If you know who both Rick Mears and Gordon Kirby are, you’ll already want this book. In brief, it is the story of one of North American motorsport’s greatest ever drivers, written by one of its greatest writers.
This revised edition of ‘Thanks’ updates its original 2008 edition with additional material on Mears’ family life and advisory work to the Penske team.‘Thanks’ does everything you want it to – the comprehensive story of Mears’ life and career, charting the (very) highs and (painful) lows. With extensive contributions from Mears himself together with family, team members and rivals, alongside Kirby’s paddock insights, this is no long-distance biography.
Coming in hardback and featuring copious pictures of beautiful 1980s and 1990s Penskes, ‘Thanks’ is the latest in a strong run of recent IndyCar books – last year’s ‘Indy Split: The Big Money Battle that Nearly Destroyed Indy Racing’ and Al Unser Jr’s brutally honest autobiography being the other highlights.
Knowing his audience, Kirby also includes a comprehensive IndyCar results section in the closing pages, which will delight the completists and rounds off the package neatly.
The price tag may put off a few, but for fans of one of IndyCar’s golden eras this is definitely tipping into must-have territory.
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Rick Mears – Thanks: The story of Rick Mears and the Mears gang
Author: Gordon Kirby
Publisher: Racemaker Press
Published: 2021
Pages: 265
Price: $65
ISBN: 978-0-9998754-5-2
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Kurt Laguna
15th August 2022, 15:24
It wasn’t “IndyCars” golden years, that name is new and represents both greed and a second rate series. Rick Mears raced in a different series before the George Family decided to destroy North American’s premier single seat racing. Please don’t mislead folks.
bull mello (@bullmello)
15th August 2022, 19:50
Agree with that. Tony George is one of the worst.
Lived in the same area with Rick Mears and family during that time. Good family, great racing and driver. Good times.
Kurt Laguna
15th August 2022, 22:19
Yes, miss the heydays of CART and the battle of the March’s, Lola’s, Penske’s and even the Eagles. The Dallara’s are old and don’t really allow the top drivers to distinguish themselves from the so-so drivers. A sad state of affairs indeed.
Kurt Laguna
15th August 2022, 22:22
Also, hopefully there is a special place in Hell for Tony George where they don’t use lube on the pitch folk.
bull mello (@bullmello)
17th August 2022, 16:27
So true with that!