I stumbled upon this book many years ago, but it sat on my shelf collecting dust for five years. Now I’ve finally had a chance to read it and I think it’s an excellent book and would recommend it to anyone with some free time over the F1 summer break looking to feed their F1 addiction.
The book recounts one of the most iconic championship battles in Formula One history: the 1976 season. This season became, arguably, the closest points battle in the sport’s history.
In light of Niki Lauda’s recent passing before the Monaco Grand Prix, I decided to finally blow off the dust and give this book a read. I was not disappointed.
The book was released in 2011 under the name In The Name Of Glory. It was re-released in the North American market under the name Rush To Glory, a month before the release of the hit 2013 movie Rush, which depicted the events of the same season.
Tom Rubython is a British journalist and author behind multiple F1 biographies including The Life Of Senna and Shunt: The Story Of James Hunt.
Rush To Glory paints the picture of the 1976 season perfectly, highlighting the action both on and off the circuit. Drawing insights from people such as John Watson (who raced alongside the two championship rivals) and John Hogan (who’s marketing career with Marlboro made him close with both Hunt and Lauda), the book provides an amazing peek behind the closed doors or McLaren and Ferrari as the politics unfold.
It’s not surprising, given the author’s British background and the fact that has written a standalone James Hunt biography, the book contains a slight bias towards Hunt. However, this doesn’t impact the story in any noticeable way.
My only other criticism of the book is the quotes scattered throughout. While they provide interesting first-hand insight and credibility to the events put forth in the book, they sometimes hindered the flow.
Overall, this is a book I’d strongly recommend to anyone interested in F1. Even if you think you know everything about the 1976 season, your knowledge likely only scratches the surface.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company. Assumptions made in any analysis contained within this article are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the author.
