The Speed Weeks took place in the Bahamas from 1954 to 1966. The initial idea was to extend the tourist season by attracting competitors and spectators. The races went through phases — from including many European entries, to being one of the battlegrounds for Ford/GM stoushes. In the end, the increasing professionalism of racing generally, combined with regular criticism of the circuit used and the organisation of the meeting, plus opposition from local politicians, spelled the end of the events after 13 years.
If you read UK magazine reports from the time, you don’t fi nd a lot about the Speed Weeks, which makes this book even more remarkable. It has 365 large pages, with incredibly full race results plus hundreds of black-and-white and colour photos. Added to that, O’Neill has assembled a full and fascinating history that he tells well.
Each year there were over 15 races, but the big one was always the Nassau Trophy, which would have up to 60 starters. Some years had karts, others featured FJ or VW Beetle races, and the drivers came from all over, as did some top entrants like Penske, NART and Mecom teams with an amazing variety of cars (ever seen a 7.0-litre Hussein-Dodge before?). Selected entries got free travel and accommodation, which proved an added draw-card. O’Neill has unearthed some wonderful anecdotes. Some of them involve women and/or cars, plus swimming pools. Others were less amusing, like the bored security guard who blew up the motors of two top entries by starting them and revving them flat out from cold in the storage area!
The book would have benefi ted from some sub-headings throughout the long chapters, and I am not sure what an “inchoate” Ford Thunderbird actually is. But this is an impressive piece of racing history.
The names scattered through the pages sum up a series that, for all its faults, attracted the big names as well as the amateur drivers. Look out for both Rodriguez brothers, de Portago, Moss, Gregory, Phil Hill, Innes Ireland, Rindt, etc. And there were some surprise winners: Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon, Pedro Rodriguez and Dan Gurney all won Formula Vee or VW saloon races!
Available online and in bookshops
Review by Mark Holman
