When Bill Pearson first announced that he was writing a book about old motor racing venues, I thought he was hiding nothing, and when he said that he had a hundred and fifty to talk about, I knew he was crazy. The amount of hunting needed to get enough information to make it work would take forever. But with a lifetime of motor racing interest, and the careful collection of people’s reminiscences in person, in publications, and on social media, he’s been able to put together a very readable book. 
 
The number of speedway tracks that have come and gone in this country is amazing, built, operated, and maintained by local enthusiasts, both volunteers and business people, some surviving for decades, others only briefly, and their stories are fascinating. Then, there are well-known circuits like Warwick Farm and Oran Park in NSW, Altona, and Fisherman’s Bend in Melbourne, Longford in Tasmania, and Surfers Paradise in Queensland. All of them are here 
 
All the venues are illustrated with photos of the racing, and Google Maps aerial photos overlaid with the track locations, all to encourage the reader to go and have a look when they’re in the area. 
 
I suspect that nobody else will ever bring together such a comprehensive volume of Australian Motor racing “places”, and the enthusiasm that Bill brings to the stories means that instead of a serious studious statistical history, we have one man’s passionate contribution to increasing our knowledge of a pastime we all enjoy.