IF Perry McCarthy had been just a normal everyday Formula One racing driver, then Flat Out, Flat Broke could not have been written.

You see, the average Grand Prix superstar normally has wealthy parents who push him into junior kart racing shortly after birth and, by the age of seven, he is expected to have a bedroom that looks like a trophy room. By 12 he should have sponsors, managers and advisors to teach him how to say "Marlboro cigarettes" on television (even though he'll never smoke) and, by 22, he should be in Formula One with an apartment in Monaco because of the tax breaks!

Perry McCarthy however had a slightly different approach ...

Born in London's East End and sleeping in the bottom drawer of a cupboard until he was two, Perry McCarthy's upbringing was without money but his parents' ingenuity to survive, coupled with their own ambition to succeed, taught him never to give in. It's a lesson Londoners are renowned for and one that would bring McCarthy international recognition even though his fight to become a Formula One driver had a late start.

Flat Out, Flat Broke charts the progress of a man who at 18 decided to reach the top in the world's most expensive sport. With no previous experience and little going for him except a quick wit and a passion for speed, he realistically shouldn't have stood a chance of making it. However, Perry McCarthy just doesn't take "no" for an answer. His relentless pursuit for backing and recognition became increasingly desperate and led him into hilarious situations, such as tracking scheduling meetings by impersonating James Hunt and tricking his way into a Formula One paddock with a bogus "Pizza delivery" for Ayrton Senna.

Perry's friends, who include Damon Hill, Johnny Herbert and Mark Blundell, call him "Mad Dog" in recognition of his (extrovert personality and that personality has placed him firmly in motor racing folklore. Against a background of frustration and disaster, "Mad Dog" finally did graduate into the elite world of Grand Prix. But the story doesn't finish there and his ambitions and adventures in the F1 world make fascinating reading. (Haynes £17.99).