I’ll get the joke out of the way first – no, ‘Driven to Crime’ isn’t the first of a 3,000 volume set detailing the history of criminality connected to motorsport. Instead, this book is a whistle stop tour of some of motorsport’s more infamous characters who also found themselves on the wrong side of the law.
First-time author Crispian Besley has both the motorsport pedigree – having spent several decades racing immaculately prepared Formula Juniors – and a career at the top of the finance industry, which is perfectly for succinctly summarising some of the financial crimes covered.
Split into sixty-six chapters, each focusing on an individual, all the usual suspects are to be found, together with a few lesser-known stories. I can’t think of any prior publication that links former FIA president Jean-Marie Balestre and infamous Brands Hatch trespasser Jack Cottle (who, in mitigation, never got the credit for staying within track limits during his illicit intrusion onto a live race track).
For a relatively recent fan of the sport, ‘Driven to Crime’ is a treasure trove, unearthing characters and news items that have been quietly forgotten. Those involved in the sport for longer will still find plenty to enjoy – for example Bernie Ecclestone quietly manoeuvring to ensure Pablo Escobar-connected rookie Ricardo Londono didn’t get an F1 superlicence (although one could argue the Medellin Cartel were just a friendlier and less ruthless forerunner to F1 junior…
