{"product_id":"race-across-the-world-the-incredible-story-of-the-worlds-greatest-road-race-the-1968-london-to-sydney-marathon-paperback","title":"Race Across the World: The Incredible Story of the World's Greatest Road Race - The 1968 London to Sydney Marathon - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJohn Smailes\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1968, 98 competitors stormed out of London on the world's greatest automotive adventure, the London to Sydney Marathon, the most ambitious and epic car race ever staged. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Four weeks later they arrived in Sydney--or, at least, half of them did. The others lay in ruin along its 10,000-mile route. Unimaginable now in either concept or execution, the marathon captured the rapt attention of the countries through which it passed, and of the world, as it created front-page news. It was more than a car race, more than a rally, more than the trials that opened up outback Australia only a decade before: it was the world's most grueling test of driver and vehicle. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e For Australians, the race became a focal point of the rivalry between local car-manufacturing giants Holden and Ford, as the Monaro Coupe and the iconic Falcon GT went head to head. Neither was to win, but the story of their duel is motor-sporting legend. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e John Smailes was a young journalist at the time, covering the race for the \u003ci\u003eSydney Daily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e. Fifty years after this extraordinary race was run, John's dramatic, compelling, and utterly fascinating story-drawing on his own first-hand, eyewitness account and enhanced by in-depth interviews over the intervening years with all the race's key participants-brings the marathon vividly to life.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Smailes \u003c\/b\u003ehas worked as a motor racing journalist and PR consultant for more than four decades. As a young reporter he covered the London-Sydney Marathon and has a substantial library of photographs as well as contemporary interviews and records. His most recent book is Allan Moffat's autobiography, \u003ci\u003eClimbing the Mountain\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 360\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.3 x 7.7 x 5.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 01, 2020\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42164549812359,"sku":"9781760876951","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/51aeb08f1f57b2249bfc4ed0cedb3547.webp?v=1733306771","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/race-across-the-world-the-incredible-story-of-the-worlds-greatest-road-race-the-1968-london-to-sydney-marathon-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}