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The Unfederated Grand Prix 70 YEARS of THE JOHORE GRAND PRIX
Part TWO of... LOST CIRCUITS of Southeast Asia
Due out 1Q 2010
The Unfederated Grand Prix is the new working title for this book on the history of motor racing in Johor. The material was extracted from LOST CIRCUITS of Southeast Asia, a project that includes motorsports in Singapore, the Peninsula, Philippines and Indonesia. From this came Snakes & Devils - A History of the Singapore Grand Prix, published in May 2008 by Marshall Cavendish. The Johore Grand Prix history, stretching from the first in 1940 to the present, will be his second book in the Lost Circuits series.
The book covers four distinct periods; from the first War Effort Grand Prix in 1940, to the period during the Malayan Emergency, the Indonesian Konfrontasi, and the formation of the permanent circuit at Pasir Gudang. Between 1949 and 1968, the street circuit was one of the most exciting circuits on the motor racing calendar of Southeast Asia, attracting some of the best names and cars around. A lull of 18 years set the state back until the Pasir Gudang Circuit was unveiled. Pasir Gudang's history is a story in itself and featured top level motorsports for many years.
The book will feature numerous photographs from the very first events right up to the present. But more important, it looks at how the state of Johor has developed over the course of 70 years, the interaction with the surrounding states and Singapore and the immeasurable support and patronage offered by the Sultanate as well as the businesses that helped promote motorsport in the region.
Appendices include the story of the Malayan-built "Special", the history of the Automobile Association of Malaya/Malaysia and the histories of the various clubs that were involved in motorsport.
It is expected that the research, photo selection and layout will be completed by the end of 2009 and the 200 page book in print by 1Q 2010.
About the Author
Eli Solomon has spent a lifetime, punctuated by a spell as an equity salesman in an investment bank, in the company of good and bad cars and good and bad company. His interests are varied, and his latest venture is into the world of rare Southeast Asian books with the formation of Singapore Rare Books LLP. He now spends equal time between Hong Kong and Singapore.
He has acted as historical consultant for a documentary film for Singapore television on the history of the Singapore Grand Prix as well as been a guest on TV talking about alternative investments. Eli contributes historical and motor sports-related pieces for Top Gear Singapore, having done a monthly for the Singapore edition since March 2009. A number of his articles have appeared in international publications such as Vintage Race Car Journal USA and Motorsport UK. He is presently working on a number of other projects, including a biography of a motoring personality, Lost Circuits of Southeast Asia and the third book in the Lost Circuits series, The third Milestone.
In the early 1990s, his interests centered around the very early modern history of Singapore. A coffee-table edition of his early work on Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles appeared as The Raffles Book of Days, published by Antiques of the Orient. A bibliography on Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles for the National Library of Singapore was then undertaken, soon followed by a chronology of the life of Colonel William Farquhar, first Resident of Singapore, for Singapore Resource Library.
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