The Man In The White Suit: The Stig, Le Mans, The Fast Lane And Me (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
Not a bad book but not brilliant. I picked it up for £2 in a bargain book store which seemed like a bargain. Mr Collins is clearly not a professional author and the book can lose it a bit at times and unless you have a keen interest in cars and motor racing then the amount of jargon in the book will make it a difficult read. The other problem was that I felt myself drifting off to sleep each time I tried to read it at length. That aside, it was fun enough and nice to learn more about The Stig which is the reason I was interested in the first place. Being a Top Gear fan, though not really a 'petrol head', I was a little dubious about reading this, but thought I'd give it a go and I'm so glad that I did! Though there was a lot in early chapters about the practicalities of racing and car handling, it soon became apparent that Ben Collins is a far more fascinating guy! Of course, we never knew that whilst filming on Top Gear, he was also undertaking a phenomenal physical and psychological challenge to gain entry to a division of the Army that accepts 'civvies'. The description of the reserves one has to call upon to get through the truly gruelling series of 'tests' that you need to pass before being permitted entry was really inspiring, as was the description of coaching a blind guy to drive the TG track faster than some of the sighted contenders. The crescendo of interest in finding Stig's true identity, not helped by the HSE investigation into Hammond's crash actually naming him or the BBC's Radio Times naming him as one of two possibilities for the Stig, coincided with what was clearly a frustration at the competitive 'void' after he had to give up his Army career due to the TG workload, so it was time to try to get back to racing.Although many seemed very disappointed by his decision to publish the book, myself initially amongst them, I am so glad that he did. I can't see why the BBC were so against it. Indeed, if somebody told me that the whole injunction and court case to prevent publication were a mere publicity stunt, I would be at all surprised.
What do You think about The Man In The White Suit: The Stig, Le Mans, The Fast Lane And Me (2010)?
Pretty well written, if you're a fan of Top Gear this is a must read.
—Myranda
