Biography & Autobiography: Sport

The most comprehensive and detailed biography of Formula One legend Nick Lauda ever published, as told by Maurice Hamilton, who knew him for more than forty years. From the famous rivalry with James Hunt in the 1970s, as depicted in the film Rush, to working with Lewis Hamilton a...t Mercedes, Lauda's career helped define modern F1. In 1975, Lauda became world champion for the first time. Driving for Ferrari, he looked to retain his title in 1976 and was dominating the campaign ahead of James Hunt in his McLaren. Then, on 1 August, he was involved in a horrendous crash at the Nurburgring and was badly burned and in hospital he was given the last rites, so severe were his injuries. Remarkably, six weeks later, he was back racing again, determined to show he could still compete. As they came to the final race of the season in Japan, Lauda held a narrow lead in the championship, but in appalling weather conditions, Lauda withdrew from the race, while Hunt went on to secure the points he needed to become world champion. It was high-speed drama at its best. Lauda came back to win the title again in 1977 and then, having temporarily retired, he won it for a third time in 1984, driving for McLaren. When he finally finished as an F1 driver, he started his own airline, before he returned to the sport in various management roles, latterly as chairman of Mercedes, where he helped in the negotiations to bring Lewis Hamilton to the team. Maurice Hamilton, who first met Lauda in 1971, draws together the remarkable story of one of the greatest stars in Formula One history. Based on interviews with friends and family, rival drivers and those he worked with later in his career, Niki Lauda is a superb and definitive tribute to a remarkable character, who died in May 2019 at the age of seventy.
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Aiming Up with Kieran Read tells the thrilling story of how a humble young man from South Auckland, grew up to become the captain of the one of the most famous sports teams in the world ... the All Blacks! Learn how hard work and determination can help you succeed in life too.

New Zealand has a proud athletic history dating back to the 1800s. Never before has there been a book that includes so many New Zealand runners, and in such rich detail. The Kiwi Runners' Family Tree tells the stories of over 100 running related athletes and coaches, focusing on ...the interconnections between the generations as well as the important relationships within those generations. This family tree has wellgrounded roots, a strong trunk and a vast amount of experience, knowledge and inspiration coursing through its branches. The book expertly tells the many interconnected stories of New Zealand's runners, from sprinters through to ultramarathoners, as well as hurdlers, steeplechasers, race walkers and Para athletes. Each chapter incapsulates athletes' achievements, inspirations, coaches and compatriots. The athletes' stories, some never been told before, are complemented by many fascinating photos. The Kiwi Runners' Family Tree features more than 20 personal interviews with athletes, administrators and coaches, to ensure historical and statistical accuracy.
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Kiwi yachtsman Graeme Kendall was the first person to sail the Northwest Passage solo non-stop. Sailing east to west, he knocked off the Everest of sailing in just 12 days - the fastest recorded - as part of his extraordinary solo circumnavigation of the globe. This is a story of... determination, meticulous planning and rugged courage. All alone for 193 days in his purpose-built yacht Astral Express, Kendall crossed 28,000 miles of ocean, facing some of the Earth's most terrifying seas. An enthralling adventure, To The Ice And Beyond is an inspiration to all of us to live our dreams, and never to give up.
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From the prize-winning cycling writer Matt Rendell comes a book on the incredible rise of Colombian cycling