Start reading Life At The Limit: Triumph and Tragedy in Formula One on your Kindle in under a minute. Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here or start reading now with a free Kindle Reading App.

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

 
 
 

Try it free

Sample the beginning of this book for free

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

Anybody can read Kindle books – even without a Kindle device-with the FREE Kindle app for smartphones and tablets.
Life At The Limit: Triumph and Tragedy in Formula One
 
 

Life At The Limit: Triumph and Tragedy in Formula One [Kindle Edition]

Sid Watkins , Niki Lauda
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)

Kindle Price: £3.59 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
* Unlike print books, digital books are subject to VAT.

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £3.59  
Hardcover --  
Mass Market Paperback --  
Kindle Daily Deal
Kindle Daily Deal: At least 60% off
Each day we unveil a new book deal at a specially discounted price--for that day only. Learn more about the Kindle Daily Deal or sign up for the Kindle Daily Deal Newsletter to receive free e-mail notifications about each day's deal.


Product Description

Product Description

It's pretty rare to come across a motor racing book that tempts you to read the thing in one sitting but "Prof" Watkins has produced a gem ... [he] is a superb raconteur, not afraid to speak him mind yet peppering the gravity with occasionally side-splitting humour. No true motorsport fan should be without this book.'

Autosport Grand Prix racing has undergone sweeping changes in the last thirty years. Many of these involve safety and medical rescue. The man behind them - a champion in the racing world although he has never won a race - is the eminent neurosurgeon Sid Watkins. Life at the Limit is his remarkable story.

It spans the most exciting years in Grand Prix racing and includes intimate portraits of motorsport's greatest names, from Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda to Alain Prost and Damon Hill. Sid Watkins has also witnessed, at first hand, some of the most severe and spectacular racing accidents. His account of these is made all the more poignant by the fact that some of the men he has rescued, sometimes at the point of death, have been personal friends. From Monza, in 1978, where Ronnie Petersen suffered a fatal accident, to Imola in May 1994 where Ayrton Senna met his untimely death, the high, and low, points of Grand Prix racing are vividly described.

For all fans of Formula One, this is the inside story of the world's most dangerous sport.

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 2250 KB
  • Print Length: 258 pages
  • Publisher: Pan (7 Mar 2013)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00BQF6RBO
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray:
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #160 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  •  Would you like to give feedback on images?


More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars He's earned respect, never demanded it. 7 Sep 2001
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Viewing Grand Prix motor racing through the wonderfully perceptive eyes of Professor Watkins means that anyone interested in the sport should read this excellent account. Obviously respected, often revered by those with whom he works, he gives vivid and sometimes moving recollections spanning the many years of his involvement. Humour and pathos make regular appearances; his dry wit, an essential tool of his trade perhaps, serves to punctuate what is essentially a serious book. His incisive précis of drivers from the last three decades makes for compulsive reading, the character analyses are intriguing and revealing. Undoubtedly a pivotal character in the world of Formula One, the professor has been instrumental in saving many lives. However, he's also witnessed intimately the consequences of appalling accidents in which lives were lost. He is perhaps uniquely qualified to commentate on the sport, his dedication and professionalism making him a hero in this modern amphitheatre which now embraces the globe. Superbly readable. Once is not enough.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Another world Champion 27 Sep 2001
Format:Mass Market Paperback
If you like your F1 and have a favourite driver then you'll probably be able to carry on supporting the driver for longer because of the work of this man. Not only has he been able to make F1 safer but he can write too. An interesting story well recounted. I can recommend it wholeheartedly.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A must for any F1 fan 2 Jan 2014
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
My family are steeped in motor racing - my parents were both amateur rally drivers back in 'the day' (i.e. the 60s - lots of silverware in the attic!) and I virtually grew up at Silverstone at club meetings over Bank Holiday weekends (we only lived an hour away when I was growing up) and my first visit, apparently, was when I was two weeks old! We are all keen drivers, learning as children thrashing cars round fields on private land, and even now in my 40s I drive for relaxation or just for fun (although since moving to Jersey 23 years ago my opportunities to go very far are limited!). I grew up hearing my father eulogise Jim Clark - in an age, in the early 70s, when many people's first though to do with British F1 drivers were either Stirling Moss (who my father never rated) or Jackie Stewart (definitely rated!) this 'Jim Clark' seemed to lead to a lot of blank faces among my friends! I first got into F1 seriously in 1980 when I was 12/13, and my favourite driver (I cut out all the pictures from 'Motoring News' and stuck them on my bedroom wall!) was Keke Rosberg. Oh, how old do I feel watching Nico now!!

But, to put a serious angle on it, the early days, up to the mid-70s especially, were dangerous times for F1. Anyone whose seen the awful footage of Tom Pryce's death, or Roger Williamson's, won't need convincing of that. But F1 was un-regulated in terms of safety and anyone who spoke out or tried to change things (step forward again, Sir Jackie) was branded a coward by many other drivers, team owners and circuit managers (and the latter of course, would have to spend money to implement any safety changes).
Read more ›
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars very ejoyable , another angle of F1 23 Aug 2001
Format:Mass Market Paperback
In this book you can review almost all incidents from 1978 up to 1997 getting the medical point of view from Prof. Sid Watkins. Specialls details about Senna and Villeneuve good reading
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for petrol heads 7 April 2014
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I loved this book, it had me hooked and I couldn't put it down. Obviously those reading it have to be tuned into the Formula 1 scene otherwise it means nothing, but it really was excellent.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Life At The Limit 16 Mar 2014
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
A very enjoyable read with lots of background stories about the drivers and circuits. I started following F1 in 1971 and remember many of the drivers and details described. The style of writing is both factual and engaging and is very easy to follow.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read 14 Jan 2014
By Housey
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Enjoyed the book and to read the Profs views on his time in F1 and some of the personalities. He did seem to hold back on some of this views about drivers, but I guess when your life is based on confidentiality that goes with the territory. Having said that an interesting and enjoyable read.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A look behind the scenes 7 Nov 2013
By Phill
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
A good insight into how the safety of F1 drivers was not a priority until the likes of Sid Watkins took an interest. You'll only get something out of this book if you're a fan of F1 and probably a long standing fan too. Well written and a good present for that awkward to buy for uncle.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars thought provoking
Lovely memories of great characters, himself included. Occasionally funny, sometimes compelling. A human tale...enjoyable read on the whole, sadly he is no longer
Published 1 month ago by red Jim
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Present
Better than described, arrived within time promised, practically like new for fraction of price - thank my lucky stars I followed my brothers advice (as bought as a Christmas... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Susan Ann Whalley
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
This was a great read.

It gave me a great insight into the safety in F1 and how it has evolved.
Published 4 months ago by Gary H
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Real insight - love Sid Watkin's style of storytelling, full of memories and anecdotes. Loved it - would recomend !
Published 4 months ago by Miss Sarah A Mason
5.0 out of 5 stars Life At The Limit
A totally honest insight into the world of F1 from a respected and brilliant expert, a must for motor sport fans.
Published 5 months ago by Robert Paul Blackburn
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
A good account of the reality of F1, show before safety so much of the time - almost a blood sport, good to see things much improved now due to the efforts of Jackie S and others
Published 6 months ago by ballonist
2.0 out of 5 stars An ucertain experiance.
all items returned a certain experiance of reading, Boo was enjoyed by my g son ( three years old) ,i thought Sid Watkins book was a flop,but as a f1 fan of many years i sort of... Read more
Published 8 months ago by john lawrence
4.0 out of 5 stars Great inside view on Formula one
I found the structure of the book a little disjointed, but leaving that aside I found the Professors anecdotes and medical insights thoroughly absorbing. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Kim
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 

Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   


Look for similar items by category


ARRAY(0xb06fc7c8)