We look forward to the beginning of the 2012 motorsport season this weekend at Daytona with the 24 Hours set to go on saturday! Racing is a big part of what we chat to our customers about in the store, and we have a couple books here that may answer some of your technical questions, at least regarding Formula One.

 Haynes' Red Bull Racing F1 Car 2010 (RB6) Owners Workshop Manual, while its title is somewhat tongue in cheek, is a great way to get an overview of what a modern racing car really is. The 'Anatomy' section individually covers chassis, aerodynamics, suspension and steering, brakes, engine, transmission, wheels, tyres (tires to us), electronics, hydraulic system, safety equipment and cockpit controls. Wow! That accounts for 98 of the 180 pages; that still leaves sections dealing with design, engineering and driving! This was a big seller before Christmas; it's easy to see why. Fascinating stuff at $33.00. 

 A perennial favourite at Mini Grid is Giorgio Piola's Technical Analysis series. His latest, covering 2010/2011 covers F1 team by team, plus looks at regulations and some of the emergent trends of 2010. We often hear how similar F1 cars look these days; perhaps by looking closer we can see some of the less obvious differences from one team to another. Painstakingly showing the constant development demanded in F1, you can try to make sense of the technical aspect, or just marvel at the truly breathtaking illustrations of the author. Hours of enjoyment either way! $50.00 softbound.