Read, the Club’s Motoring Committee Chairman.

The award committee consists of six expert judges who are totally independent of the Royal Automobile Club and represent the UK’s most informed motoring literary critics. They are: Gordon Cruickshank (Motor Sport magazine), Mark Dixon (Octane magazine), Ben Horton (independent motoring bookseller Hortons Books), Mick Walsh (Classic & Sports Car magazine), Christian Whitehead (motoring department of London bookstore Foyles) and Tom Wiltshire (Auto Express).

We at Evro Publishing are delighted that Karl Ludvigsen’s book Reid Railton: Man of Speed has been shortlisted for the 2018 Historic Motoring Awards, which will be held on on 25 October 2018 at the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane Hotel, the 1920s Art Deco hotel in the heart of Mayfair.

Held for the eighth time, this distinguished gala night will see the celebration of a broad selection of categories, selected by the experts at Octane magazine and an international panel of judges. The evening will be hosted by broadcaster and Formula 1 pundit Steve Rider.