theduisbergkid Posted July 4, 2013 Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 I've just about finished Tom Rubython's book about James 'the shunt' Hunt. I'd heard the stories about him, knew a little of his racing records and vaguely remember him from when I was a kid. Having read the book I find myself having a pretty poor opinion of him. His one title win seemed more like being in the right car at the right time and his performances before and after were good but not spectacular. Without Lord Hesketh I don't think he would have ever gotten a drive with the big boys. As a personality he seems like a bit of a tw*t. The way he treated his parents, wives and fellow racers was pretty disgusting at times. His constant blaming of Patrese for a death he didn't cause is unpleasant and punching people when you get the hump is no way to race. The stuff about Hesketh is interesting and worthy of a book in it's own right. The relationship between sponsors and teams seems far closer than I had imagined. Hunt bottled out at the end, despite the millions waved at him, I don't imagine Lauda or Senna would have got cold feet. Hunt comes across as completely self-centred and shallow and his off-track antics might be funny at times but getting drunk/laid/stoned isn't difficult. Even I can do that. I'm guessing the forthcoming film will paint him as a hedonistic British hero. I think he was actually a bit of a tw*t. The book is slightly strangely written, the chapters seem to overlap somewhat and the writing is a bit flat and factual, but it's a very informative read. What are your opinions of Hunt ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted July 4, 2013 Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 He made this slogan popular? "Sex, the breakfast of Champions" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdiesel Posted July 4, 2013 Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 (edited) Tom is a very odd characture (my brother used to work for him) and only sees the world in black and white. James was most of the time a pretty unpleasant characture in his younger days, but he realised this and mellowed significantly in his last few years. He was a very good driver (not a great) who made the most of his opportunities. His performances in the Hesketh were stand out. He was also a very good judge of talent, as his raving about Giles proved after racing against him in formula atlantic. His vilification of Patrese was due to his close involment in the Ronnie accident and the aftermath. Many years later he did admit this. Edited July 4, 2013 by jimdiesel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted July 4, 2013 Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 Read a few Rubython books and haven't really found any of them as enthralling as they perhaps could have been. Hunt was certainly a character, but there are many more engaging stories from that era, Hesketh high among them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theduisbergkid Posted July 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 Jim - your brother isn't called Winston, is he ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted July 4, 2013 Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 Winston Diesel? Never heard of 'im. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdiesel Posted July 4, 2013 Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 Jim - your brother isn't called Winston, is he ? Nope but he is sometimes on telly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theduisbergkid Posted July 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 Nope but he is sometimes on telly. I misread your original post as your brother worked for James, not Tom, hence the comment. I am a div. I'm intrigued now though, who is your brother ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 Yes, he probably was a tw@t. But he was a tw@t who spent his time racing cars, drinking, and shagging. I'm not going to criticise him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinspark Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 They've just show the ultimate James hunt photo on Top Gear. I think it tells you all you need to know about him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 That's what reminded me to add the comment. I mean, can you picture a better day than that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldavo69 Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 Does she have sister? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 Given when that photo was taken, don't you mean daughter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldavo69 Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 I meant at the time - but yes now it would definitely be daughter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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