This sumptuous book, a feast of nostalgia, celebrates the wonderful era of the European Formula 2 Championship, 1967-84, on the 50th anniversary of its beginnings. Formula 2 pitted emerging heroes against the greats of the day and virtually all the top Formula 1 drivers - names like Jackie Stewart, Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt and Bruce McLaren in 1967 - battled with young chargers in races that thrilled huge crowds at the best European circuits, from the Nurburgring to Brands Hatch. In bringing the glory days of Formula 2 back to life in this book, passionate author Chris Witty has interviewed many of the surviving protagonists to present a colourful and evocative retrospective, supported by the work of Jutta Fausel, who photographed Formula 2 races throughout this period.
Birth of the European Formula 2 Championship in 1967, when Jacky Ickx (the writer of the book's foreword) became the first champion, driving a Tyrrell-entered Matra.
French Matra cars propelled the next two champions, Jean-Pierre Beltoise (1968) and Johnny Servoz-Gavin (1969), both Frenchmen.
Of all the manufacturers of Formula 2 cars, March achieved the most success, Ronnie Peterson (1971) becoming the first of six champions to win in these British-built cars.
A fine all-British year, 1972, saw ex-motorcycle 'great' Mike Hailwood win the championship in a Surtees car.
French champions in five consecutive years: Jean-Pierre Jarier (1973), Patrick Depailler (1974), Jacques Laffite (1975), Jean-Pierre Jabouille (1976) and Rene Arnoux (1977) dominated their era and all but Jarier went on to become Grand Prix winners.
Toleman and Ralt cars - also made in Britain - emerged in the final years of the championship, which saw three more British champions: Brian Henton (1980), Geoff Lees (1981) and Jonathan Palmer (1983).
The other champions were Clay Regazzoni (1970), Bruno Giacomelli (1978), Marc Surer (1979), Corrado Fabi (1980) and Mike Thackwell (1984).
Jutta Fausel grew up behind the Iron Curtain in East Germany, near Berlin, but escaped with her parents in 1961 to settle in West Germany near Stuttgart. Very soon after arriving, a visit to her first race, the Solitude Grand Prix, left her spellbound. Before long, she realised that she could combine her passion for photography with motorsport and attempt to make her living. The European F2 Championship was where Jutta established herself, usually travelling to the races in her old VW Beetle, taking her photos, driving home through the night, developing the films and making prints, delivering them to her main magazine client in Stuttgart, and only then getting some sleep. She covered the championship throughout its 18 years, meanwhile broadening out into other areas of racing, above all F1. Nowadays she lives in California with her husband, John Ward, a race engineer, and still supplies publishers with photos from her extensive archive.
Chris Witty was a motor racing journalist for much of the period covered by this book, first with Motoring News, then Autosport, and Formula 2 was the focus of his reporting. From 1980 he moved into public relations and marketing, first with the Toleman Group during the period in which it raced in Formula 2 and ran Ayrton Senna in its Formula 1 team. Following a spell with Richard Branson's Virgin Group, he set up his own consultancy business, Chris Witty Associates, to handle marketing, sponsorship and media activities.
