Checkered Flag Cheater by Will Weaver

Checkered Flag Cheater by Will Weaver. Pb. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2010.

At last a book for petrol heads and guys and girls who like motor racing. There are so few fiction titles about this subject that when you get one, it is a must purchase for High School Librarians.

Trace Bonham is 18, he is cool, he is smart and he loves stockcars. He becomes a driver for Team Blu, a company that makes a high energy drink and his performance as a driver and as a suitable candidate for advertising helps the company to a healthy share of the drink market.

Trace tours the USA racing his stock car on different track surfaces and he has a team of people behind him who sort out the car, ensure that he keeps up his school work at an On-line School and see that he is happy.

Trace is an honest competitor and he suspects that something is amiss. One day his car is going like a dog until a certain time in the race, then it has power to burn. Why? Read this book and find out.

Plenty of motor racing and car talk in this book. Plenty of tips for young drivers and a description of a racing drivers lot on the professional USA motor racing  circuit. For example when racing on a corner – “it may look cool to show daylight under the tyre. but you’ve got more control with all four tyres on the dirt”.

Will Weaver has written other books on motor racing Super Stock Rookie and Saturday Night Dirt If you like this topic get into these as well.

Main appeal at High School level.