Perry McCarthy decided at the age of 18 that he wanted to reach the top of the world's most expensive sport. With no racing experience, no cash, and little going for him except a passion for speed, the exhuberant Cockney shouldn't have stood a chance. His endless search for backing and recognition led him from "The world's unluckiest racing driver" to his heroic, often hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking efforts to make it into Formula 1. This is his autobiography, which covers his wild boyhood, a trial at the Brands Hatch Racing School which noted his outstanding natural talent, and working on oil rigs to fund his start in the junior formulae.

Perry McCarthy - sometime actor (scheduling meetings by impersonating James Hunt) and pizza delivery man (to trick his way into the F1 paddock) - was 2001 test driver for Team Bentley at Le Mans. 'Mad Dog' to his friends, Perry is a man of startling talent and wild hopes. He lives at Billericay, Essex.