Driven to Crime: True stories of wrongdoing in motor racing

By Crispian Besley

We know that one should not put anything past certain people involved in motorsport. And first-time author Crispian Besley has sought to gather the many tales of misdeed in a £40, 480-page, hardback just published by Evro Publishing.

Besley explores no fewer than 66 cases, giving each their own chapter, and appropriately there is an eclectic mix, from the sometimes comical to the often despicable and occasionally tragic. Some link directly to racing whereas with others it’s racing-linked individuals getting up to no good elsewhere.

To give you some idea of the range, we have Nelson Piquet Jr in Crashgate, Colin Chapman’s DeLorean links, and the young chap who took a road-going VW

Polo onto a live Brands Hatch circuit in 2014. Ian Flux’s soliciting seems though a conspicuous omission.

It’s written in an engaging style, and with each tale only covering a few pages it rattles along. It’s an absorbing and informative read.