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An UPCOMING book on the history of MOTORING and MOTOR RACING in Southeast Asia
RED FLAGS & LOST CIRCUITS of Southeast Asia
While Snakes & Devils was the definitive account of the Singapore Grand Prix, Red Flags & Lost Circuits of Southeast Asia is the culmination of over twenty-years of work on the history of motoring and motorsport in Southeast Asia. The work will be issued in two volumes. Snakes chronicled the 13 golden years of Grand Prix racing in Singapore in one packed 288 page volume with 400 photographs and instantly became the only definitive historical account of the original Singapore Grand Prix. The book, published by Marshall Cavendish, was released to the public on 9th June 2008 and was limited to a single print run of around 1,500 copies. A special corporate edition, commissioned by TAG Heuer, was issued in conjunction with Singapore's first Formula 1 Grand Prix held in late September 2008. Red Flags & Lost Circuits, on the other hand, will be published by Curry Pot Press and limited to 200 copies to accommodate the very small market in that part of the world and cater to the industry and to enthusiasts.
Red Flags will contain about 200 pages, including appendices, detailed bibliography and an index. Lost Circuits, a much larger volume, will focus on motor racing in all its forms in the region. Each chapter focuses on the individual states and the events that took place there. For example, under Singapore, the 15 or so sites used for sprints, hill climbs and circuit racing are all covered in detail, including numerous photos and illustrations that were not present in Snakes & Devils. The scope of the work stretches from the start of the 20th Century and ends around the mid-1980s. Each of the Malaysian states is covered in detail, including the various hill climbs, sprints, and circuit races, including the failed Swettenham Aerodrome Grand Prix that would have predated the War Effort Grand Prix of November 1940. Other countries covered include Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines, with mention of the races in Sri Lanka and India.
Such a project has never been undertaken on such a scale previously. The author spent 19 fairly unsuccessful years working in the financial sector that was constantly mired in some from of crisis or recession. Most of those 19 years were therefore spent preparing for this ultimate work so it hasn't been a total failure. There have been no restrictions on size and depth of content that will eventually emerge in Red Flags & Lost Circuit and a considerable amount of effort has been taken to ensure accuracy of data. The release of this two volume work will be timed around the second Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix. 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.
His racing interests include wringing the neck out of his single-seater Brabham BT18 at historic motor sports events when he can afford to, and rebuilding old race cars, including one that was entered in the Singapore Grand Prix of 1971 and 1972 and a little known Special that was raced in Malaya in 1953. 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. A short spell with a local vintage car club saw his enthusiasm for such machinery and for such clubs severely dampened by vandalism within the club (which the Hon. club secretary even referred to as "AN ACT OF TERRORISM"), so much so that he had to remove himself from any association with the club to safeguard his private property from those members who had a more sinister agenda. In the early 1990s, his interests centered around the very early 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 AOTO. 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. Eli's latest book is titled Red Flags & Lost Circuits of Southeast Asia with publication expected to be in time for Singapore's second Formula 1 Grand Prix.
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