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Rating: 
Summary: Want to live on the fast Lane read this
Review: If you're a fan of Michael Schumacher this book is for you, if you're a fan of Jos Verstappen this iz your book. This is a very very good book, reading through it you'd feel like you're actually working for that Benetton team as a jackman. It gives you the deatils of tragic and triumphant year of the 1994 season and plus theres a lot of stunning photos from 1994, its very rare to find such photos, its very historic, I am telling you buy this, its a must for every F1, M Schumacher, J Verstappen and Benetton fan.
Rating:
Summary: Great inside view of a F1 team...
Review: Steve Matchett, the author of this book, is if you did'nt know, a mechanic. Not only is he a mechanic, he is a mechanic for the Benetton Formula One team. A mechanic writing a book is a rarity indeed, which makes "Life in the Fast Lane" very special. Matchett, thankfully, also is a good writer (or maybe he had a good editor), and he has a great story to tell about his experiences in Formula One.Basically covering the 1994 Championship winning season, the book runs through all the rounds of the Championship from Brazil to Australia. Benetton had a particularly turbulent season, as there was a lot of pressure on the team, what with being Championship contenders, the lauch control affair, Senna's death, the fuel fire in Germany (Matchett was the guy on the rear jack), the fuel filter affair, and Schumacher's collision with Hill at Adelaide. All these are in the book, and Matchett gives his (or Benetton's) side of the story. Matchett has done extremely well with this book by choosing to present his tale in a personal way. You learn about how he has his coffee, how he did the decor in his cottage. You also learn about the struggles of an F1 mechanic for the Benetton Formula One team. The early morning starts, the late nighters, the trials and tribulations of travelling across the world to 15, 16 different countries is related very well in an easy to read style. There many little interesting tidbits that Matchett tells us about; Michele Alboreto coming in for a seat fitting for the Benetton as an outside candidate for the vacant number 2 seat prior to the start of the season. His tales of nights out with fellow mechanics. His desire for "his" driver to well; Matchett was mechanic for Jos Verstappen, JJ Lehto, and finally Johnny Herbert during the season. If there is a downside to the story, it is that Matchett can say no wrong of anyone in the team. However, he did have to continue to work with the team after finishing his book, so I cut him a little slack on that one.
All this makes for a captivating read. A recommended read, and if you like this book, you should try the follow up book "A Mechanic's Tale", which covers the other years in Matchett's career with the team before he quit in 1997.
Rating:
Summary: Great inside view of a F1 team...
Review: Steve Matchett, the author of this book, is if you did'nt know, a mechanic. Not only is he a mechanic, he is a mechanic for the Benetton Formula One team. A mechanic writing a book is a rarity indeed, which makes "Life in the Fast Lane" very special. Matchett, thankfully, also is a good writer (or maybe he had a good editor), and he has a great story to tell about his experiences in Formula One. Basically covering the 1994 Championship winning season, the book runs through all the rounds of the Championship from Brazil to Australia. Benetton had a particularly turbulent season, as there was a lot of pressure on the team, what with being Championship contenders, the lauch control affair, Senna's death, the fuel fire in Germany (Matchett was the guy on the rear jack), the fuel filter affair, and Schumacher's collision with Hill at Adelaide. All these are in the book, and Matchett gives his (or Benetton's) side of the story. Matchett has done extremely well with this book by choosing to present his tale in a personal way. You learn about how he has his coffee, how he did the decor in his cottage. You also learn about the struggles of an F1 mechanic for the Benetton Formula One team. The early morning starts, the late nighters, the trials and tribulations of travelling across the world to 15, 16 different countries is related very well in an easy to read style. There many little interesting tidbits that Matchett tells us about; Michele Alboreto coming in for a seat fitting for the Benetton as an outside candidate for the vacant number 2 seat prior to the start of the season. His tales of nights out with fellow mechanics. His desire for "his" driver to well; Matchett was mechanic for Jos Verstappen, JJ Lehto, and finally Johnny Herbert during the season. If there is a downside to the story, it is that Matchett can say no wrong of anyone in the team. However, he did have to continue to work with the team after finishing his book, so I cut him a little slack on that one.
All this makes for a captivating read. A recommended read, and if you like this book, you should try the follow up book "A Mechanic's Tale", which covers the other years in Matchett's career with the team before he quit in 1997.
Rating:
Summary: A Mechanic's view of the 1994 season
Review: You may only see them for a total of 24 seconds during race day -I'm talking about the people Michael Schumacher usually thanks in the winner's press conference which is rightfully so as they do most of the hard work. This book is a Benetton mechanic's view of the 1994 Formula One season. The content of this book do not delve on racing analysis but on the suitcase life of a mechanic, the middle of night repairs to get a car ready plus many, many more. Contains many interesting anecdotes that are unseen in news reports like when a driver requests the brake pedal to be moved a little bit closer to him, and the mechanic moves it back a fraction. Driver says, 'Er no, too far back just a bit' then the mechanic moves it back to its original position and driver says, 'Yes, that's perfect, just there!' Author also describes his immense gratitude to the McLaren team mechanics who helped him out during the pit lane fire in the German Prix. There's also something on the fuel rig tampering charge the author defends Benetton's position in this issue. I find the author's take on cheating quite convincing - that no one in Formula One intentionally cheats for fear of being disqualified from the competition altogether. However, I would have wanted Matchett's opinion on the Damon Hill-M. Schumacher Adelaide collision which effectively decided the 1994 Driver's Championship as he merely glossed it over. Interesting read nonetheless and a must for every Formula One Fan.
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