DECEMBER 13, 2008

Byrne book wins Irish prize

Crashed and Byrned, the story of Tommy Byrne, co-written by Mark Hughes, has been named William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year for 2008. The book tells the story of Tommy Byrne, from his poverty-stricken childhood in Dundalk to Formula 1 - and how it all went wrong for the chirpy Irishman.

Crashed and Byrned, the story of Tommy Byrne, co-written by Mark Hughes, has been named William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year for 2008. The book tells the story of Tommy Byrne, from his poverty-stricken childhood in Dundalk to Formula 1 - and how it all went wrong for the chirpy Irishman. The book goes into every harrowing detail of Tommy's life from his fame in motorsport, to his drug problems, driving for a billionaire madman and working for gun-toting Mexicans in the 1990s.

"This is a fantastic story from start to finish and is one of the best sports books you will read," said William Hill's Tony Kenny. "The judging panel felt the book displayed a level of honesty that many books fail to reach and it was a story which everyone with an interest in sport and further afield deserves to hear."

"It may not be the award Tommy was figuring on back in the day, when he was giving Ayrton Senna plenty to worry about on the race track," said Hughes, "but it means a lot to both of us and I'm particularly pleased that it will play its part in ensuring this guy and his extraordinary story doesn't get forgotten."