Donald Campbell

Sir,

My enjoyment of Gordon Cruickshank’s kind review of my book Donald Campbell – The Man Behind the Mask in the February issue was tempered by Bill Boddy’s allegations which impugn my professional standards by suggesting that the book seeks to debase Campbell in any way.

The three-page serialisation that appeared under my name in the Daily Mail was very much like the track on which Campbell was forced to run at Lake Eyre in 1964: good in places, but mushy in others. I recognised some of what I wrote in the book in the Mail story; the rest was invented by a ghost writer who chose to take a particular slant in tabloid style. Such is the way of these things, over which the author has no control.

Because I worked for Motor Sport’s sister publication Motoring News for 14 years I’m disappointed that WB, a fellow LSR historian, is not more familiar with my true style and beliefs.

Congratulations on the otherwise excellent standard to which you have raised the magazine.

David Tremayne, Harrow

I have read David Tremayne’s books and articles; I was thus all the more disappointed to see his name over the Daily Mail serialisation. Surely, to safeguard his ‘true style and beliefs’ he would have had these deleted or the project abandoned? I had great respect for Donald Campbell. When the press and PR people became impatient at Coniston Water before his final WSR runs, Motor Sport reminded them that it was Donald who had to get into Bluebird, not them. – WB