Book Review
by Russell Jaslow

Driven to Crime: True Stories of Wrongdoing in Motor Racing

by Crispian Besley
EVRO Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-910505-70-0. List Price: $55.00.

First a statement of full disclosure. For a longtime, I had thought about writing a book just like this. Did some research here and there. Collected paper and digital files on various unsavory characters. I was going to call it Racing's Dirty Money.

So, how do I feel about Crispian Besley beating me to the punch? Just fine. For starters, I can now take the lazy way out and enjoy someone else's work... And since it's such a fine piece of work, it takes any sting out of it. To be honest, although Besley included nearly everyone I had known about, he knew about a good number of additional characters I may never have discovered.

Unlike my idea, Besley went a bit further. He also included racing folks who were victims of crime or committed crimes that had nothing to do with trying to get money to race. This I do have a bit of a quibble with. Though some crimes are obviously due to racing -- Juan Manuel Fangio's kidnapping, Mickey Thompson's murder -- others are crimes which just happens to involve a racing person.

The point is, though I believe crimes of money most likely are much higher in motor racing due to the nature of the sport (which is why it's such an interesting subject for us racing fans), I doubt "regular" crimes are any more common in racing than any other sport, making it difficult to decide what to include and not include.

Having said that, I still enjoyed reading about each and every one. Especially as a racing historian, because it all factors into understanding the sport on a different level. I always learned something new with each chapter.

Though I'm not necessarily a crime junkie, it does at times fascinate me. Probably because my maternal grandfather worked as an assistant in the New York City's DA office and wrote pulp fiction novels about some of his experiences at work and growing up in the Lower East Side. If you have similar feelings, it will be another reason to enjoy the book.

All the usual cohorts are included. The IMSA drug smugglers. The Ponzi schemers. Fraudsters. Money launderers. The fake princes and sheikhs. Conmen. The bogus sponsors. Even the Great Train Robbery. As well as a serial killer. Along with some I wondered whether Besley would (and should) include, such as Colin Chapman, Max Mosley, Jean-Marie Balestre, and Jos Verstappen. You will recognize many of the names. There will also be many new names you'll learn about. Most have their own dedicated chapter, organized alphabetically. Some are included in sidebars.

This subject is a never ending saga. It might not be long before Besley has enough information for a second edition. There are the cases going on right now such as Force India's former owner Vijay Mallye. Perhaps new information concerning William Storey and the Rich Energy sponsorship fiasco will eventually fit into a future book.

Then, there are the ones Besley missed which can help round out another edition. Mike Boyle, a.k.a., Umbrella Mike, head of the Teamsters who on a "modest" salary funded two of Wilbur Shaw's Indy 500 wins. Kelly Petillo, 1935 Indy 500 winner, who had a rap sheet as long as the Speedway as well as funding his racing effort with rubber checks. Indy car race engineer, Larry Curry, convicted of embezzlement. Even three-time Indy winner, Mauri Rose, would fit into a sidebar for going on trial for inciting a riot at a race track while spectating.

English drag racer Graham Ellis, another drug smuggler. Columbian IMSA racer Juan Camilo Perez Buitrago (JC Perez) for Medicare and health care fraud. Grand Am driver Tommy Constantine for fraud and money laundering. Not to mention all the early NASCAR folks who were involved, and some convicted (such as Junior Johnson), in the illegal moonshine business.

Listing the missing criminals is not a criticism of Besley's effort. Quite the opposite. It takes a massive effort to even know, research, and write about the over 90 perpetrators and victims in this book. Besley did a superb job on all three accounts. I'm very glad he did.

Greed will always exist in this world. In the racing world, greed is amplified to another level. As Besley writes at the end of the chapter on James Munro, "As anyone involved in the sport such as motor racing knows, adrenalin is a very powerful hormone that can produce extreme emotions and excitement." To keep that emotion and excitement going, it sometimes requires extreme ... and illegal ... greed.

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