The Stainless Steel Carrot: An Auto Racing Odyssey—Revisited
This book tells the story of John Morton when he was on the cusp of the big time but held back, ironically, by his consummate skill in smaller cars. Sylvia Wilkinson's mastery of dialogue puts you behind the scenes and brings supporting characters such as team owner Pete Brock and arch rival Horst Kwech to life with an honesty that at times is almost painful. This is authentic stuff -- a must-read for Morton fans -- and for anyone who likes a tale told with accuracy and passion.--Sam PoseyThe Stainless Steel Carrot is one of the most incisive books ever written about professional motorsports. Sylvia Wilkinson's reporting is scrupulously honest, and she captures the highs and lows of racing with sometimes painful accuracy. Besides shining a light on Trans-Am s often overlooked 2.5 Challenge, Wilkinson also brings a fascinating cast of characters to life, most notably the book s reluctant but ultimately winning hero, John Morton.--Preston LernerI was asked to comment about Sylvia Wilkinson's auto racing classic,The Stainless Steel Carrot.At first I thought, 'oh yeah I remember enjoying that -- I can think of a few words to say.' To refresh my memory I pulled it off the shelf, opened a page here and a page there. Pretty soon I started at Page 1 and ended at Page 335. Not only did I become (re)engrossed in it, but it was even more enjoyable the second time around.Forty years of time has given an entirely different perspective to Sylvia s work. Not only was it a fine piece of literature then but it resoundingly stands the test of time. In a genre where only a few well-written books stood out before or since, theCarrotshines supreme.It is an odyssey into two seasons of John Morton s career. Many of the anecdotes, technical aspects, racing strategies and the team s trials and tribulations were as true then as they are today. However, the most endearing aspect is its snapshot quality of a moment in racing that was simultaneously innocent and yet fraught with more danger than in later years. For most, racing in the early 1970s was somewhere between a lark and a profession.I first readThe Stainless Steel Carrotat a time when I thought that perhaps there was a career in race driving ahead for me. Thus I tried to glean all one could from the approach taken by a budding talent like John Morton. My subsequent racing career wouldn't have been worth a paragraph while John remains a sought after driver in vintage racing circles. Re-reading the book takes on altogether different atmosphere. It is much like watching a favorite film from that period, for example, a Newman-Redford movie. Reading Sylvia's words about John is as delightful as watching the adventures of Butch Cassidy. It brings back a time and place of the old 2.5 Challenge and Formula A, not as a recitation of facts but as a story of real people in particular moment of motor racing history.--Janos WimpffenThe Stainless Steel Carrot is one of the most incisive books ever written about professional motorsports. Sylvia Wilkinson's reporting is scrupulously honest, and she captures the highs and lows of racing with sometimes painful accuracy. Besides shining a light on Trans-Am s often overlooked 2.5 Challenge, Wilkinson also brings a fascinating cast of characters to life, most notably the book s reluctant but ultimately winning hero, John Morton.--Preston LernerI was asked to comment about Sylvia Wilkinson's auto racing classic,The Stainless Steel Carrot.At first I thought, 'oh yeah I remember enjoying that -- I can think of a few words to say.' To refresh my memory I pulled it off the shelf, opened a page here and a page there. Pretty soon I started at Page 1 and ended at Page 335. Not only did I become (re)engrossed in it, but it was even more enjoyable t --Janos WimpffenThe Stainless Steel Carrot is one of the most incisive books ever written about professional motorsports. Sylvia Wilkinson's reporting is scrupulously honest, and she captures the highs and lows of racing with sometimes painful accuracy. Besides shining a light on Trans-Am s often overlooked 2.5 Challenge, Wilkinson also brings a fascinating cast of characters to life, most notably the book s reluctant but ultimately winning hero, John Morton.--Preston LernerI was asked to comment about Sylvia Wilkinson's auto racing classic,The Stainless Steel Carrot.At first I thought, 'oh yeah I remember enjoying that -- I can think of a few words to say.' To refresh my memory I pulled it off the shelf, opened a page here and a page there. Pretty soon I started at Page 1 and ended at Page 335. Not only did I become (re)engrossed in it, but it was even more enjoyable the second time around.Forty years of time has given an entirely different perspective to Sylvia s work. Not only was it a fine piece of literature then but it resoundingly stands the test of time. In a genre where only a few well-written books stood out before or since, theCarrotshines supreme.It is an odyssey into two seasons of John Morton s career. Many of the anecdotes, technical aspects, racing strategies and the team s trials and tribulations were as true then as they are today. However, the most endearing aspect is its snapshot quality of a moment in racing that was simultaneously innocent and yet fraught with more danger than in later years. For most, racing in the early 1970s was somewhere between a lark and a profession.I first readThe Stainless Steel Carrotat a time when I thought that perhaps there was a career in race driving ahead for me. Thus I tried to glean all one could from the approach taken by a budding talent like John Morton. My subsequent racing career wouldn't have been worth a paragraph while John remains a sought after driver in vintage racing circles. Re-reading the book takes on altogether different atmosphere. It is much like watching a favorite film from that period, for example, a Newman-Redford movie. Reading Sylvia's words about John is as delightful as watching the adventures of Butch Cassidy. It brings back a time and place of the old 2.5 Challenge and Formula A, not as a recitation of facts but as a story of real people in particular moment of motor racing history.--Janos Wimpffen