Happy Saturday! Today we’re thrilled to welcome Neal Bascomb, author of the riveting book ‘Faster,’ for a live discussion. Please join in and submit a question at the link below!
Start time is 10:00am PST / 1:00pm EST when Neal joins us to respond. But feel free to send in questions any time prior to that.
To recap, ‘Faster’ follows the real-life tale of two pre-war racing heroes, competing all over Europe in the most grueling events you can imagine. With the rise of the Third Reich imminent, they come together to lead a plucky French team against Hitler’s dominant Silver Arrows.
If you need a crash course, here is the Race Day Book Club sheet with chapter-by-chapter notes. See you soon!
I think we're ready to wrap up! Thank you so much to all commenters! I am so glad you've been able to enjoy this incredible story and we could come together to share thoughts and ideas.
And of course, thank you to Neal! Congratulations on the success of Faster. It is well-deserved and I'm extremely grateful to have a better understanding of this time and the legends associated, and that we have the story preserved for future generations to rediscover and enjoy. Thank you for joining us today and we'll be watching to see what you decide to tackle next!
Do you think race drivers, teams, automakers, etc. in general are responsible for regimes they support or do business with? Or should sports be insulated from politics. And did this aspect of research bring up any eerie parallels with some of the things we see happening today?
Yes, I definitely think that drivers, teams, automakers, have a share of responsibility. If they are held up as paragons of the state they represent...if they benefit directly...then absolutely. Sports and politics are almost impossible to separate, particularly in these international arenas. Every Olympics we see this nationalism happen. And even in the US, athletes have a forum for political opinion by virtue of their celebrity status. Look at Colin Kaepernick.
Well said. We have the benefit of hindsight now, but throughout the book the growing German threat is ever-present and I kept wrestling with what could/should have been done.
Another thing I wondered throughout the book: Lucy Schell is an incredible figure, but isn't well known today. Has history forgotten her role in Delahaye’s victory? Or is her legacy appropriate for someone serving the roles of team owner and financier?
That's a fair question in regard to the legacies of other team owners and financiers. That said, Lucy is a classic trail-blazing woman who history ignored. The New York Times has a whole obituary section devoted to such women now. There's a new podcast by Jo Piazza called FIERCE that features amazing, but largely forgotten pioneers as well. It is pretty remarkable that she is not better known with the motor sport community though. As far as I can discern, she was the first woman to launch, finance, run, and lead a Grand Prix race team. She was one of the best Monte Carlo Rally drivers of her time.
I would also add that she was aware at the time that she was not being given her due. In fact, in most articles about Ecurie Bleue, they assigned leadership of the team to her husband Laury. She would complain, write letters to the newspaper editors, and they would continue to do the same. It must have been incredibly frustrating and infuriating!
I'm sure! As a woman it is incredibly empowering to me when writers like yourself highlight the strengths of women that were always there, but ignored.
Thank you. People often ask me what are you most proud of in terms of this book, and I have to say that it is reviving the legacy of Lucy Schell. She was an absolute dynamo. Now hoping the NYT gives her legitimate obituary now (for what that's worth)
Thanks for joining us, everyone! We'll start things off. Neal, for someone who doesn't seem to have an automotive background, the racing scenes are incredibly vibrant. How were you able to capture the second-by-second intensity and fury of motorsports in that time without footage?
Appreciate the kind words! As I noted before, the contemporaneous news reports were key. But also the Mercedes archives were invaluable as well. The race team kept minute-by-minute accounts of many of the races. They kept telegrams and letters that officials at the races wrote back to Stuttgart headquarters. They had lap times. They had numerous press clippings. And, there was footage for some of the races, including Pau! Also, many great photographs.
I have to sign off now, but thank you all for the wonderful questions and I hope you enjoyed the book! please reach out to me at nb@nealbascomb.com if you have anything further!
In terms of what surprised me most, I'd say that how integral the German pursuit of dominance in motor sport was aligned to their war aims. The NSKK in particular.
Answering Russell first. Favorite part of the research was my trip to Europe, walking and sometimes driving the famous courses, including Monaco, Pau, Montlhery (including the banked bowl)...as well as the little discoveries at automobile clubs like the one in Nice. Driving the Delahaye 145 wasn't bad either!
You should. Montlhery requires special access, but obviously the round-the-houses circuits in Pau and Monaco are open to traffic. Walking them is interesting too.
Elana, To your question. I first heard about the book four years ago or so when a friend at the WSJ passed me a press release from the Mullin Museum about the restored Delahaye. It had a bit about the backstory and hiding the cars before the Nazis invaded France. I was immediately intrigued--and to be honest, had always wanted to write a "car book". That said, I researched the story for a couple months and hit a bunch of walls in terms of primary resource material. I had almost given up when Evelyne Dreyfus, Rene's niece, passed me about 500 pages from a scrapbook the family collected on Rene...lots of articles in many languages, tributes to Rene, even speeches at his funeral. Then I was definitely in!
That was definitely the beginning, but then I realized how rich the contemporaneous accounts were in the Italian, French, German, and British press. They just had terrific writers focused on motor sport, and so I accessed all of these (and fortunately, my German and French is pretty good, and my father-in-law is Italian by birth.
Google translate is also supremely helpful for quick, rough translations. I've used it for a number of books when I have material in multiple languages. Now writing a book on Gandhi's Salt March, and I promise you my Hindi and Gujarati is not very good :)
I was shocked at Google Translate's accuracy while I was translating a book from Japanese. And some of the phrases that came back were (unintentionally) hilarious!
Dana, That's a very interesting question. I suppose that the racing community could have banned Germany from competing in the Grand Prix (and I say that with little insight into their by-laws, etc) because of the heavy state support. But the level of support the Third Reich gave Mercedes and Auto Union was not readily known. Further, Mussolini was supporting Alfa Romeo and so you potentially would have had to ban them. Then you're left with France....Their best bet was to try to change the formula so as not to benefit the Germans, but they didn't achieve that.
How long did you know the story of Dreyfus and Schell before starting on the book? Did you immediately recognize there was a book in it, or was it something you thought about for a while?
I think we're ready to wrap up! Thank you so much to all commenters! I am so glad you've been able to enjoy this incredible story and we could come together to share thoughts and ideas.
And of course, thank you to Neal! Congratulations on the success of Faster. It is well-deserved and I'm extremely grateful to have a better understanding of this time and the legends associated, and that we have the story preserved for future generations to rediscover and enjoy. Thank you for joining us today and we'll be watching to see what you decide to tackle next!
Cheers!
Thank you Race Day and Neal!
Hi all. Thank you all for your interest in FASTER and happy to answer questions as fast as my hands can type!
Do you think race drivers, teams, automakers, etc. in general are responsible for regimes they support or do business with? Or should sports be insulated from politics. And did this aspect of research bring up any eerie parallels with some of the things we see happening today?
Yes, I definitely think that drivers, teams, automakers, have a share of responsibility. If they are held up as paragons of the state they represent...if they benefit directly...then absolutely. Sports and politics are almost impossible to separate, particularly in these international arenas. Every Olympics we see this nationalism happen. And even in the US, athletes have a forum for political opinion by virtue of their celebrity status. Look at Colin Kaepernick.
Well said. We have the benefit of hindsight now, but throughout the book the growing German threat is ever-present and I kept wrestling with what could/should have been done.
And what we can learn and take away and apply going forward.
Absolutely
Another thing I wondered throughout the book: Lucy Schell is an incredible figure, but isn't well known today. Has history forgotten her role in Delahaye’s victory? Or is her legacy appropriate for someone serving the roles of team owner and financier?
That's a fair question in regard to the legacies of other team owners and financiers. That said, Lucy is a classic trail-blazing woman who history ignored. The New York Times has a whole obituary section devoted to such women now. There's a new podcast by Jo Piazza called FIERCE that features amazing, but largely forgotten pioneers as well. It is pretty remarkable that she is not better known with the motor sport community though. As far as I can discern, she was the first woman to launch, finance, run, and lead a Grand Prix race team. She was one of the best Monte Carlo Rally drivers of her time.
I don't think I would last 10 miles on some of those rallies!
Yea but reading this book sure does make me want to try it!
It was tough enough to even get to the start line, let alone 96 hours on the road (what there was of it!)
I would also add that she was aware at the time that she was not being given her due. In fact, in most articles about Ecurie Bleue, they assigned leadership of the team to her husband Laury. She would complain, write letters to the newspaper editors, and they would continue to do the same. It must have been incredibly frustrating and infuriating!
I'm sure! As a woman it is incredibly empowering to me when writers like yourself highlight the strengths of women that were always there, but ignored.
Thank you. People often ask me what are you most proud of in terms of this book, and I have to say that it is reviving the legacy of Lucy Schell. She was an absolute dynamo. Now hoping the NYT gives her legitimate obituary now (for what that's worth)
Thanks for joining us, everyone! We'll start things off. Neal, for someone who doesn't seem to have an automotive background, the racing scenes are incredibly vibrant. How were you able to capture the second-by-second intensity and fury of motorsports in that time without footage?
Appreciate the kind words! As I noted before, the contemporaneous news reports were key. But also the Mercedes archives were invaluable as well. The race team kept minute-by-minute accounts of many of the races. They kept telegrams and letters that officials at the races wrote back to Stuttgart headquarters. They had lap times. They had numerous press clippings. And, there was footage for some of the races, including Pau! Also, many great photographs.
I have to sign off now, but thank you all for the wonderful questions and I hope you enjoyed the book! please reach out to me at nb@nealbascomb.com if you have anything further!
In terms of what surprised me most, I'd say that how integral the German pursuit of dominance in motor sport was aligned to their war aims. The NSKK in particular.
Answering Russell first. Favorite part of the research was my trip to Europe, walking and sometimes driving the famous courses, including Monaco, Pau, Montlhery (including the banked bowl)...as well as the little discoveries at automobile clubs like the one in Nice. Driving the Delahaye 145 wasn't bad either!
Driving those courses must have been a crazy thrill. I’d love to do that one day!
You should. Montlhery requires special access, but obviously the round-the-houses circuits in Pau and Monaco are open to traffic. Walking them is interesting too.
Elana, To your question. I first heard about the book four years ago or so when a friend at the WSJ passed me a press release from the Mullin Museum about the restored Delahaye. It had a bit about the backstory and hiding the cars before the Nazis invaded France. I was immediately intrigued--and to be honest, had always wanted to write a "car book". That said, I researched the story for a couple months and hit a bunch of walls in terms of primary resource material. I had almost given up when Evelyne Dreyfus, Rene's niece, passed me about 500 pages from a scrapbook the family collected on Rene...lots of articles in many languages, tributes to Rene, even speeches at his funeral. Then I was definitely in!
It must have been a thrill to get those 500 pages! Sounds like that's what really gave you support to get this story out.
That was definitely the beginning, but then I realized how rich the contemporaneous accounts were in the Italian, French, German, and British press. They just had terrific writers focused on motor sport, and so I accessed all of these (and fortunately, my German and French is pretty good, and my father-in-law is Italian by birth.
That was going to be my other question, how long it took you to translate all those documents. But you were all set!
Google translate is also supremely helpful for quick, rough translations. I've used it for a number of books when I have material in multiple languages. Now writing a book on Gandhi's Salt March, and I promise you my Hindi and Gujarati is not very good :)
I was shocked at Google Translate's accuracy while I was translating a book from Japanese. And some of the phrases that came back were (unintentionally) hilarious!
If you ever need to read a book in Norwegian, the translation is eerily accurate.
In hindsight, do you think more could have been done by the racing community to resist Third Reich involvement or would it have been futile?
Dana, That's a very interesting question. I suppose that the racing community could have banned Germany from competing in the Grand Prix (and I say that with little insight into their by-laws, etc) because of the heavy state support. But the level of support the Third Reich gave Mercedes and Auto Union was not readily known. Further, Mussolini was supporting Alfa Romeo and so you potentially would have had to ban them. Then you're left with France....Their best bet was to try to change the formula so as not to benefit the Germans, but they didn't achieve that.
How long did you know the story of Dreyfus and Schell before starting on the book? Did you immediately recognize there was a book in it, or was it something you thought about for a while?
Ok I have one! (Or two)
Neal, research for this book must have been an incredible adventure on its own,
What was your favorite part of that process?
What did you learn that surprised you the most?