On the 28th of October, the Royal Automobile Club will be hosting the 2020 Motoring Book of the Year Awards at the Club’s Pall Mall Clubhouse, and it will be broadcasted either via a live or online format. In its seventh consecutive year, the 2020 Motoring Book of the Year Awards is already considered and recognized as the most prestigious in the automotive publishing industry.
The response this year was remarkable as there were 32 quality entries by 24 various publishing houses, ranging from international and independents to self-published authors. The contenders that have been shortlisted include biographies, motorsport titles, general motoring reference books, and marque histories.
There will only be three awards that will be presented on the day. Motoring Book of the Year will be given to an outstanding book that has a wide appeal and is no more than £75. Specialist Book of the Year is given to those books who were deemed to have done thorough research and perfect writing with no limitation as to the retail cost. This year, there will also be a new award that will be introduced: The Lifetime Achievement Award, an award that will give recognition to those who have contributed substantially and significantly to the international motoring book industry.
The Royal Automobile Club award committee is comprised of six independent and expert judges, comprised of the most informed motoring literary critics of the UK. They are Mick Walsh of Classic & Sports Car, Mark Dixon of Octane, Gordon Cruickshank of Motor Sport, and Ian Titchmarch, avid book collector and BRDC Bulletin editor. The retail sector are represented by Christian Whitehead of the London bookstore, Foyles; and specialist bookseller Horton’s Books’ Ben Horton. Esteemed motorsport writer, historian, and commentator Simon Taylor will be the chair of the judging panel.
“The Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Awards have become synonymous with celebrating the best automotive books, authors and publishers. The quality of entries this year has been quite remarkable, which is a reassuring sign that the industry is in good shape and the appetite for motoring books continue to be healthy. The rigour around the judging process was very impressive and given the quality of entries it was the toughest judging year yet. We now focus on the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is another tough task because there are some outstanding candidates that have devoted their life to motoring publishing,” said Jeremy Vaughan, Head of Motoring.
The six titles shortlisted for Motoring Book of the Year are:
•Richie Ginther Motor Racing’s Free Thinker by Richard Jenkins (Performance Publishing)
•Louis Coatalen Engineering Impresario of Humber, Sunbeam, Talbot and Darracq by Oliver Heal (Unicorn Publishing Group LLP)
•A Race with Love and Death: The Story of Richard Seaman by Richard Williams (Simon & Schuster UK Ltd)
•The Complete Catalogue of the Land Rover by James Taylor (Herridge & Sons Ltd)
•Niki Lauda His Competition History by Jon Saltinstall (Evro Publishing)
•Design Between the Lines by Patrick Le Quément (Merrell Publishers)
The six titles shortlisted for Specialist Motoring Book of the Year are:
•Claude Deane Western Australia’s Motor Dealer Extraordinaire by Graeme Cocks (Motoring Past Vintage Publishing)
•Shadow The Magnificent Machines of a Man of Mystery by Pete Lyons (Evro Publishing)
•Ultimate Works Porsche 956 – The Definitive History by Serge Vanbockryck (Porter Press Intl Ltd)
•Sharknose V6 – Ferrari 156, Ferrari 246SP & Ferrari 196SP by Jörg-Thomas Födisch & Rainer Rossbach (McKlein Publishing)
•Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe – The autobiography of CSX2300 by Rinsey Mills (Porter Press Intl Ltd)
•Maserati in the World Sports Car and Manufacturers Championships from 1953 to 1966 by Michel Bollee and Jean-Francois Blachette (Syllabe Editions)
[Source: The Royal Automobile Club]
