A NEW biography of Mike Hawthorn, Britain’s first ever world motor racing champion, is winning acclaim for uncovering the flawed but charismatic character behind one of motor racing’s most extraordinary legends.

Too Fast A Life, by author Martin Shepherd, explores Hawthorn’s difficult upbringing, his appetite for fast living, womanising and drinking and his seemingly inexplicable death in a car accident, aged just 29.

This personal story weaves between the glamour and deadly danger of 1950s motor racing, when Hawthorn (renowned for wearing a bowtie while driving) battled motor racing stars like Stirling Moss and Juan Fangio on the racetrack.

Hawthorn was born in Mexborough, Yorkshire, and spent his early years in Farnham, where his love of racing was fostered by his father, who owned the TT Garage preparing high performance cars.

During his turbulent years in motor racing, Hawthorn drove for Ferrari, BRM and Jaguar, topping the podium in the notorious 1955 Le Mans 24-hour race before winning the 1958 World championship. He retired immediately, and had only been given a few more years to live, due to kidney disease, when he was killed in 1959.

The book is written to appeal to both racing fans and the general reader, said Martin, who began writing the story while taking an MA in Creative Writing at Chichester University.

“Mike lived as he drove – very fast. He had a big appetite for pretty girls, beer, airplanes and practical jokes - all of which got him into many scrapes. What usually got him out was his charm.

“I wanted to highlight the amazing life of one of Britain’s greatest driving stars in a way that matched something of Mike himself – action-packed and full of emotion and fun. I think the fact that I am not steeped in motorsport and not a complete petrol-head, has helped me steer a route between the human story and the racing details.”

Too Fast A Lif is published by SilverWood Books. It is available from online retailers, including Waterstones and Amazon and to order from bookshops.