In a nutshell:

Professor Sid Watkins revolutionised medical procedures in Formula One, saving untold numbers of drivers from serious injury and death.

His counterpart in the similar and once highly popular CART Indy Car series was Dr Stephen Olvey. Like Watkins, he came to a sport which, in the seventies, was growing rapidly in popularity but blighted by terrible accidents which all too often maimed or killed drivers.

"Rapid Response" is his account of his years attending Indy Car races, his battle to improve safety and the many occasions he was called on to save drivers’ lives.

Who wants it?

If you’ve watched a Formula One race recently and thought, “it’s too safe these days, there’s no element of risk any more,” this book will surely change your mind.

It’s very easy to take modern safety procedures in motor sport for granted. "Rapid Response" shows just how easily things can go terribly wrong in high-speed racing – and describes the consequences in graphic detail. It’s a sobering read.

Stats entertainment?

CART infamously cancelled a race at Texas in 2001 because excessive G-forces were causing the drivers to black out. The cars reached high enough speeds on the oval track to create G-forces that exceeded those experienced by fighter jet pilots.

Nice pictures?

There aren’t many pictures but some of them are quite incredible. Not least that of Danny Ongais hurtling towards a wall at Indianapolis with the front part of his car already missing and his legs hanging out. Incredibly he survived because another competitor thought to ram his car clear.

Amazing fact:

ITV F1 pundit Mark Blundell once raced in CART. His brakes failed on the tenth lap of the 1996 Brazilian CART race while he was doing 200 mph. Trying to avoid hitting the wall he aimed the car at team mate Mauricio Gugelmin. He missed, but amazingly survived his 100G hit with the wall.

Essential rating:

9/10 A powerful and at times harrowing read, Rapid Response will change what you think about motor sport.

Review by Keith Collantine

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