Stuart Johnston, one of the most knowledgeable motoring scribes in South Africa, has released the 2008 edition of the Motorheads Diary.
Edited by Johnston and beautifully designed by Gauteng classic car buff Heide-Marie von der Au, the second edition of this page-per-day diary for car and bike enthusiasts is an absolute gem, filled with useful information such as the dates and web addresses of local and international motoring events, conversion tables, emergency numbers, contact details for literally hundreds of clubs and associations, lists of all past Formula One and MotoGP world champions, diagrams of all South African racetracks.
There are also numerous articles: “Sixty years of Porsche”, “Volvo — a proud heritage” and “The Isle of Man TT 100th anniversary” are just three. I don’t know how much of the space was paid for by manufacturers and importers, but none of it reads like advertorial — thank goodness. Want to convert kilowatts into horsepower, or litres to gallons? Wonder what effect a tyre-size change will have on your car? It’s all in the Motorheads diary.
Each page bears an interesting motoring or motorcycling fact, such as the birth dates and first wins of famous racers and designers, or short histories of various marques.
I suspect that the Motorheads Diary 2008 will stay firmly on the bookshelves of most buyers, long after the year has ended and all the handwritten appointments have melted into the past, simply because it is such a useful source of information.
The diary is available from Exclusive Books and PNA stores in most major centres, at the very fair price of R140. More info: www.motorheads.co.za