Has anyone read 'Crashed and Byrned'?

Has anyone read Crashed And Byrned? It is the autobiography of Tommy Byrne, who with no cash - or scruples - went from a FF 1600 to Formula 1 in about four years - and then went down hill even faster. Having hit rock bottom and bounced a bit he coached a runner in the Ferrari 360 series, a fellow who also owned a 275 GTB it would seem. And they hated each other. That bit alone is worth a look, Lord knows how the lawyers let it get into print. Hm.. I wonder if the 360 man is on this forum now.....

Say, anyone run into him? On the track? With a back bumper?

 

There's an article about him in a Dutch magazine that I just read (promoting this book). It says that he had ten times the personality of his fellow countryman Eddie Irvine and was more naturally talented than Schumacher or Senna! Quite some claim but his test at McLaren did produce amazing lap times (and consistent too).

 

I have known Tommy for about 9 years, but we've lost touch. He had wonderful stories of his F1 days. Never got the ride he needed. The book must be somewhat similar to Flat Out and Flat Broke, I imagine. Hard to make a living in this business. The last I spoke with him, he called asking if I wanted to be a co-driver in the Daytona 24 with him in a Mazda. I said yes, but never heard back. One of his patrons turned out to be a total fraud and confidence man. I wonder if any of those stories made it into the book. I have a couple of great ones about that guy.

Will have to pick up a copy.

CW

 

Yes, that stuff was in the book.

I first met Tommy when he was at the Brands FF 1600 Festival. The fellow who was running me there was the same John Murphy that got Tommy started in Mondello, in Ireland, and it was he who introduced us. I ran into him a few times after that and then again in Dublin two years ago when we sat down had a hash through of the early '80's over a few drinks with David Kennedy, with whom Tommy was staying. (To be pedantic and accurate, all but David did the drinking). The thing that impressed me about him wasn't the famous MacLaren test but rather a F3 race he did at Silverstone.

That day in '82 I went down to the inside of Club corner to watch and saw Mansilla take an early lead followed by Dave Scott and Tommy. Dave Scott was good, actually for a while he was the wonder of British racing; he was given a Lotus F1 test and all, either way he was driving to block Tommy, one eye simultaneously in each mirror. In a Ralt RT3 Club corner was taken without braking but but by changing down from to 5th to 4th, it was a gentle lift to take the weight off the gear cogs, and then one went back on the power and slipped it into the lower gear, the drag having slowed the car down enough so that the speed fitted the ratio and the engine was back on peak torque. You could hear he smooth gear change as Tommy would get his nose wings by Dave's back wheel and Dave would chop him as he changed down and powered through the corner. For lap after lap they dodged and fented, an outside line, an inside line, Tommy tried everywhere. I knew that Dave was trying to bash his wings and ruin his car, as did Tommy, but that didn't stop him from trying and trying. He got by with, I think, two laps to go, then he tore after Mansilla, passed him out and won the race. There was talk of a protest but Murray Taylor, who was running Tommy, realized that keeping Dave Scott in 3rd place would help Tommy's points position. After the race finished I left Club corner and walked back to Park Ferme to look at Tommy's car, which was, along with the other top finishers, impounded until the scruteeners let it go. It was then that I was impressed for there was rubber from Dave Scott's car all over it, yet there was no damage. Both sides of the nose cone had been rubbed, as had the wing end plates and the side pods, yet there wasn't so much as a craze on the fiberglass underneath. I realized that I couldn't do that, at least not for more than one lap, and I realized that Tommy was really great - in a car.

A couple of years later I did an F3 race at Thruxton and I found myself trying to get by Dave Scott. I did at the chicane before the pits and then I followed it up with something pretty horrible (because he had annoyed me - and because I'm not really very nice when I'm awake), and while Dave didn't end up in the armco he did complain to the stewards after the race. Someone with leather arm patches on his tweed jacket and an armband came down to sort me out while the car was being packed up and a racing scribe was keeping me company. I remember saying something about being roared at for blocking Dave Scott was the Irish equivalent of an OBE, and while it didn't go down well with the bureaucratic boy it ended up in print - somewhere between the obits and an add for dog food.

Anyway, the book is a good Christmas read.

 

I know Tommy Byrne, and have ridden in a car with him driving on a skid pan...

Amazing car control abilities.

 

ive known TB since he was driving for Teddy Yip!!and spent quite a bit of tme with him during his indy light years!!yes its a great read and pretty much everything made it into the book!!

 

Not too long ago, Byrne was an instructor at the Mid Ohio School. Very funny, very entertaining. If the book reflects his personality, I'd imagine it's a great read.

 

WCH,

I think you likely know and remember the con man in question, too...

CW

 

Still is an instructor there, and his son is going to start instructing there soon last i heard.

 

So, what's the story on Richard Millman? Is he on this site? The book is rather 'interesting' when it talks about coaching him.

 

Regrettably, Kram, I know all too much about Millman. He's dead, btw.

I'm very intrigued to read the book now. I'd like to know what Tommy thought and knew at the time. Millman was a complete con man. I have some exceptional stories about him, but I don't know what's in the book. I checked Amazon.com, but it's not available in the States. Yet. That man was a plague. And, I don't use that term lightly or casually.

CW

P.S. Here's a little background for you...http://kreindler.com/kreindler-press/pdf/Forbes.com-NowYouSeeItNowYouDont-6-16-08.pdf

 

Thanks!

Here is a hint about their working relationship: In the book Millman is referred to as 'Fat Bas!ard'.

 

WOWOW??!!! Richard Millman died? was a conman? I raced with him. Well..he didnt race...he was really really slow. PM me info if you dont want to post about the conman stuff..I have more to say but want to be cautious in a public forum

 

Ron,

I knew that a couple of Challenge drivers would eventually chime in. Millman was a moving chicane and involved in a number of incidents during the years that he "raced". You know, for all of his faults, though, he really was a charming and engaging man. That's probably why he was so successful. He worked in tandem with an attorney, playing good cop/bad cop. Once you saw it, you recognized it for what it was. The attorney's also dead. They used economic and legal threats to bully and coerce people. It was quite sad for a number of entrepreneurs, really, who were sucked in and ended up losing their companies/ideas and potential. Of course, people didn't like being strong-armed, so they eventually left and all of these great little ideas ended up going nowhere.

Due to my family's business dealings with him, I know a great deal about what he was up to. We were even sued by him once and threatened other times. And, in another case involving a whole bunch of Challenge owners/drivers, we were co-defendants. Total clusterfnck. The man was involved in every shady deal he could get his hands on. So glad we parted ways. It pays to be on the up-and-up, and in every single case we dealt with him, we prevailed. But, it cost a fair bit in attorney's fees to get our vindications.

A rather funny story involved his purchase of a pricey cello for his at-the-time-girlfriend. Instead of having it shipped back from Europe, he purchased a one-way, first class ticket on his flight back. The cello flew in a seat in first class. He was a showman of sorts.

CW

 

If anyone wants to see what Millman looked like, here you go. Back row, second from left...

Another funny story, when he purchased his street 360, he had an extra large seat installed, which isn't surprising, but the factory installed extra-stiff springs on the driver side to adjust for "ballast".

FYI...credit for this picture to Chris McNeil.

CW
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One last one...

Millman on far right.

Again, credit to Chris McNeil.

CW
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2001 shot. Im back row..8th from left

btw..where can I buy this book?

Amazon UK is the only one so far?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crashed-Byrned-Greatest-Racing-Driver/dp/1848310285

 

I don't know where to get it in North America, my copy was sent to me from Europe, just in time to drop down the chimney and slide to a halt under the Christmas tree.

Here is a bit of it, a section concerning Millman, and in the hopes that you all run out and somehow get a few copies I trust the publishers won't sue me:

"....so the car actually accelerated, right into a tree, on its side. We were up the trunk at an angle of about 45 degrees. As the dust settled I looked accoss at Millman and he was hanging his head. "Oh, Great, he's fu*king dead on the first day!' I thought to myself. Then, as I went to help him he came to - and immediately he starts trying to get the car started, like he's trying to run off from the scene or something . I'm shouting at him: 'Richard, you are stuck on a tree. Switch it off......'
They had to get a chainsaw to separate the car from the tree."

The book is a cross between Genet's Thief's Journal and the usual racing bio, definitely a different read. Not the sort of thing you should put down in a place a child can reach though.

 

om*g..haha..yes I will have to buy the book. Guess in my own little way I was a part of history

btw..I count now at least 3 challenge drivers from 2000/2001 that are either in jail or a (dead) conman.

 

The book is distributed in canada by Pengiun Books Canada.
If you employ the 'look inside' facility on the amazon UK link the second page displayed has that info, address etc. It also has the ISBN number which will fascilitate a book search greatly what ever region you're in.

 

If buying from amazon uk consider the Perry McCarthy book add-on offer too.
He’s raced in Formula One, competed in the legendary Le Mans 24 hours and battled for honours at Sebring, but in the career of Perry McCarthy – dubbed by some as ‘the world's unluckiest driver’ – the ultimate irony must be acheiving his greatest fame as the ultimate unknown driver.
Yep, Perry was the original Stig.
Many a man might've stayed and parleyed the position into a comfortable life, driving exotics and coaching interesting people but PM moved on after the first series. Shooting for series two conflicted with his racing and that came first.

 

Does the book have the episode from Watkins Glen when he stuffed the car in the guardrail igniting the fuel tank? He actually sued SpA under a product liability cause of action. To make it go away, IIRC, SpA gave him a new car.

CW

 

sounds interesting. that's a pretty quick rise and fall in the racing world alright

 

This man had NO business being in the driver's seat. NONE. And, GrandAm gave him a competition license and permitted him to race in the GT class (Porsche GT3R)! He drove a car with Orbit Racing.

CW

 

I think Kristian is referring to Tommy Byrne's rise and fall, not the crash and fall of Millman.